When I was three, I loved watching Andy Pandy and wistfully yearned for a doll like Looby Loo. I sang Humpty Dumpty over and over, completely out of tune much to Mother’s dismay. I had teddy bear pictures on my wall and wore frilly dresses.
For today’s three-year-old, it’s a little different and it certainly was for my daughter. I remember being completely obsessed with Duran Duran at the age of fourteen, which seems perfectly acceptable but to have such a fixation at three years of age?
I blame her father. He bought me the Busted album for Mothers’ Day. I’d never heard of them before, so had no idea of the purpose behind his purchase. He insists our daughter chose it, but I suspect it may have been on special offer or come free with a bottle of plonk.
So, being a ‘thoughtful’ mother and seeing the boys (they didn’t look any older than eight) on the cover, I thought our daughter might like to listen to it. My instincts were right. She did indeed like listening to it – again and again and again until she knew each and every one of the songs.
Who’s David was her favourite song, though as she was only just three, some of the lyrics weren’t quite the same. Instead of not being ‘worthy’, a ‘birdy’ had crept into the song somewhere. But, of course, as all parents of a three-year-old know, the three-year-old is always right.
A ‘helpful’ friend bought her an enormous poster of the band. Her grin could not have been any wider and on pain of a never-ending tantrum, said poster was placed proudly on the wall of her bedroom.
The next morning, I was summonsed into her room and she took me by the hand over to her poster and informed me that she was Charlie, (the one with big, bushy eyebrows who she liked the best) that I was James and Daddy was Matt and together we were Busted.
Thankfully, the phase didn’t last long. I hear the band are now back together and touring. I asked her (now aged fifteen) if she’d like to go and see them. If looks could kill…
Esther Chilton 
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