For me, Caillou was one of my favourite TV shows growing up. I would watch Caillou every day at my babysitter’s house when I was in kindergarten. I would finish school at noon because I had morning classes, and I would spend 30 minutes of my day willfully with this bald-headed ball of sunshine. Mom always tells me that I had trouble getting along with the other students and the teacher. Apparently, my four-year-old self would cry all day in class and do nothing but ask for mommy. My teacher told my mom about this and they decided that I just needed some time to adjust to the schooling system. I think the character of Caillou was important for me because he was one of my first friends. I remember two particular things about my experience with Caillou. The first is that I remember being very engaged with the show. I got very passionate on his behalf whenever he was upset. It’s like I saw Caillou as myself. The second is how Caillou helped me to be aware of myself as an individual. I can still remember one day wondering to myself why I had black skin and Caillou didn’t. It seems like I was looking for ways to relate to him every time I watched. Caillou wasn’t at school struggling to make friends like I was. He had his parents and even grandparents to aid him as far as I can remember. At this time of my life, my parents were often working so I can see why I wasn’t really social. I’m not sure how, but eventually I made friends outside of the cartoon world. Though he helped me to establish my own identity, his will forever be a big part of it.
“I’m just a kid who’s four,
Each day I grow some more!
I like exploring I’m Caillou
So many things to do
Each day there’s something new
I’ll share them with you
I’m Caillou
My world is turning, changing each day!
With mommy and daddy I’m finding my way.
Growing up is not so tough
Except when I’ve had enough
But there’s lots of fun stuff
I’m Caillou, Caillou, Caillou
(And me, and me, and me!).”
For those of you who may not remember Caillou, watch the clip below:
As a child I too loved Caillou. What I did not realize until later on is that Caillou is a child living with Cancer. A lot of us who grew up watching Caillou may not have known this then, and in some cases even now.
I think the subtlety of Caillou’s illness on the show was a great way of highlighting the issue of cancer in children, all the while allowing the young viewers to still retain their innocence as children.
There are a lot of things we look back on in our later years and only then do we realize what was truly going on.
It’s pretty amazing how the body functions.
Most of us would think it would take a mature, over-processed brain to make decisions that can protect us. But in the case of Caillou and other children, his developing brain – unable to comprehend the intensity of his situation – is what actually protected him.
Wow, Nnali – I had no idea. In discussing his blog post, Henry and I both questioned whether or not Caillou may have had a childhood illness. Thank you for sharing!