One of the most popular kids’ shows in this country today begins by giving its audience a cruel musical taunt. “There’s 104 days of summer vacation,” opens the lyric of Phineas and Ferb, Disney’s cartoon about the outlandish adventures of two stepbrothers, their family, their friends and their platypus, Perry, who unbeknownst to them is a secret agent. The Tuned In Jr.’s, by my back-of-the-envelope calculations, got 71-1/2 days of summer vacation this year, and I know that plenty of kids in school districts across America are already back in class.

Despite all that, the Jrs. have spent much of those 71-1/2 days this summer mainlining one episode of Phineas and Ferb after another. (The Jrs. personal theory for the lyric: “104 days” just sounds better rhythmically.) And so has their dad.