Pigs in blankets

In the last couple of weeks the household has been hit by the ‘itises’ (conjunctivitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis, and conjunctivitis – just try saying all of those with a bunged up nose and you’ll get in in a pickle!) and therefore new posts have been conspicuously absent.

Luckily now the coughs are subsiding, the snot is receding, and the gooey eyes are becoming clearer – fingers crossed we are all on the mend.

And what has got us through these last few days of grizzling and whining? Well, not ibuprofen, hugs, snuggling up in a mound of blankets or honey and lemon – although they have played their parts (actually, not honey and lemon. The lemons were mouldy and the honey had solidified beyond redemption although I did comtemplate microwaving it. Superhot honey though…probably not a good idea).

No, in fact our saviour appeared in the form of pigs.

Peppa Pig, to be exact. Plus of course her brother George and his dinosaur, which has been the subject of much discussion and ‘grrr-ing’ lately.

Following recent articles in the press such as this one, it seems that some parents believe that Peppa Pig is a bad influence on their children. If that’s the case, then consider my children very badly influenced for the last week or so. Frankly I’d rather have the crying alleviated and face the alleged muddy puddle jumping (which in fact was was a favourite pasttime of the Wee Man’s long before he even became aware of Peppa Pig’s existence) and demands for chocolate cake for breakfast (again, had also been known far prior to Peppa Pig watching).

In fact, I seem to recall loving to jump in muddy puddles myself when I was younger. And should I have demanded chocolate cake for breakfast, you can be sure I wouldn’t have got it – just as my children don’t get it, and I believe George Pig does not either.

Pre-children, I always thought Peppa Pig was just a little bit wierd. Like my Grandma says now “their eyes are all funny. How can they see properly? And how do their glasses stay up when they’re only on one side of their head?”. However, having now endured what is probably hundreds of hours (ok, slight exaggeration maybe but it does sometimes feel that way) of Peppa Pigness, I’ve moved past the strangeness and become rather fond of the noise of incessant puddle sploshing.

I’d even go so far as to say that I think that Peppa Pig has had a positive influence on our lives. Through watching Peppa interact with her little brother, the Wee Man has discovered that younger siblings are not all bad and has actually begun snuggling up next to Bubby D not just in a secretive ploy to bash her/bite her/surreptitiously squash her but in fact to give her friendly big brother hugs and kisses. He has also learned to count, discovered that he wants to grow a strawberry plant, and now understands the concept of friends.

Even at 5 1/2 months, Bubby D too seems to be in Peppa Pig thrall. When we begin to drive anywhere and the inevitable screaming starts up, all I now have to do is turn on the Peppa Pig Songs and Rhymes CD that the Wee Man was given for Christmas and the screams instantly turn to smiles. This is quite alarming to me as the Wee Man did not show any interest in television until he was at least 18 months, so I was somewhat amazed that Bubby D will happily sit engrossed in Peppa Pig for the five minutes it is on without protest. Now I see why all my mummy friends used to call the television their babysitter!

Peppa Pig has therefore become a little bit of a fixture in our lives. I justify this with the fact that I sit and watch them with the little ones, and we discuss what’s happened in each episode. The Wee Man has a growing enthusiasm for many new things thanks to this, and whilst I don’t know what Bubby D thinks, the fact that she’s smiling and happy is enough for me. So, whilst I don’t wish my children to sit in front of the television endlessly and indulge in a life of slothdom and square eyedness, I do think that it’s great that when we’re all feeling generally rubbish life can be made a whole lot happier by a small pink pig.