First posted December 2008
I was two years old when Oliver Postgate first started
making his Smallfilms so I could go on about his being the voice of my
childhood. Except that the whole family
seemed to watch and enjoy Noggin the Nog just before the evening news: from the
preschool me, through my teenage brother and sisters to our Mum and Dad and
Grandma.
No. I am forever grateful to Oliver Postgate for the
Clangers which kept me sane when my children were toddlers. They were born less than two years apart, and
are both on the autistic spectrum (though we didn’t find out until they got to
nursery). The toddler didn’t respond
when you spoke to him. The baby was
screamy and demanded to be held at all times.
There were times when I just had to close the door and walk out into the
garden so that I wouldn’t do one or the other harm.
Then, one day, firstborn put on a Clangers video. Oliver’s calm voice and the slow serene
opening sequences worked some magic. I
picked up the baby and lay on the couch and gradually the tension began to seep
away and I relaxed.
No drugs.
No
counselling.
No yoga.
Just Oliver’s beautiful voice echoing through
the Universe.
Thank you Mr Postgate.
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