I’ll start by saying: I’m sorry. If you’re a parent of a little kid and you’re stuck at home right now, the last thing you need is for Baby Shark to start playing in your head on repeat. And I know that just seeing that image was enough to press the mental play button. But, if you’re struggling to get your little kids to wash their hands right now, this new video from Pinkfong might help.
When I pulled the video up on my computer, my son, who likes to read in my office while I work through the pandemic, immediately got up and walked over to me, saying, “No, what are you doing, why are you doing this,” as he approached the screen. At the end of the song, I asked him: “Do we love this or hate this?” His answer illustrates his wisdom beyond his nine years: “Both.”
We love it because it covers all the hand-washing and germ-mitigating steps kids need to be taking right now: the soaping, washing, rinsing and drying of the hands, as well as covering your sneeze and coughing into your elbow.
We hate it because, as Lifehacker’s Deputy Editor Alice Bradley put it, “gaaaah.”
Also, I feel compelled to point out that the “rub your hands” portion of the song does not last for the recommended 20 seconds that one should actually wash their hands. It’s more like 8 seconds. But you can sing that verse a couple of times and then start rinsing after the first “rinse your hands” line is sung and that’ll get you there.
If they’re already doing a bang-up job with their hand-washing, there’s no need to introduce this into your lives; slooooowly back away from this post. But if they have room for improvement and everyone is desperately tired of the Happy Birthday song (or the Pizza Bagel jingle), Baby Shark might provide the help you need.
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