This article spoke some of the thoughts I've had since my three children (8, 4 and 1.5) and I have been introduced to Bluey. My husband also adores this show, and the music. My children enjoy watching me closely as I watch my favorite episodes: baby race, rug island, flat pack, and sleepytime.. these episodes bring tears to my eyes every time. The love and care is just so heartwarming and relatable as we navigate life with our family. Bluey has been such a gift to so many! I'm grateful for a show that has taken over our home and helped us slow down, as we do "favorite things" around the dinner table and play feather wand.
Lane! I so, so appreciate these reflections on the power of creative spirit to get through these hard days. I have been craving art, music, dance more than ever lately. And cheers to the Bluey creators who give us permission to not know all the answers. Isn't that at the heart of all of our creative practices? Thank you for this!
I am so touched by what your wrote -the many layers of pain, stress and challenge we are all living through AND the soaring of the human spirit to connect and create. I can't wait to watch Bluey! Thank you!
Lane, this is so beautifully written! Thanks for sharing your thoughts; somehow it is therapeutic to know that we are all struggling and we are all in this together. I'm beginning to feel like I have been around a long time and I have never witnessed a succession of such unsettling and heartbreaking events in my lifetime. But I have hope for the future, and in the meantime I am looking forward to watching Bluey with my favorite three year old!
Lane, I’m reading this at 4:00AM because I woke up with a tightness in my chest again that will not allow me to fall back to sleep. All that is happening in our life/world right now keeps my brain whirring. It is heavy and alarming and full of uncertainty. But yes! Bluey! We love it. Me more so than my two boys. It has been a bright spot in the past two years. At first my husband said, “When we watch it, I can feel the boys looking at me and thinking, ‘Why doesn’t our dad play with us like that?’” Ha. I told him he should be grateful for a show that doesn’t depict the dad as a clueless deadbeat or self-involved goofball. I secretly hoped it would inspire him to do more. But we soon both loved it and more than once were moved to tears by episodes that hit very close to home. It is so well written. One of my favorites is “Bike.” The struggle is real and the frustration depicted is so accurate. Maybe it is the use of “Ode to Joy” that moves me, but that, combined with the triumph of each little pup was exactly what I needed to see/hear the first time I saw it. We can do it. It will all be okay. “Calypso” was comforting and “Take Away, “Hotel,” and “Movies” made me laugh out loud multiple times, the last being so accurate with the stark differences between siblings and their needs. Anyway, thanks for your insightful piece that has made me feel less alone in the middle of the night. We can do it. It will all be okay. So thankful for creative people that can unite us all in the human experience and inspire us to celebrate it.
Lane, this is so beautiful. I second what you wrote about creativity and care and otherworldly escapes, and I love getting to know your daughter through these sweet, life-affirming moments you share. I draw with elementary school kids twice a week, and it is so fun and therapeutic. Seeing the world through their eyes is a nice break from the horrors of the last… century. I’m looking forward to watching Bluey! Might I suggest another children’s show that is about imagination and whimsey and is not educational per se? It’s called Sarah and Duck. It’s British (need I say more!) There are some really interesting animated shows for children/teens in America, but I’ve noticed a lot of shows aimed at toddlers and pre-schoolers seem less interested in creativity and imagination for their own sake. I didn’t realized they were required to make shows “educational”. (I suppose they want to indoctrinate us into a capitalist culture obsessed with grades and success as early as possible). I’m glad for shows like Bleuy. :-)
OMG, Lane, I'm literally writing this afternoon about my favorite TV show from my British childhood, while bemoaning the awfulness of so much American kids' TV over the years--and trying to explain why this isn't just nostalgia. Love this. Clearly, great minds thinking alike, or at least similarly. In your post, you're also showing how kids and adults see life so very differently. I was asked in an interview a couple of years ago about kids' resilience. I assured the interviewers that kids are deeply resilient in all but the most personal awful moments, and honestly, I worry more about the adults.
