The lovely plumber, Dave, is in the kitchen fixing our boiler, while myself, Miss M, cousin ME, cousin baby J and Granny are in the living room. The door is closed as we try to keep the warmth from the fire close to our chilled bones. Miss M is drawing pictures on Christmas cards for her friends while I write the names on.
Me: ”M, have you done Thomas’s babe?”
Miss M: “Yes Mummy.”
Cousin ME: ”M, do you want to marry Thomas?”
Miss M: ”No.”
She laughs and shakes her head, her brown bob swinging across her small face.
Cousin ME: ”Well if you want, when you’re a grown up, you can marry me.”
M smiles and nods and passes me the card, while my mum and I melt into two sticky little piles of mush on the floor.
I mean how cute is that? How completely and utterly innocent? And although it made me smile I can’t help but be a little wistful, because how much longer is life going to be so simple and clear for them? How much longer will they believe anything is possible and that nothing can hurt them?
And it got me thinking about my kids being out in the big wide world and whether or not they are ready.
Just lately Miss M has been enthralled by the new series of DfT Road Safety Campaign Adverts entitled ‘Tales of the Road’. She watches mesmerized as the forlorn face of a tiny boy with huge eyes and a solemn expression seems to fill the screen. A soft voiced narrator announces the title, “The boy who didn’t stop, look, and listen”, and tells the tale of a small boy, Alfie, who, wait for it, didn’t stop, look and listen. I know, you’re amazed.
But look at this face…
When I first watched the ad with my girls I was terrified that the creators were going to kill him off and traumatize my kids for life, or at least give them nightmares for the next few months, but while it is bleak and sad, he is still here, damaged, limping but alive.
Every time this ad comes on they stop and they watch, especially Miss M who at almost four years old is taking some real steps (for steps read, leaps, bounds and stomps) into independence. I’ve done road safety stuff with her before, but since she watched this campaign she seems to have really taken it in. Now she helps ME cross the road.
There’s been quite a lot of discussion over this ad and I’ve read comments such as;
“Dark and disturbing.”
and
” Scared my kids”
and
“Kids these days have to be “shocked”? Unfair.”
And now I’m thinking, ‘Am I a bad Mum?’, I mean yes the message is serious, but the cartoon is beautiful, moving, to the point and as far as my kids are concerned it is working. I was glad to see some really positive responses from my friend Karen’s readers over at 21st Century Mummy but I’m still a little puzzled by all the negative stuff.
One thing I am not so fond of is the game which made me cringe a little and which I will not be sharing with my girls. Seeing the broken body of a small child flying through the air and then bouncing along the ground, even in cartoon form, is not my idea of fun and I don’t think it will be as effective as the ad as it seems to be making light of the gore and violence instead of telling a very human tale. Maybe if they didn’t show the actual ‘impact’ I would like it more, but I’m not so sure.
However, as far as I’m concerned the actual advert is great.
What do you think?
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
you could so get that bike, jo!!!!
i have now played this game so much that it has desensitized me to the running-over of small children. i sincerely hope i don’t hit any tomorrow, but then again, meh, i’ll just hit ‘play again’. that exists in real life, right?
I’m just wondering if kids will think he’s one of them. I mean how many small children have heads and eyes that big. Can they relate?
It’s good in a sort of Tim Burton-y, Roald Daal-ish way.
I like it - but then again I’m biased as my friends helped create the website!
I think it’s a very important message and we need to get it out there by any means necessary.
I’m just a bit disappointed they didn’t put the little boy in baggy jeans and a hoody with about 5inches of underpant showing
The game is very disturbing but the message overall is good.
Holly I think you have to be a kid to enter the bike contest. I know I act like a kid, but I don’t think I can pass for one. Sighhhh. And the rest…snort. Yay you’re back. x
Expatmum I know what you mean but mine really seem to. Hell they relate to Spongebob Squarepants. ;D
Lilacs, I thought that too and it could be why I like it as I’m a big fan of both. I just think it’s well made, gets the point across quickly and simply and isn’t too scary. It’s sad, but if it stops my girls getting knocked down it’s fine by me.
Little Brown Book, now that would have been funny. He is at least dressed like a scruffy little kid though. And it’s so cool that you know the people who created it. They’re very talented. I’d love to be able to draw like that.
Akela I agree. The game is not so good, but the advert is fab. I suppose I don’t like the idea of safety being pot luck which is how the game seems to show it.
I think that’s quite brilliantly done, actually. I wish it didn’t have to be so serious. That the world was safer for them, but fact is, it isn’t. At all.
I find it a little dark and disturbing, bu then I am not a little kid responding to this. Maybe it is a whole different experience for them and it teaches them something crucial. Hopefully, the message is getting through, that’s the main thing.
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