TV is your friend.

I heard the thunder coming from across the house, until two kids came galloping straight into my chair.

"Guess what we just learned from TV?" Abby begged, breathlessly. ("Yeah, guess!" Maddy chimed.)

"What?" I asked carefully, with no small measure of trepidation.

With utter earnestness, she explained, "we learned that sometimes it's great to turn off the television and go do something fun. With our imaginations! So that's what we're going to do right now!"

And before I could react to the incongruity of any kid actually listening to what some character on PBS Sprout has to say about things like this, they spilled into the living room, turned a blanket into a car, and began making up a car racing game.

Wait. That's not what TV is for. TV is for keeping the kids out of the living room so I can have some peace and quiet.

Maybe we can get Caillou to tell them to wash the car and empty the dishwasher, too.

Update: So....that lasted all of 10 minutes. They decided to turn the television back on to see what else they could learn. And all is right again with the world. Birds continue to fly, fish continue to swim.