The Roadl Dahl Guide to Railway Safety (an extract)
I have a VERY DIFFICULT job here.
Young people are fed up with being told by grown-ups WHAT TO DO and WHAT NOT TO DO. They get that all through their young lives. And now I am going to have to tell you WHAT TO DO and WHAT NOT TO DO, but this time it's a bit different because the DOs and DONTs that I am going to give you may easily SAVE YOUR LIFE. That is the only reason I agreed to write this message to you.
But before I start with the heavy stuff, I'd like to tell you my own theory about grown-ups and their DOs and DONTs and why a lot of then are not very good at dealing with children.
I am totally convinced that most grown-ups have completely forgotten what it is like to be a child between the ages of five and ten. They all think think that they can remember. Parents think that they can remember and so do teachers. Some of course can, but very few. It is after all quite difficult to remember exactly what it feels like to be a small person when you yourself haven't been one for thirty or forty years. That's a long time ago.
I can remember exactly what it was like. I am certain I can. If I could't then I would not be able to write my sorts of books for children. Let me tell you how I see this whole difficult question because I think it is interesting.
When you are young, you have not finished growing. You are, therefore, physically shorter, usually by two feet or more, than the grown-ups around you. This is the first thing the grown-ups have forgotten. If a grown-up really wants to find out what it is like to live in a young person's world, let him or her get down on hands and knees and go about like that for a week. The first thing they will then discover is that all the other grown-ups in the room will tower above them and they actually have to crane their necks to look at their faces. It is always like that with a small child. The child is surrounded by GIANTS, and the trouble with these beastly GIANTS is that they seem to spend most of their lives telling the child WHAT TO DO and WHAT NOT TO DO.
What the child does not understand is that unfortunately the GIANTS have to do this. It is the only way to bring up a child properly. When you are born you are an uncivilized little savage with bad habits and no manners and it is the job of the GIANTS (your parents and your teachers) to train you and discipline you. The child hates this and resists this fiercely. Yet it has to be done. It is all a part of the process of turning the uncivilized and savage little child into a good citizen. "Say please... Say thank you... go and wash your hands... take your elbows off the table... don't spit... don't come in here with muddy shoes... turn off the telly and do your homework..." The stream of orders is endless.
What is the result of all this? I'll tell you precisely what it is. Deep inside the child's mind (subconsciously) the giants become THE ENEMY. The teachers become THE ENEMY. Even your loving parents become THE ENEMY.
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