Nowadays I have a tough time trying to keep Aayan (my two and a half year old son) away from the laptop. The minute I sit down in front of the laptop a squeaky voice buzzes next to my ear demanding Elmo.

Sesame Street Workshop is a superb website for kids to play online but for parents the site should say Caution the site is highly addictive and injurious to the sanity of internet addicted parents.

The characters of Sesame street are lovable and do not grate my nerves the way Barney does. Barney is the opposite of Elmo and his friends. His high pitched voice makes my hackles rise and his purple costume looks kind of obscene.

Though both shows break into songs and dances yet there is something far more endearing when it comes to watching those little monsters as opposed to the clumsy, thumping dinosaurs.

It's like watching Kermit the frog, the voices are mellow, the characters are easy on the eyes and the story lines of the various episodes are far more entertaining than what Big Barney and his BJ entourage seem to produce.

Our favorite Elmo DVD is Elmo in Grouchland. There is something magical about the way Elmo loves his blanket and would go through any lengths to be reunited with the lost blankie. Actors such as Vanessa Williams and Mandy Patinkin added color and depth to the story line.

One could be justified in stating that Mandy Patinkin was enthralling as Huxley. His Scrooge-like mentality and the breathtaking singing and dancing in the movie reminded me of humorous Gene Kelley, ever so light on his feet with a charisma than even today remains evergreen.. It is a must own movie for all parents.

That being said I seem to have had enough of Elmo and his friends. I see them every where, our mornings begin with Elmo, if we take the local bus, on the tv screens of the bus we see Elmo ads, reaching the library Aayan wants to read only Elmo books or take Elmo DVDs to watch at home.

On returning home he clutches his Bert stuffed toy and demands Elmo be watched on TV and there is no denying him or on the laptop.

My world seems to have been an extension of Sesame Street and there seems to be no relief. Aayan has only three passions - cars, trains and Elmo.

Maybe I should count my lucky stars that he prefers Elmo to Barney or else it would have been the Looney Bin for me.