By Keith Chapman – Guest Blogger

FRIDAY – 7^th MAY

It’s the morning after the British General Election.  We seem to have a hung parliament, whatever that means.  Imagine the infighting.  It’ll be like WWF without the muscles and leotards!!  But will much really change?  Taxes will still rise, politicians will still fiddle expenses and wear dodgy ties, and volcanoes will continue to erupt.

It’s got me thinking.  If only there were a Kids’ Party!  I’d vote for them.

Imagine all that cake and all those iced gem biscuits at every Party conference… all the games, the party blowers and the best bit of all… watching the kids’ programmes on the TV screen in the corner where most of the Dads would be crashed out on the sofas.

Seriously though, it’s amazing how kids do already run our lives.  We do anything for them and we pander to their every whim.  They change their policy every hour and we go along with it.  They’re certainly smarter than we think.  As makers of children’s television programmes, we ignore this fundamental fact at our peril.

I remember my own son William, the eldest of our three boys, when he was three years old.  My wife Kirsty had gone out leaving a plate of freshly made scones on the kitchen table.  I was looking after him, trying to keep him entertained.  His head came up to tabletop height but he could smell the scones.  So he pulled up a chair and climbed on to take a look.

I told him they were for later, when friends were coming over for tea.  He could have one then.  I lifted him down and asked him what he wanted to do.  “Hide and Seek!” he smiled, “Daddy go and hide!” So, like a complete idiot, I did.  I hid in the sitting room behind the curtains.  I shouted out, “Ready, come and find me!” Nothing happened so I called again.  The minutes ticked by.  William didn’t show.

I became slightly concerned and looked through the serving hatch into the kitchen.  I swore.  The little so-and-so had climbed onto the chair again, up onto the tabletop and was devouring the scones.  His cheeks were so full of scones he looked like a giant hamster with its inflated cheeks filled with nuts.

I suddenly realized that children were much smarter than I thought.

Smarter than me, that’s for sure.  If they can work out how to get rid of a dim-witted Dad, they’ll certainly tell the difference between a good TV show and a bad one.  Serve them up dreary storylines or un-loveable characters and they will refuse to accept it.  Offer them anything less than top class animation and superb entertainment and they will turn over to watch a show that does.

So vote for the very best for our kids.  Little Airplane’s Josh Selig is signed up to that and so are we at Chapman Entertainment.  You won’t be spoiling them, only giving them what we expect ourselves.  And join the party!