If you hadnāt realised by now, Bluey is not a kids show. Itās a show for parents that kids also happen to enjoy.
Ok, well maybe notābut thereās no doubt that itās a lot of parentsā number one choice if thereās going to be screen time.
Thereās some great parenting tips and tricks that Iāve picked up watching the showāthe writers always seem to draw upon the latest schools of thought in childhood development, as well as fabled as old as time, to teach both kids and adults valuable life lessons in such a delightful, joyous way.
So to stop me going on and on about just how great Bluey is, letās actually look at five episodes that taught me lessons that helped me in my own parentingāand might help you too.
Dance Mode
The core concept behind this episode is a great lesson for kids to learn, but it was also a really important reminder for me personally, as my natural tendency is to jump right to the next thing and hurry things along, meaning sometimes Iāve made decisions for my daughter without giving her time to give her input.
Essentially, Bandit eats Bingoās last chip in a cafe, and as a way of making it up to her, she gets to use āDance Modeā three times, meaning one of the others in her family has to dance to whatever musicās playingābut the first two get used by Bluey and Chilli, whilst Bandit buys the last one off her (which Bluey convinces her to). Bingo is sad because, even though she said yes to all of those people asking, she didnāt actually want to. Her outside voice said yes, but her inside voice said no.
Hidden behind whatās a really fun episode was a great lesson for me in looking out for when they want or donāt want something, but outside pressures are forcing their decision another way.
Pirates
This is a rare episode that Bandit actually appears to be embarrassed or self-conscious about the way he plays with Bluey and Bingo, which is very much an āall-inā approach.
Banditās playing pirates with the girls and their friend in the park, putting on silly voices and being loud, when another dad walks into the park with his kid. Bandit clocks him, and suddenly gets all shy and tones himself way down, much to the confusion of the kids. Eventually though, heās brave enough to ignore the other dad there and go back to being completely enveloped in their game.
It spoke to me personally because Iām not a person who likes to be the centre of attention or put myself out there for the judgment of others. I knew though that as a dad, sometimes youāre going to end up dragged up on stage at the kidās club on holiday or some other awkward situation.
It also reminded me that even though I might think Iām on show or exposed in a situation, most people probably arenāt thinking about me or even noticing me. Case in point; when the other dad sees Bandit launch back into his stride, he smiles.
Baby Race
Ah, Baby Race. If I could show one episode of Bluey to any parent having a tough time, this would be it.
Iāve written a lotāand will probably write a lot more in the futureāabout the pitfalls of comparisons when parenting, and this episode encapsulates it in such a meaningful, emotional way.
Chilli is desperately trying to get a baby Bluey to crawl, but she just isnāt getting it. Meanwhile, her friendsā babies are all pulling to stand and walking. One day, another mum at the group they go to notices Chilli isnāt there, so she goes over to her house. She tells Chilli that she has eight kids (no wait, nine!), and tells Chilli thereās something she needs to know.
āYouāre doing great.ā
I defy any parent not to shed a tear at that part.
The lesson of the episode is such a vital one for our mental wellbeing as parents, particularly in the age of social media and ācompetitive parentingā. Kids reach their developmental milestones at different ages all the timeābut they all get there eventually.
Until then, run your own race.
Bike
You might know that Iām a bit of an obsessive parentāand part of that has been to interfere and intervene in situations with my kids that I really donāt need to get involved in. In the past, Iād see my daughter struggling to climb the slideās ladder at the park and instead of coaching her through it, Iād just lift her up to the top.
Bandit could have gone over to Bingo as she tried to scale the water fountain and pressed the button down for her, or he could have helped Muffin get her backpack on. But he didnātāhe recognised that they were all going through a learning process, and that their frustration and tears were part and parcel of that. Eventually, they all got there on their own through the innate determination that toddlers and pre-schoolers have hard-wired into them.
Now, I try to take a similar approach. Iāll be nearby to offer the tiniest hints of advice, but Iāll let my daughter figure things out for herself. That way, itās so much more satisfying for themāand they actually learn how to do the thing again and again.
Unicorse
On the face of it, Unicorse looks like one of those episodes where itās just mad shit happening. A puppet called Unicorse is deployed and causes havoc at story time. Whatās not to love?
I actually stumbled over the deeper meaning of this, and it blew my mind.
The story that Chilli (eventually) reads to Bluey is one about a queen who tries to cover the surface of her lands in leather, so no one ever steps on a prickle ever again. But when that proves to be too difficult, someone suggests that she makes leather shoes instead.
I didnāt really get it at first viewing (mainly because my daughter would laugh manically through the episode)ābut then the very same night Iād watched Unicorse for the first time, my wife shared with me a reel on Instagram featuring Gabor MatĆ©, in which he uses the story of a monk trying to cover the desert with burlap instead of just making burlap shoes as a metaphor: when your circumstances appear to be beyond your control or ability, focus on what you yourself can change.
I immediately understood what Unicorse was about, switched it on to show my wife, and it clicked into place. Bluey tries to correct Unicorseās behaviour throughout the episode, but she canāt because heās such a pain in the arse. Chilli canāt stop Unicorse from interrupting the story, because heās such a pain in the arse. So instead, they both resolve to change how they react to him by ignoring him, and they finish the story.
I actually briefing mentioned that this was something Iād picked up from therapy in my Monday essayāwhich is true. What I didnāt mention was that Bluey taught it to me first!
Life as a parent is chaotic, and it can often seem like so many different factors are working against us, all at once. In those situations, remember how Bluey deals with Unicorse. Remember the leather shoes. Focus only on what you can change.
I could probably do this about every single episode of Bluey (yes, that is threat)! Let me know in the comments which episodes you learned something fromāor if any other kidsā shows opened your eyes to a valuable parenting tip or trick!
Bluey is the stand out cartoon of our kidsā generation in the way Tom & Jerry was for my parents and Scooby Doo/Captain Planet was for me. I love being a part of the various Bluey fan groups!