Although I don't have kids myself, I loved how everything you talked about is applicable to adults, in particular the loving space to develop and grow you can extend to friends and partners. It also reminded me of a story my mum would tell me; when I was a toddler my late grandfather watched me struggle to pull up the hoop of a mosquito net that had fallen behind the bed frame. He stopped both my grandma and my mum from rushing over to help me, because he wanted to see if I would persevere. Mum says he stood there for about 40 minutes until I was able to pull it up - and to this day the story serves as a reminder of achieving difficult things, and most importantly, having the space and encouragement to truly test those limits! Thanks for the awesome post, and reminding me about this lesson <3
Thanks so much for reading! Also am super excited you connected it to family and friends because that’s so real. We need to provide space for our loved ones to fail forward. Thanks also for sharing the story of your grandpa. Glad to help remind you of this story
Bluey is my favorite show to watch with my kids for many of the reasons you laid out. Yes my kids learn something, but I also leave each episode feeling challenged to grow as a parent. The push forward is always gentle which makes the message seep in all the more.
I love this breakdown. My husband and I talk about the kind of parents we want to be all the time. We often discuss the value of having to figure things out on our own. It’s exactly what you described - it built confidence and made us creative. Now, will I be able to resist a little human that has my or his face struggle as readily, as I say I will now as a non-parent is another story 😂 but the intention is there. Thanks for sharing.
I have never seen Bluey but clearly I need to start watching it. Lol I watch cartoons to decompress from work days. But this post was spot on. Sometimes we recuse people so much until they have no clue that they can recuse themselves or know how to manage when there is no one there to recuse them. Also, I think this career pivot I am working on is a place I can be more creative in because the pivot is real.
I highly recommend Bluey! Perfect for decompression. I also recommend The amazing world of Gumball. It’s a little more mature but so funny and smart. Thank you for reading and good luck on your pivot!
I love that Bluey is a show for the kids and the adults. I think there should be whole Bluey watch parties because of the life lessons that are shared in the show. One thing raising my three-year-old is bringing up for me constantly is the idea that everything I instinctually know how to do, I was once taught or had to learn on my own. I try to find the happy medium between teaching her what she needs to know and letting her learn on her own. Thanks for this reflective piece!
You’re so welcome and I def feel the humbling experience of realizing you were taught everything right down to how to eat and how to express emotions. It’s so wonderful and also a little scary. I’m so glad you found that it resonated. Thank you for reading and I’m always down for Bluey’s watch party 🤣
I've never watched Bluey and I can't say if my kids have or not but thank you for breaking down this episode 😊. You hit all good points and I'm the same way with my kids. I explain to them I can help with most things but not everything. Conversations about failure took them a while to understand. My 9 y/o really believed that I wake everyday making no mistakes and have life figured out 😂. Nah baby I just make it look easy! So I teach them the importance of failure that if you're not making mistakes, you might not be learning. Feel those feelings and keep trying. 💙
I’m so glad you took the time to read and share your appreciation. I think biology does the heavy lifting making our children think we’re perfect but taking the time to be human and express your own vulnerabilities to them ultimately helps them be more empathetic. I love that you’ve been working to make a safe space for failure.
I wish app had a bookmark button, because I want to come back to this article every time, to get the reassurance I need that everything will be okay. Thank you.
I loved this episode too. When we step in we rob people of growth. I love Bluey so much, my partner and I are often talking about the episodes and discussing how we show up. It’s a great reflection. As Myles gets older, I think a lot about being like Bandit. But I worry about Bandit sometimes because it’s clear he’s a great dad but a very exhausted one. The episode about him wanting to go out with his friends to play rugby resonated so much that he dreamed about it felt so real to me.
I don’t think any (present active) parent is not exhausted except maybe when they become teenagers but even then I think the exhaustion just shifts to worry. I think you’re well on your way to Bandit like zen hopefully things ease up and the friend hang out dreams become a reality. (Also I’m such a fan of how Bluey’s mom is always out and about and clearly has a deep level of trust of Bandit)
She really has a whole life - always like I'm off to play hockey haha. I wish my partner was a little like mom. Sometimes I wonder if she doesn't feel like she can because he's really young still. Hopefully in the future.
