Mary Poppins has been part of many of our lives for as long as we can remember. She’s kind, reassuring, predictable. A symbol of safety, order, and care. For many of us, she represents comfort.
So watching the same familiar scenes from Mary Poppins, but with a sinister soundtrack underneath, is unsettling. It can give you goosebumps. It certainly did me.
Nothing on the screen has changed.
The characters are the same.
The story is the same.
Only the music is different.
And yet suddenly, everything feels wrong.
That reaction is exactly why we’re sharing this.
Same experience, different soundtrack
For many children in foster care, this is what everyday life can feel like.
Moments most of us see as neutral or safe, a voice calling their name, an adult stepping closer, a kind gesture, can feel frightening or suspicious. Not because the adult is doing anything wrong. Not because the child is being difficult.
But because their past has taught them to expect harm.
That scary soundtrack didn’t come from nowhere. It was learned through experiences they didn’t choose and couldn’t control. Their brain adapted to survive, and even when they are now safe, that alarm system doesn’t always switch off.
This is what we mean when we say trauma changes perception.
When kindness feels confusing
It can be hard to understand how kindness might feel threatening. Especially when you know yourself to be a calm, caring, well intentioned person.
But if you’ve been repeatedly let down, hurt, or frightened by adults, your brain learns not to trust. Even warmth can feel unfamiliar. Even reassurance can feel unsafe.
This is why some children in care appear wary, guarded, or reactive. It’s not a reflection of who they are. It’s a reflection of what they’ve lived through.
And it’s also why behaviour is never just behaviour.
How therapeutic parenting helps
At Hull Fostering, we teach a style of care called therapeutic parenting.
This approach is grounded in understanding trauma, attachment, and child development. It helps foster carers look beyond behaviour and ask, what is this child trying to tell me?
Therapeutic parenting is not about fixing children.
It’s not about ignoring boundaries or having low expectations.
And it’s not about expecting carers to already know how to do this.
It is about learning how to respond with calm, consistency and empathy.
About understanding that fear can look like anger, and overwhelm can look like withdrawal.
About helping children feel safe enough, over time, to trust again.
We cannot erase a child’s past.
But we can help them live with it.
And with the right adults around them, children can and do thrive.
It’s ok to not know, or not get it right
One of the biggest barriers people have to fostering is the fear of getting it wrong.
We want to be very clear.
You are not expected to know all of this.
You are not expected to be perfect.
Every Hull foster carer is supported by a dedicated fostering social worker who will guide, support and walk alongside you. You are taught therapeutic parenting, given space to reflect, and supported through the challenges as well as the positives.
Support is there from day one.
Not something you earn by being flawless.
Being honest about fostering
We are also honest about this.
We don’t like defining children by their past experiences. Our children are funny, loving, creative, frustrating, joyful and resilient. They are so much more than what happened to them.
But if a child has come into care, there is a reason.
And fostering is like parenting, with additional understanding and support needed.
These children did not choose the start they had.
What they need now are adults who are willing to learn, to listen, and to keep showing up.
Why we are sharing this now
Right now, Hull does not have enough foster carers.
We share videos like this not to shock or scare, and certainly not to ruin Mary Poppins for anyone, but to help explain something that is often hard to put into words.
Why kindness can sometimes be met with suspicion.
Why trust takes time.
And how, with patience and the right role models, that scary soundtrack can soften.
Over time, a child can learn to hear something different.
A calm voice.
A reassuring presence.
A new, safer soundtrack.
If this video made you pause, gave you goosebumps, or made you see things differently, then it has done exactly what we hoped it would.
And if it made you think you might want to give fostering a try, we would really love to talk to you.
Fostering isn’t about being perfect.
It’s about being present.
And helping a child feel safe while they grow.
Please email us at fostering@hullcc.gov.uk, call us on 01482 612 800 (option 2) or reach out to us by social media @HullFostering. However you choose to contact us, we are here to talk through your options and be with you whatever decision you make.
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