If you’re familiar with my posts here at Hate My Kid, you know I don’t usually post things that I don’t like about my kid in general. The thing is, I pretty much adore my kid and always have. Sure, there are crazy days when I simply want someone to come and watch her so I can have five minutes to myself; we homeschool so she is with me all of the time. And there are days when we do get angry and yell at one another, too. But overall, we are a pretty genial duo.

That said, there are things about parenting that I would never have predicted from just taking care of my sisters and other children growing up. Sure, I would have kicked butt or died for my younger siblings, whom I cared for every day after school and all day during the summer growing up; but I didn’t mind making fun of their interests in, say, Power Rangers or whatever it was they were into that I thought was stupid. I was their sister, after all, and needling them a bit was part of my sisterly duty!

But it’s different with your child. You find yourself liking things—or at least pretending to like things—that you might normally despise. Take the Wonder Pets, for example. That song is one of the most annoying ones written in history. Or Dora the Explorer, which is so monotonous, predictable, and boring that my eyelids droop when it’s on. We don’t watch these shows every week, but when we do, I have to keep myself from judging them aloud, keeping comments constructive and engaging with my daughter. She does learn from them, sure, and I do enjoy discussing them with her—but watching them can be agony!

The same goes for movies and music that she likes. I can dig Laurie Berkner music; she’s pretty cool, and some of the songs are actually fun. But listening to the same song over and over again can get really boring really fast—especially when your kid’s favorite song is Europe’s “The Final Countdown”! Man, am I sick of that song! But since my daughter knows it’s on my husband’s iPod, she asks for it every time we are in the car. Movies like The Fantastic Mr. Fox or Alvin and the Chipmunks, which I can’t stand, are still viewed in our home (though sparingly!). While Goodnight Moon is cute, I’ve definitely had nights where I’ve read it a dozen times—after which it isn’t so cute anymore!

But you know what? It’s just like any other loving relationship. She’s watched Labyrinth with me, after all (and she actually likes it), and I have watched everything from the Rocky movies (which I fell in love with) to Porky’s (which I could have gouged my eyes out after) with my husband at his request—and he’s done the same for me with movies like Bridesmaids (which he, of course, loved) and Unbreakable (which he didn’t care for). And I think as long as we get to keep one another, keeping up with each other’s interests will be bearable.