When I was going through fertility treatments, I often felt out of the loop. Most of my friends were already parents. When they would talk about different things that interested their children, I was completely clueless. I had no idea who "Blue" was or why he was off looking for clues. The equivalent today would be not knowing who lives in a pineapple under the sea or why High School Musical is such a big deal. Until you are a parent, you have no reason to watch Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel.

Unfortunately, when most of your friends are already parents, you can feel out of the loop in a number of ways. Your friends are part of a club that you remain unable to join. Yes, you could watch several episodes of Sponge Bob Square Pants so you can carry on a conversation about the show, but it would be painful to watch it knowing that there should be a child sitting there watching it with you.

When I was the one out of the loop, I often felt like I had landed on another planet. At the time I was going through fertility treatments, my nephew loved a show called Bananas in Pyjamas, which was exactly the way it sounds. Watching a piece of fruit walk around in blue and white striped pajamas was weird to me, but it seemed completely normal to my sister and nephew. And don't even get me started with the Teletubbies.

Now that I am quite familiar with a sponge living in a pineapple under the sea, I can understand how parents learn to find these bizarre concepts "normal." I also now realize that I was not the only one out of the loop: My in-laws get the same expressions on their faces that I once did. I also notice that parents of teenagers and college age children are equally out of the loop. So, you really are not the only one who is out of the loop when it comes to children's programming, even though it might feel that way at times.

I will always be grateful that my son came after the Barney craze. Singing purple dinosaurs are not my thing. Who knows? Perhaps the timing of your child joining your family will get you out of watching the Wiggles or the Doodlebops. But don't worry - the next fad is just around the corner.

Related Topic:

Infertility: Feeling Different

Photo credit: Rosanne Mooney