From the mouths of babes
What is it with children and their stupid moral code?
For Donna and Andy’s combined-fortieth-birthday-fancy-dress-pub-crawl (note to self: must dress as a pirate again, soon) last year, Andy got busy with his badge making machine. As a result, all participants sported a Blue Peter badge for the duration of the day’s festivities (along with glazed eyes, tangly feet and their mouths turned up to eleven, for the most part). Afterwards, I put mine on the pocket-flap-thingy of my denim jacket. People in their thirties occasionally ask whether it’s real, and what I did to get it. I always tell the truth, and that’s fine. There’s no harm done. I’m not trying to get into open days at windmills or transport museums for free, or anything.
So yesterday, I picked Small Person up early from Holiday Club. When I arrived, they were having their tea. As I was waiting for Small Person’s lemon curd sammich to be put in a bag so that she could eat it in the car*, a small girl gasped with awe, pointed at my pocket and breathed “you’ve got a Blue Peter badge…..”
Fifteen pairs of eyes swivelled silently in my direction. The questions began, and I was helpless. Where did you get it? Is it yours? Can I get one? What did you have to do to get it? Finally, a voice cut through the excited chatter, and asked the fateful question….is it real?
Um….well……prevaricating wildly, I pretended to look for Small Person's glasses so we could be off. In the end, I owned up. No, it wasn't a real one. My friend made it as a joke. One particular eight-year-old boy was Not Impressed. In a voice heavy with scorn, (and a thinly-veiled threat to grass me up to Biddy Baxter), he informed me that "you're supposed to do something good and go to the studio to collect a badge, not just make one".
That told me. I'm expecting a stern letter from Valerie Singleton any day now. Bloody kids.
* Wednesday is a tight schedule day in our house. She should think herself lucky she didn't have to eat it in the bath.
For Donna and Andy’s combined-fortieth-birthday-fancy-dress-pub-crawl (note to self: must dress as a pirate again, soon) last year, Andy got busy with his badge making machine. As a result, all participants sported a Blue Peter badge for the duration of the day’s festivities (along with glazed eyes, tangly feet and their mouths turned up to eleven, for the most part). Afterwards, I put mine on the pocket-flap-thingy of my denim jacket. People in their thirties occasionally ask whether it’s real, and what I did to get it. I always tell the truth, and that’s fine. There’s no harm done. I’m not trying to get into open days at windmills or transport museums for free, or anything.
So yesterday, I picked Small Person up early from Holiday Club. When I arrived, they were having their tea. As I was waiting for Small Person’s lemon curd sammich to be put in a bag so that she could eat it in the car*, a small girl gasped with awe, pointed at my pocket and breathed “you’ve got a Blue Peter badge…..”
Fifteen pairs of eyes swivelled silently in my direction. The questions began, and I was helpless. Where did you get it? Is it yours? Can I get one? What did you have to do to get it? Finally, a voice cut through the excited chatter, and asked the fateful question….is it real?
Um….well……prevaricating wildly, I pretended to look for Small Person's glasses so we could be off. In the end, I owned up. No, it wasn't a real one. My friend made it as a joke. One particular eight-year-old boy was Not Impressed. In a voice heavy with scorn, (and a thinly-veiled threat to grass me up to Biddy Baxter), he informed me that "you're supposed to do something good and go to the studio to collect a badge, not just make one".
That told me. I'm expecting a stern letter from Valerie Singleton any day now. Bloody kids.
* Wednesday is a tight schedule day in our house. She should think herself lucky she didn't have to eat it in the bath.
posted by surly girl at 7:53 pm
13 Comments:
Holiday Club?
Is it the holidays?
Why has nobody told me?
Anyhow, you're too honest. You should make up a story about your badge.
You could tell people that Peter Duncan gave it to you in return for...well it's your story...
Back in my teenaged days of babysitting, I used to try to get the kids to lie about how much tv I let them watch and how I did not observe bed times.
They always told, the little shits.
I have a real Blue Peter badge.
People like you are vile imposters who deserve to be toasted over hot coals.
I don't know how you can live with yourself.
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
How does one earn a blue peter badge anyway? Sorry, nonEnglish childhood showing through the cracks here.
I got a genuine Blue Peter badge for coming second in their annual crossword competition back in 1977. Sadly I can't find it now but feel justified in wearing my new 'fake' one secure in the knowledge that I have earned the right !!!!
Oops ... Get him back Surly. Pinch him when none of the grown-ups are looking.
Blue Peter was British, not English. England = 1/4 of the countries in Britain.
...aaaaaaaand breathe...
Anyway.
Blue Peter was and is rubbish. Forge away, girly.
I think Madonna was given an honorary Blue Peter badge, which has forever devalued it in my eyes.
Is Biddy Baxter still alive? She must be about 190. A ferocious woman, apparently
a guy I once dated gave me a 'Howdy Doody'(kids show in the U.S.) badge...better that than the clap, I suppose. The thing was the size of a salad plate, bright yellow with huge red lettering, and had a picture of a endocrine-deficient freckled puppet on it.
Needless to say, that one never saw the color of my drawers.
Thinking about it, can you forge one for me?
I've never visited a transport museum.
i've been on blue peter some time in the last, um, eight years* but disappointed my mother horribly by NOT asking for a badge
* but nope, i'm not that young
p.s. i demand to know the URL of your secret other blog btw
hmmm, my BP badge was obtained from the BP studios... however it was stolen. Does that count?
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