(Jonathan laughs)
- [Jonathan] Aw. The rules do make it fun.
What can Bluey teach you, the parent,
and your kids, the parented,
about creative problem solving
and not taking the easy way out?
Mended Light.
(jazz music intro)
(simulated crowd applauds)
So I've been doing a breakdown of
the Disney Junior series: Bluey,
produced in Australia, which is just taking the world
by storm for its wholesomeness and its intelligent
and age appropriate approach to a lot of sensitive issues.
And I want to talk about 'taking the easy way out'.
A lot of times as parents, we want to rescue our kids
when we really should let them
figure things out on their own.
I know as a kid I was super lazy
(laughs)
and, and it shot me in the foot!
You know, like as an adult I, I learned,
I had to learn the hard way to do hard things
and difficult things.
My parents had a lot of strengths and virtues,
but I do feel like they rescued me
instead of letting me figure things out.
I think it was their fifth kid by that point.
They were just burnt out from trying to teach everybody
and they're like, "Whatever here, I'll just do it."
So let's talk about creative problem solving and not
taking the easy way out.
This is from season one.
It's episode five called Shadowlands
- [Bluey and Snickers] What's the time Mrs. Wolf?
- [Coco] Seven o'clock!
- [Bluey and Snickers] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7!
What's the time, Mrs. Wolf?
- [Coco] Ten o' clock!
- [Bluey] Coco!
- [Bluey and Snickers] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
- [Bluey] What's the time Mrs. Wolf?
- [Coco] Dinner time! Got you!
- [Snickers] Coco!
- [Bluey] You always do this!
- [Coco] Do what?
- [Bluey] Something to make the game easy for you.
- [Coco] Do I?
- [Bluey] Yes!
(Jonathan laughs)
- [Coco] Oh, sorry, Bluey. I'll try and stop.
- [Snickers] What if we play Shadowlands instead?
- [Bluey] Yeah!
This episode of Bluey is called Shadowlands!
- [Jonathan] Always taking the easy way out.
- [Coco] What's Shadowlands?
- [Snickers] It's fun.
- [Bluey] All the shadowy, grassy bits are the land
and all the bits in the sun is the sea.
- [Snickers] Yeah and there's crocodiles in the sea.
- [Bluey] Yeah, you can't touch the water
or you get bitten by crocodile.
- [Coco] So you can only walk on the land. These bits?
- [Jonathan] It's like the floor is lava.
- [Bluey] Yeah! And we have to get from here
to the picnic blanket.
(picnickers laughing)
- [Coco] All right!
- [Bluey] But you can't just change the rules to
make it easy this time, okay?
- [Coco] No I won't.
- [Bluey] You promise?
- [Coco] I promise.
- [Snickers] Okay, let's go.
- [Bluey] Yeah!
(Bluey and friends laughing)
(light music begins)
- [Jonathan] I love Bluey because of the,
how simple and clean the storytelling is.
But it's, but it's brilliant.
And the structure is always laid out
exactly what needs to be, you know,
like three little acts.
- [Coco] This is fun!
- [Snickers] I told you!
(Bluey and friends laughing)
- [Bluey] You won't get us, crocodile!
- [Snickers] Ooh! I can't jump that far!
Look at my little legs!
- [Coco] Well maybe just this time
you can have crocodile-proof shoes.
- [Bluey] Coco!
- [Coco] Oh yeah, sorry.
But how is Snickers gonna get over?
- [Bluey] Um, I know! Come here, Coco!
- [Jonathan] So you have to play by the rules,
cause that's how life works.
And so you have to find creative solutions.
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(cartoon music resumes)
- [Bluey and Coco] Yeah, we did it!
- [Coco] Great idea, Bluey!
- [Jonathan] If you think you're above the rules
or above the law it'll serve you
for a while until it doesn't
and it becomes a really bad thing.
- [Bluey] That looks like bird poop!
(Car beeps, engine turns over)
- [Snickers] Bluey! Bluey!
