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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think kids media should ease up on the representations of snow

208 replies

someladdersandsnakes · 06/12/2023 07:57

Trying to be lighthearted here but this is bugging me
CBeebies has wall-to-wall snow right now, in all the Christmas episodes and in-between segments, anything to do with Christmas or winter = SNOW SNOW SNOW
Except for Bluey which represents Australian December accurately.
Also books from the library, British ones, it's snowing at Christmas and anything about the seasons is like "in winter it snows bla bla bla"
Well my DD has never seen snow in all of her 5 years and she asks every day when it's going to start snowing, and getting disappointed that it isn't snowing yet.
AIBU to want to see Christmas or winter represented without snow occasionally so it's accurate to our actual lives?

OP posts:
Raquelraquela · 06/12/2023 10:57

It's more the winter clothing that gets me. Coats? Hats? Scarves? Pah! Oop north we're still in t shirts. It's just not representative of how people around here live Grin.

Unbego · 06/12/2023 10:57

True, true.

I went to Whitby in the summer and they had gulls there as big as horses. Probably even bigger in Brighton with all the GM tofu they get from the bins there.

RubberyChicken · 06/12/2023 10:57

someladdersandsnakes · 06/12/2023 08:13

I also get annoyed by the lack of seagull representation in kid's media when there are so many ducks, and DD never saw a real duck until she was 3. I didn't start a thread about that though because that seemed much more specific to seaside towns! Maybe the snow thing is too.

I agree, seagulls are definitely under represented in the media, ducks seems to claim all the glory, bastards!

MrsSkylerWhite · 06/12/2023 10:59

Lots of places had snow last week. There’ll be more and more with climate change.

DragonMumE · 06/12/2023 10:59

Op you are aware that TV is for the entertainment of the masses not you specifically?

DragonMumE · 06/12/2023 11:02

MrsSkylerWhite · 06/12/2023 10:59

Lots of places had snow last week. There’ll be more and more with climate change.

Oop North is so offensive.

housethatbuiltme · 06/12/2023 11:04

someladdersandsnakes · 06/12/2023 10:40

Believe me if there were any ducks in walking distance of my house I would know about it. I don't live in South Shields.

Show quote history

But you don't live anywhere with fresh water... thats hard to believe.

Others have posted that theres lots of ducks in Brighton and the surrounding areas its not like you live in a magic black hole.

Whats walking got to do with anything? Im disabled, was a single mam, was exceptionally poor, lived in the arse end of fuck nowhere and didn't drive. I still took my kid out places, the occasional bus ride to the park/river to see a duck in 5 years is hardly the lap of unattainable luxuary.

Puffinshop · 06/12/2023 11:09

I live in the Reykjavík area and more often than not we don't even get a white Christmas. Maybe every third year on average. It always snows but usually it starts properly after Christmas. We haven't had more than a couple of sprinkles yet this winter.

I do find it rather depressing when we go to south England for Christmas though and it's 10°, grey, drizzling. It's hardly ever cold at Christmas, let alone frost or snow! I was used to it as a child but it doesn't seem 'proper', does it? I agree with that, OP, but I don't agree the media should change. White Christmases are better and it's nice to enjoy them in stories even when you don't get them in real life.

MrsSkylerWhite · 06/12/2023 11:10

DragonMumE · Today 11:02

MrsSkylerWhite · Today 10:59

Lots of places had snow last week. There’ll be more and more with climate change.

Oop North is so offensive

Eh? Yes, it is. I didn’t say it?!

Issummernearlyover · 06/12/2023 11:13

someladdersandsnakes · 06/12/2023 08:09

I'm on the south coast on England, it hasn't snowed here in the last 5 years beyond a flurry. I mentioned Bluey because they don't get snow there and still manage to represent Christmas without it!

Me too. Strangely I went into the town centre on Saturday and although we hadn't even had a flake of snow, there were cars in the car park with thick snow on them. I think we live too near sea level. I need to move to the downs!

Locallady2 · 06/12/2023 11:13

Sharing a shell by Julia Donaldson is a good book for coastal/seagull representation. Also the snail and the whale will possibly have a seagull in, same author and there's an animation film of it too.

Disturbia81 · 06/12/2023 11:14

Nah it makes it more magical. Even if it isn't reality, it's a wonderful world to escape to and adds to the overall feeling of Christmas.

Original poster
someladdersandsnakes · 06/12/2023 11:16

Locallady2 · 06/12/2023 11:13

Sharing a shell by Julia Donaldson is a good book for coastal/seagull representation. Also the snail and the whale will possibly have a seagull in, same author and there's an animation film of it too.

There is no That's Not My Seagull though is there! I should write it myself.

