I have a problem with Peppa Pig. More specifically, I have a problem with Daddy Pig. If you’re not an avid Peppa follower, you may not know that this cartoon focuses on the adventures of a pig family comprising of Mummy Pig, Daddy Pig, Peppa and her younger brother George.
Daddy Pig is hopeless, fat and most of his efforts to do anything end in a humorous failure.
Daddy Pig isn’t the only strange father figure portrayed unflatteringly by the media. Almost every advert presents fathers as well-meaning comedic failures. And with Father’s Day coming up, a glance at the cards on the shelves shows that dads are drunk, sport-obsessed, sex addicts.
The role of the father is under attack. The world seems to tell us we are expendable. Optional extras of family life. My Dad though, was more than a punchline . His fathering has influenced every area of my character and taught me what it is to be a man. That is something worth celebrating.
Adlai loves Peppa, and I can appreciate the appeal of a funny pig family, but I’m determined for my fathering to look a lot more like my own dad’s than Daddy Pig’s.
And, to the unexpendable men shaping the next generation: Happy Father’s Day.