Although I don't have kids myself, I loved how everything you talked about is applicable to adults, in particular the loving space to develop and grow you can extend to friends and partners. It also reminded me of a story my mum would tell me; when I was a toddler my late grandfather watched me struggle to pull up the hoop of a mosquito net that had fallen behind the bed frame. He stopped both my grandma and my mum from rushing over to help me, because he wanted to see if I would persevere. Mum says he stood there for about 40 minutes until I was able to pull it up - and to this day the story serves as a reminder of achieving difficult things, and most importantly, having the space and encouragement to truly test those limits! Thanks for the awesome post, and reminding me about this lesson <3
Thanks so much for reading! Also am super excited you connected it to family and friends because that’s so real. We need to provide space for our loved ones to fail forward. Thanks also for sharing the story of your grandpa. Glad to help remind you of this story
This was a dope piece 👏🏽
Bluey is my favorite show to watch with my kids for many of the reasons you laid out. Yes my kids learn something, but I also leave each episode feeling challenged to grow as a parent. The push forward is always gentle which makes the message seep in all the more.
I love this breakdown. My husband and I talk about the kind of parents we want to be all the time. We often discuss the value of having to figure things out on our own. It’s exactly what you described - it built confidence and made us creative. Now, will I be able to resist a little human that has my or his face struggle as readily, as I say I will now as a non-parent is another story 😂 but the intention is there. Thanks for sharing.
It will definitely be harder than you think but you’re so emotionally intelligent I think you will be better than you think!
Thanks, that’s very sweet of you to share. Your kiddo is lucky to have you as their momma.
I’ll print this out for him so when he learn how to read he gets the message 😂😂
Damn right!
I have never seen Bluey but clearly I need to start watching it. Lol I watch cartoons to decompress from work days. But this post was spot on. Sometimes we recuse people so much until they have no clue that they can recuse themselves or know how to manage when there is no one there to recuse them. Also, I think this career pivot I am working on is a place I can be more creative in because the pivot is real.
I highly recommend Bluey! Perfect for decompression. I also recommend The amazing world of Gumball. It’s a little more mature but so funny and smart. Thank you for reading and good luck on your pivot!
Okay, great… I will check them out. Thank you!
WATCH IT! lol
It's a beautiful show for real.
I love that Bluey is a show for the kids and the adults. I think there should be whole Bluey watch parties because of the life lessons that are shared in the show. One thing raising my three-year-old is bringing up for me constantly is the idea that everything I instinctually know how to do, I was once taught or had to learn on my own. I try to find the happy medium between teaching her what she needs to know and letting her learn on her own. Thanks for this reflective piece!
You’re so welcome and I def feel the humbling experience of realizing you were taught everything right down to how to eat and how to express emotions. It’s so wonderful and also a little scary. I’m so glad you found that it resonated. Thank you for reading and I’m always down for Bluey’s watch party 🤣
I've never watched Bluey and I can't say if my kids have or not but thank you for breaking down this episode 😊. You hit all good points and I'm the same way with my kids. I explain to them I can help with most things but not everything. Conversations about failure took them a while to understand. My 9 y/o really believed that I wake everyday making no mistakes and have life figured out 😂. Nah baby I just make it look easy! So I teach them the importance of failure that if you're not making mistakes, you might not be learning. Feel those feelings and keep trying. 💙
I’m so glad you took the time to read and share your appreciation. I think biology does the heavy lifting making our children think we’re perfect but taking the time to be human and express your own vulnerabilities to them ultimately helps them be more empathetic. I love that you’ve been working to make a safe space for failure.
I wish app had a bookmark button, because I want to come back to this article every time, to get the reassurance I need that everything will be okay. Thank you.
That’s so kind of you to say! You can always use the save feature and return to your hearts content. Appreciate you taking the time to read it
I loved this episode too. When we step in we rob people of growth. I love Bluey so much, my partner and I are often talking about the episodes and discussing how we show up. It’s a great reflection. As Myles gets older, I think a lot about being like Bandit. But I worry about Bandit sometimes because it’s clear he’s a great dad but a very exhausted one. The episode about him wanting to go out with his friends to play rugby resonated so much that he dreamed about it felt so real to me.
I don’t think any (present active) parent is not exhausted except maybe when they become teenagers but even then I think the exhaustion just shifts to worry. I think you’re well on your way to Bandit like zen hopefully things ease up and the friend hang out dreams become a reality. (Also I’m such a fan of how Bluey’s mom is always out and about and clearly has a deep level of trust of Bandit)
She really has a whole life - always like I'm off to play hockey haha. I wish my partner was a little like mom. Sometimes I wonder if she doesn't feel like she can because he's really young still. Hopefully in the future.
So great to get away from the helicopter parenting from the last couple decades.
Agreed. Who wants to raise someone completely dependent on you and incapable of navigating the world on their own. We don’t live forever!