OP posts:
LivingDeadGirlUK · 06/12/2023 11:17

Even when I lived in the south east it snowed at least once a year, often not until Feb though. I live in the North west now and we had snow on the weekend, it snows multiple times in winter even in the city where I live, the countryside is often snowy for weeks.

JamieKnows · 06/12/2023 11:20

I thought there were loads of snowflakes in Brighton Wink

Tiredalwaystired · 06/12/2023 11:23

someladdersandsnakes · 06/12/2023 11:16

There is no That's Not My Seagull though is there! I should write it myself.

Show quote history

Erm probably more to do with the lack of seagull ownership (and admittedly lack of toy seagull representation) than anything else. Probably due to lack of demand.

The others in the series are generally something the child will have version of whether that is a unicorn, a fairy or a dog.

I haven’t seen that’s not my cockroach for similar reasons.

LexieAndSloaneTho · 06/12/2023 11:24

I agreed with you until the comments about ducks.

wtf lol

Unbego · 06/12/2023 11:24

That's not my seagull. His fish and chips are too salty.

That's not my seagull. His eyes aren't dead inside.

That's not my seagull. He isn't rapaciously tearing a merganser duck wing from wing and laughing, laughing like a hellfiend demon torture KILLER.

Original poster
someladdersandsnakes · 06/12/2023 11:25

housethatbuiltme · 06/12/2023 11:04

But you don't live anywhere with fresh water... thats hard to believe.

Others have posted that theres lots of ducks in Brighton and the surrounding areas its not like you live in a magic black hole.

Whats walking got to do with anything? Im disabled, was a single mam, was exceptionally poor, lived in the arse end of fuck nowhere and didn't drive. I still took my kid out places, the occasional bus ride to the park/river to see a duck in 5 years is hardly the lap of unattainable luxuary.

Show quote history

Not in my local area no! No rivers or ponds in the 5 or so parks closest to me. I can't help anyone to believe that without showing a map of precisely where I live but it's true!
I also take my daughter out places! She has seen ducks lots of times in the last couple of years, it's not covid anymore.
Between 2020 and early 2022 we DID stay in walking distance of our house most of the time, when we did take the risk of public transport we tended to prioritise things we really wanted to do like seeing friends. We never got the bus to another part of the city just to go to the different park that may or may not have ducks in it. Believe it or not seeing ducks was never a massive priority experience that we risked getting public transport for.

OP posts:
Original poster
someladdersandsnakes · 06/12/2023 11:27

Unbego · 06/12/2023 11:24

That's not my seagull. His fish and chips are too salty.

That's not my seagull. His eyes aren't dead inside.

That's not my seagull. He isn't rapaciously tearing a merganser duck wing from wing and laughing, laughing like a hellfiend demon torture KILLER.

It could work! Talons are too sharp, etc.

OP posts:
Tiredalwaystired · 06/12/2023 11:28

So your issue is that all the books that ever came out before and were duck heavy don’t reflect your very small window of time when covid hit and we weren’t using cars for non urgent journeys?

This thread is weird.

JamieKnows · 06/12/2023 11:28

Haha, my kids would've loved that's not my cockroach. They do have seagull teddies too, if Sammy Seagull, the mascot at Parkdean resorts! Seagulls are very well represented there.

Why is your DD reading that's not my books at 5 OP?

How do you get to the grandparents towns to see ducks but it's impossible to travel to the downs for a snow day?

Original poster
someladdersandsnakes · 06/12/2023 11:29

Tiredalwaystired · 06/12/2023 11:23

Erm probably more to do with the lack of seagull ownership (and admittedly lack of toy seagull representation) than anything else. Probably due to lack of demand.

The others in the series are generally something the child will have version of whether that is a unicorn, a fairy or a dog.

I haven’t seen that’s not my cockroach for similar reasons.

Edited
Show quote history

They have That's Not My Badger and That's Not My Fox!

OP posts:
Tiredalwaystired · 06/12/2023 11:29

My kid had both a toy badger and several toy foxes. But never a seagull I admit.

Original poster
someladdersandsnakes · 06/12/2023 11:33

Tiredalwaystired · 06/12/2023 11:28

So your issue is that all the books that ever came out before and were duck heavy don’t reflect your very small window of time when covid hit and we weren’t using cars for non urgent journeys?

This thread is weird.

I mentioned the ducks thing in passing tbf I don't have any real "beef" with it and I didn't start the thread about that, was just something that pissed me off when DD was on the phase of books that just have a picture and a word, so many ducks and not one seagull. I know there are seaside stories etc but you have a book of first words and the page of animals never had a seagull even though that was one of DD's most frequently seen local animals.

OP posts:
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