This article spoke some of the thoughts I've had since my three children (8, 4 and 1.5) and I have been introduced to Bluey. My husband also adores this show, and the music. My children enjoy watching me closely as I watch my favorite episodes: baby race, rug island, flat pack, and sleepytime.. these episodes bring tears to my eyes every time. The love and care is just so heartwarming and relatable as we navigate life with our family. Bluey has been such a gift to so many! I'm grateful for a show that has taken over our home and helped us slow down, as we do "favorite things" around the dinner table and play feather wand.
The Baby Race. I cry every single time I watch it without fail.
Lane! I so, so appreciate these reflections on the power of creative spirit to get through these hard days. I have been craving art, music, dance more than ever lately. And cheers to the Bluey creators who give us permission to not know all the answers. Isn't that at the heart of all of our creative practices? Thank you for this!
I am so touched by what your wrote -the many layers of pain, stress and challenge we are all living through AND the soaring of the human spirit to connect and create. I can't wait to watch Bluey! Thank you!
Lane, this is so beautifully written! Thanks for sharing your thoughts; somehow it is therapeutic to know that we are all struggling and we are all in this together. I'm beginning to feel like I have been around a long time and I have never witnessed a succession of such unsettling and heartbreaking events in my lifetime. But I have hope for the future, and in the meantime I am looking forward to watching Bluey with my favorite three year old!
This is one of my favorites. Thanks for your writing, Lane.♥️
Well, you’ve done it again. I loved every word. Final paragraph may have produced a few heart swollen tears. Thank you for sharing.
Lane, I’m reading this at 4:00AM because I woke up with a tightness in my chest again that will not allow me to fall back to sleep. All that is happening in our life/world right now keeps my brain whirring. It is heavy and alarming and full of uncertainty. But yes! Bluey! We love it. Me more so than my two boys. It has been a bright spot in the past two years. At first my husband said, “When we watch it, I can feel the boys looking at me and thinking, ‘Why doesn’t our dad play with us like that?’” Ha. I told him he should be grateful for a show that doesn’t depict the dad as a clueless deadbeat or self-involved goofball. I secretly hoped it would inspire him to do more. But we soon both loved it and more than once were moved to tears by episodes that hit very close to home. It is so well written. One of my favorites is “Bike.” The struggle is real and the frustration depicted is so accurate. Maybe it is the use of “Ode to Joy” that moves me, but that, combined with the triumph of each little pup was exactly what I needed to see/hear the first time I saw it. We can do it. It will all be okay. “Calypso” was comforting and “Take Away, “Hotel,” and “Movies” made me laugh out loud multiple times, the last being so accurate with the stark differences between siblings and their needs. Anyway, thanks for your insightful piece that has made me feel less alone in the middle of the night. We can do it. It will all be okay. So thankful for creative people that can unite us all in the human experience and inspire us to celebrate it.
Lane, this is so beautiful. I second what you wrote about creativity and care and otherworldly escapes, and I love getting to know your daughter through these sweet, life-affirming moments you share. I draw with elementary school kids twice a week, and it is so fun and therapeutic. Seeing the world through their eyes is a nice break from the horrors of the last… century. I’m looking forward to watching Bluey! Might I suggest another children’s show that is about imagination and whimsey and is not educational per se? It’s called Sarah and Duck. It’s British (need I say more!) There are some really interesting animated shows for children/teens in America, but I’ve noticed a lot of shows aimed at toddlers and pre-schoolers seem less interested in creativity and imagination for their own sake. I didn’t realized they were required to make shows “educational”. (I suppose they want to indoctrinate us into a capitalist culture obsessed with grades and success as early as possible). I’m glad for shows like Bleuy. :-)
OMG, Lane, I'm literally writing this afternoon about my favorite TV show from my British childhood, while bemoaning the awfulness of so much American kids' TV over the years--and trying to explain why this isn't just nostalgia. Love this. Clearly, great minds thinking alike, or at least similarly. In your post, you're also showing how kids and adults see life so very differently. I was asked in an interview a couple of years ago about kids' resilience. I assured the interviewers that kids are deeply resilient in all but the most personal awful moments, and honestly, I worry more about the adults.