So my kids were never allowed to watch SpongeBob Squarepants until Tristan was sick. Sometimes, while in the hospital, there was just nothing on TV, and Tristan started enjoying SpongeBob. Since then, all my kids (and I) have continued to enjoy SpongeBob. Yes, I know it’s supposed to make you dumber, but we are just as dumb now as we were prior to life with a little SpongeBob (I know that will be hard for some people to swallow!). Anyway, the episode I would like to discuss is called Idiot Box. In this episode SpongeBob and Patrick are playing in a large box. Using their imaginations, they are having a great time. Squidward, the Negative Nancy that he is, cannot figure out how they are making this box work. He doesn’t believe it is powered by their imagination. It kills him. With that said, Hailey, Adrian & Tristan are my SpongeBobs and Patricks, and Clara, Presley, J’onn & Cory are my Squidwards. The oldest three were always outside playing made up games. They used props, but they could catch fish in the sand or play pirates for hours. My younger set of children? Well, this is what they do when we “make” them play outside:

Yup. They take turns at the door. They’ll knock, kick, or just stand and stare. It is amazing. They don’t even understand the idea behind “using your imagination.” For example, on the way to Gramma’s house to dye Easter eggs today, as Hailey and I were discussing their similarities to Idiot Box,  Clara said she’d use her imagination to dye eggs while dying them. I offered to let her stay in the van and use her imagination to dye them while we went inside to actually dye them. “Ohhhh.” I think she got it. Since it is a beautiful spring day, I have kicked the boys outside. The only reprieve the girls have is that they have to finish their chores first. Maybe I should get them a big box. Then they could all stand around outside of it wondering how it works. At least they wouldn’t be kicking the door.

P.S. Here is my list of my favorite SpongeBob Episodes:

Krusty Towers (with cheese-my all time favorite- I LOVE IT!)

Shanghaied (Keep going, you’re good, you’re good! Don’t worry, Captian, we’ll buff out those scratches!)

The Camping Episode (Good thing we’re all wearing our anti-sea-rhinoceros undergarments!)

The Algae’s Always Greener (Goodbye everyone, I’ll remember you all in therapy!)

20,000 Patties Under the Sea (Hey, you can’t talk to my grandson like that. Someone oughta put you in a mental hospital. [Plankton] Someone should put you in a box floating down the river, Grandma!     You’re probably right.   – Ok, it is really funny in context!)

Dying for Pie (Sunsets always remind me of bowls of fruit. What do they make you think of, Squidward?      Explosions… I mean, erosion.)

Krusty Krab Training Video (Probably due to all my years at McDonald’s)

F.U.N. (F is for friends who do stuff together, U is for you & me, N is for  anywhere, any time at all, down here in the deep blue sea. F is for fire that burns down the whole town! U is for uranium- bomb!  N is for no survivors…!)

Single Cell Anniversary (Oh my Karen, Oh my Karen. Oh my computer wife Karen.)

Your Shoe’s Untied (Like bunny ears or a Christmas bow, lace ’em up and you’re ready to go!)

Have You Seen This Snail? ( Gary, I’m sorry I neglected you. Oh, I never expected you to run away and leave me feeling this empty. Your meow right now would sound like music to me!) To be fair, I have not seen many of the newer ones, I bet there are some good ones out there!

P.P.S.- Again, for the anti-SpongeBob crowd, J’onn loves SpongeBob the most AND he has the most active imagination of the youngest ones (he just doesn’t like to play outside) so I can’t blame Spongebob for sucking their imaginations out!!!