When Ben was 1.5 years old, the only TV shows he watched were “Sesame Street” and the Baby Einstein videos (not “Little Einsteins,” which is totally different).
Shannon found a talking Elmo that allowed the parent to customize it with the child’s name. Working within a web browser, she carefully typed in his first name, and soon the “He Knows Your Name” Elmo was on its way. We couldn’t wait to see Benjamin react to hearing Elmo address him directly.
When we got it and squeezed Elmo’s little red hand, however, it seemed he was talking to someone else entirely. Without hesitation, I grabbed my video camera.









