I was home sick one day in high school, lying miserably on the couch wishing I could try one of those nifty out-of-body experiences and leave my suffering behind. Too sick to sleep but also too sick to do anything requiring much mental capabilities, I searched for something to watch on TV. Since it was midmorning, a time when the viewing audience primarily consists of preschoolers and stay-at-home parents, it was either infomercials or kids’ shows.
As I flipped through the channels, I came across a gerbil, turtle, and duckling singing together: “There’s a cowww! Stuck in a treeeee! We have to help it!”
OK, I thought. Now I have to know. How the heck did a cow get stuck in a tree?
Within a few seconds, the pets were flying (in their toy sailboat) to rescue the baby cow, which had been deposited in the tree by a passing tornado. Their chirpy dialogue referenced lyrics from the musical Oklahoma! and the gerbil was now wearing a cowboy hat.
And that’s how I got hooked on WonderPets. Naturally I shared the wonder with Bird.
This past weekend we were cutting up pound cake for the graduation party (because by the way, my little sister is officially a high school graduate!) and I had to hold the cutting board down while Bird sliced. So we started singing: “What’s gonna work? Teeeeeamwork! What’s gonna work? Teeeeeamwork!” And then the theme song. Because we had to.
The Grammar Changeling 