Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Work ethic: start 'em young

Good to see the BBC doing its duty re the Anglo-Saxon Protestant Work Ethic. The concluding moral of this morning's edition of Chuggington - a train-based entertainment on CBeebies, in front of which I sometimes stick Brit Jnr to divert her while I make our breakfast - was "Remember Chuggers, hobbies are what you do in your spare time. The daytime is for learning and working."

I wonder if they have the same lesson in the Spanish version?

This incessant nagging is, I suppose, why at one time the sun never set on the British Empire, and we must carry the joyless moral from cradle to grave, so that when literally on one's deathbed one should feel vaguely guilty about not being up and about, hoovering the living room or washing the net curtains.

4 comments:

  1. Banished To A Pompous Land3:01 pm

    "Remember Chuggers, hobbies are what you do in your spare time. The daytime is for learning and working."

    Like blogging eh?

    I haven't come across Chuggington yet.Banished junior, aged 3 1/2, is a huge Charlie and Lola fan which is on DVD over here undubbed. Charlie and Lola usually manage to make their points without too much of a nag and with a nice sense of humour.

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  2. Having failed to get my daughter to do any useful work about the house, I am packing her off to preschool after Easter to do some serious learning. She IS nearly three. Perhaps she will come back more disciplined,then she can take up a hobby once the chores are over?

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  3. Make sure it's an improving hobby, like plumbing or algebra, Ad.

    And Banished - yes I'm keen on Charlie and Lola, it's much funnier than most BBC comedy shows.

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  4. Banished To A Pompous land4:51 pm

    Ain't that the truth Brit. I havent seen much new UK comedy since I came over here but I doubt things have improved in the interim.

    And to hear Juniors little american accent say such un-american words as actually and biscuit... it fair warms the cockles.

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