The Keke Story Story

If you haven't given your child 'the talk' yet, a Chinese cartoon might just beat you to it.

On today's plate:  Keke Story.  A Chinatoons weekend special on Nickelodeon, and Miro's latest favorite TV show.

It's like any anime-type cartoon with the cute characters and the big eyes and the crazed look when they get angry (I like that!).  But the big difference is the subject they choose to discuss per episode. 
Fearless might be a good way to describe its style.  Maybe even painfully straightforward.  Or tough love.

In 30 minutes, the cartoon would cover topics such as the cruelties of war.

Night time self-defense weapons.

And ...brace yourself... drug abuse.

Basically, anything a child in primary school may find out about in that one minute their parents and teachers aren't looking. 

I was shocked the first time I watched!  It talked about con artists and how to expose them.  I thought it was something too big for a child to grasp.  But Miro got it.  And he learned a lot.

That's because each episode has a quite engaging educational segment embedded in it for factual support.  I like that, too.

Personally, I think Keke Story is one hell of an eye-opener.  It's very ambitious and it hits home... hard!  I mean, really, just when you thought The Simpsons touched controversial issues, along come clips from China that touch on controversial issues that SHOULD matter to a child in the real world.

All told from the experiences of a cute, funny, and chronically curious Primary Schooler named Keke.

It's not the cartoon norm, but I think Primary Schoolers should be ready for Keke Story.  The question is, are the parents?

The Cartoon Profile Pic Bandwagon

Let's talk about Facebook viral bandwagons.  You know what I'm talking about.  Those posts that ask you to add a support-something sticker on your profile pic, or change your status to a color that would suggest the color of your bra, or indicate the spot where you usually leave your purse on/in but in a manner that would lead people to think it's where you want to have sex, or post your shoe size so people would think... otherwise.

I'm not nuking those.  I've actually joined some.  More for fun than to support the cause, unfortunately.  That's because sometimes the gimmick runs ahead of the objective.  Honestly, up to now, I cannot connect bra color to supporting breast cancer.  Sure, sure, bras are for breasts.  But the clasp (so to speak) to lock color and cancer together is somehow missing.   That could just be me.

Then suddenly, out of the woodwork, along comes ...'Change your profile picture to a cartoon character from your childhood and invite your friends to do the same.  There should be no human faces on Facebook until December 6.  Just an invasion of happy childhood  memories.  This is in support of the fight to stop Violence Against Children.'

Whoa!  That one clicked!
Nothing brings constant joy to children more than cartoons.  Nothing puts an adult on a heart-first plunge into childhood nostalgia than cartoons.  Nothing stomps the crap out of violence other than happiness.  Nothing washes away the pain quite like the surge of uplifting memories.  Good clasp!

And just like that,  Maleficent of Sleeping Beauty made it into my profile album.  Ok, ok, she's evil.  But she is hot, you gotta admit.  When I was a kid, I would've done anything to be able to transform into a huge, purple dragon spewing green fire to toast my enemies into fertilizer.  She was (IS!)  my hero!  All cartoon characters ARE heroes, whether you've known violence as a child or not.

Of course, this effort only scratches the surface.  But the cause is powerful, the campaign is sound, the support is personal, and it's very welcoming to see Facebook so overwhelmingly cheerful and flashback-inducing.

So like the millions in cyber world, I'm supporting this Facebook bandwagon to end Violence against Children.  For the cause.

Not just because I'm a mother.

But because I was also a child.