Peppa Pig has a friend with two Mums...
...and no one really cares. Plus: How to talk to kids about death
Phew! What a week. The good news in the Jeffs household is that school gets a big thumbs up from E. It’s such a relief that she’s enthusiastic and excited to go back on Monday. She loves her teacher (who is a man) and he does seem brilliant. It’s interesting though, I’ve noticed though how wildly effusive people are about him compared to the other excellent reception teacher who is a woman. It strikes me that a man who is good with kids is generally considered more impressive than his female equivalent. Thoughts?
I have to say I’m loving the routine. I’m reminded of my own experience at primary school, which was mainly really positive, and with that nostalgia there’s a feeling of comfort and safety. It’s nice.
E doesn’t wear a uniform at her school which I am all for in principle but the reality of picking an outfit every day is more effort than I’d anticipated. On Tuesday she wanted to go in her Encanto dress. At first we resisted - she can’t possibly go to school in fancy dress!! But then, we figured, why not? The head teacher told us that the whole point of not having a uniform is for children to be able to express their personality and learn to treat each other with respect whatever they’re wearing. The teacher used the example of a kid who wore a Spiderman costume to school every day. As long as they are learning and having fun, it shouldn’t matter what they wear. So she went in as Mirabelle and had a great day and we learnt to let go a bit, which is probably also a great lesson for us parents.
PEPPA PIG INTRODUCES FIRST TWO-MUM FAMILY
I’m sure you are all aware that Peppa Pig has introduced its first same sex parents - two polar bear Mums. I had a little snoop on the Daily Mail comments to judge the mood of the nation on this and was surprised by the lack of outrage. I can’t stand Peppa Pig. I think she’s a rude little narcissist and the show mainly perpetuates boring gender stereotypes. Boys like dinosaurs, girls like pink, Dads are silly and lazy etc. So I can’t say I’m suuuper excited by these queer polar bears. But E was very keen to see the episode that featured them so it obviously meant something to her. I’d be much more excited if Bluey went there.
HOW TO TALK TO CHILDREN ABOUT DEATH AND OTHER HARD THINGS
Meanwhile - I’ve had to take a break from social media this week as my feed is so polarised. Half the people I follow are posting photographs of the late Queen and celebrating her grace and sense of duty, the other half are pointing out the realities of the commonwealth she presided over and the horrors of Britain’s colonial past.
Instead of sharing my own thoughts and feelings about this monumental moment in history, I figured it might be useful to share some insights from Dr Jane Gilmour, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital and co-author of How to Have Incredible Conversations With Your Child about talking to children about death instead.
“Be proactive and tell children what has happened. Even young infants pick up changes in atmosphere and emotion around them. If you don’t explain it, children might imagine other frightening or worrying events which are not true .
Pre-school and young primary school children will still be developing an understanding of death so make sure you use language that is accurate and straightforward. For example