Claire Reid
People have been left fuming over an ‘offensive’ and ‘sexist’ Mother’s Day song a school gave its pupils to sing.
Posting on Twitter, the auntie of a pupil at the school wrote that her five-year-old niece was given the 'bizarrely sexist' song to sing for Mother’s Day.
She included a snap of the lyrics to the song, which include: “My mum’s really an angel/ She’s great at caring for me/ She does the cleaning and shopping/ And she makes a wonderful tea,” and “She may not have a degree/ But she can help with my homework."
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The tweet has sparked outrage, with one Twitter user saying she was ‘appalled’ and another branding it ‘offensive’.
Someone else wrote: “I’m struggling with the sheer number of levels on which this is wrong.
“Also, shout to the kids who don’t have a mother, or who have neglectful or abusive mothers.”
Another person commented: “Two main problems: the sexism and the assumption that everyone has a mum.”
While a third said: “It's reinforcing gender stereotypes, that belong in the bin, to young, impressionable children.”
The company behind the poem, Out of the Ark Music, said it no longer promotes the song and encourages schools to use one of their newer pieces.
In a statement on its website, Out of the Ark Music said: "We are aware that the songs ‘My Mum’ and ‘My Dad’, published by Out of the Ark Music many years ago, have been the cause for some concern and for that we are truly sorry.
"We recognise that the lyrics in the songs are outdated and don’t reflect the invaluable and different roles mothers and fathers play within society and within families. They also do not represent our current values and ethos as a company.
"For a number of years now we have not promoted these songs, taken them out of our new digital platform and have proactively communicated with schools to suggest free alternatives.
"As a business we work hard to instil wholesome values in every song we write, but we recognise that times change, and as result we regularly audit our songs to ensure these values are upheld. Unfortunately, we can't remove printed product that was sold and is still in circulation.
"We will continue to promote and encourage the use of alternatives to these specific songs."
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