Quit Picking at It

[Bright 1950s educational orchestra] [NARRATOR — cheerful, fatherly] Say, friend! What have you got there? A little bump? A little scab? A little something you just can’t seem to leave alone? Well… QUIT PICKING AT IT. [Music swells] ♪ Quit picking at it! ♪ ♪ Leave that thing alone! ♪ ♪ Every time you scratch it ♪ ♪ You’re digging toward the bone! ♪ [NARRATOR] Now, we all get curious. Maybe it itches. Maybe it’s flaky. Maybe there’s a little corner sticking up that looks like it would come right off. It won’t. And neither will the next part. So quit picking at it. [CHILD] But Mister Johnson— [NARRATOR] QUIT. PICKING. AT IT. [Music resumes] Your skin is your body’s first line of defense. It keeps germs out… blood in… and whatever that is from getting any ideas. But when you pick— you make an opening. And germs LOVE openings. That’s how a little problem becomes… [Orchestra suddenly ominous] A RIP-ROARING INFECTION! [Children gasp] [NARRATOR, cheerful again] That’s right! Redness. Swelling. Heat. Pus. More pus. A surprising amount of pus. And before you know it, you’ve ruined Saturday. ♪ Quit picking at it! ♪ ♪ Don’t squeeze, poke, or pry! ♪ ♪ If something starts leaking ♪ ♪ Go tell a grown-up why! ♪ [NARRATOR] And remember: Not everything needs to be popped. Not everything needs to be scratched. And absolutely nothing needs to be investigated with Dad’s pocketknife. [CHILD] What about tweezers? [NARRATOR] What did I just say, Billy? [Music] Now let’s look at Tommy. Tommy had a harmless little spot on his elbow. Tommy picked it. Then he picked it again. Then Tommy said— [TOMMY] “Hey, that’s weird.” [NARRATOR] Tommy is in the hospital now. Don’t be Tommy. [CHOIR] ♪ DON’T BE TOMMY! ♪ [NARRATOR] So if you see a scab… leave it. If you see a bump… leave it. If you see something throbbing in time with your heartbeat… that’s no longer our department. [Music reaches inspirational finale] Remember, kids: Your body knows how to heal. Sometimes the smartest thing you can do… is stop helping. ♪ QUIT PICKING AT IT! ♪ ♪ LEAVE THAT THING ALONE! ♪ ♪ BEFORE A TINY LITTLE SORE ♪ ♪ BECOMES A RIP-ROARING INFECTION! ♪ [Music cuts] [NARRATOR] And wash your hands. Good Lord.