- [Bluey] Ahhh!
(Coco gasps)
- [Coco] You're trapped!
- [Snickers] How you gonna get across the river?
- [Bluey] I don't know!
- [Coco] How about we just pretend in this bit
all the crocodiles are asleep?
- [Bluey] You can't change the rules, Coco!
- [Coco] Aw, why not?
- [Bluey] Because, they're the rules!
(bus engine roars)
- [Snickers] Look, a bus!
Are you ready, Bluey?
- [Bluey] I'm ready!
- [Jonathan] Society, life, family, friendships.
None of them function without rules.
- [Bluey] Ah!
(characters laugh)
And while it's cool to say rules are meant to be broken
- [Snickers] Come on!
We're almost at the picnic blanket!
- [Jonathan] If you take the easy way out
then you wind up being crippled.
And knowing how to deal with hard situations,
cause you wanna cheat and sometimes you can't.
- [Coco] The wind's making it move!
I can't stay on!
- [Bluey] Ahhh!
- [Snickers] The crocodiles are gonna get us!
- [Coco] What are we gonna do?
- [Bluey] Run!
Phew! We made it!
- [Coco] But look, there's no way to get across the sea!
- [Snickers] I can't go back this way!
- [Bluey] We're trapped on a palm tree island!
Oh no!
- [Jonathan] The reason that I would often
take the easy way out as a child
is cause I didn't trust,
and even into adulthood, is cause I didn't trust
my own ability to think things through and find solutions.
(show continues quietly in background)
And I relied on other people to rescue me
or that I could work around the system, right?
- [Bluey and Friends] Cupcakes!
- [Coco] With the blue icing! And sprinkles!
- [Snickers] Sprinkles!
- [Jonathan] And what you discover
as you work within the rules
is that you're smarter than you think.
As you work within the law, you're more capable
than you think.
(show continues quietly in background)
And that you're not better than anybody else
- [Chilli] Going to eat your cupcakes!
- [Bluey and Friends] No!
- [Coco] That's it!
I'm gonna be a water boat
and walk across this water
and have a cupcake!
- [Bluey and Snickers] No Coco!
- [Jonathan] C'mon Coco, have stronger character.
- [Coco] But I want a cupcake!
(Jonathan laughs)
- [Bluey] But you can't just change the rules!
- [Coco] But you still haven't told me why!
- [Bluey] Well...
Because...
I don't know!
- [Coco] See? There's no reason!
- [Snickers] Maybe Coco's right, Bluey?
Maybe we can just turn the rules an eensy bit.
It'll still be Shadowlands!
- [Bluey] Okay...
(sad music plays)
Wait!
- [Coco] What is it?
- [Bluey] The wind is back!
- [Coco] Look! Its blowing a cloud.
- [Snickers] It's heading towards the sun!
(music pauses as cloud moves in front of sun)
(Jonathan laughs)
- [Bluey] Run!
(characters scream)
(happy music begins)
- [Coco] Quick! Hurry up Snickers!
- [Jonathan] Poor little wiener dog, can't go that fast.
- [Coco] Run your little sausage dog legs!
- [Snickers] I can't run any faster - oof!
- [Coco] The crocodiles are coming!
- [Jonathan] They gotta work together.
They've gotta use their heads.
- [Coco] We did it!
- [Snickers] That was so much fun!
- [Bluey] Yeah!
- [Coco] That's why you can't change the rules!
Because the rules make it fun.
- [Bluey] Oh yeah!
(characters yell excitedly)
- [Jonathan] Aw. The rules do make it fun
And structured and fair.
Now I'm not talking about unjust laws or, or unfair rules.
I'm talking about things that we agree upon
for the good of all, right?
And we can learn these lessons very young with the,
with the games that we play or through sports.
It's why we have referees to make sure
that everyone plays by the same rules so that it's fair.
Now you notice what happened
because they played by the rules.
They had to work together.
They had to think outside the box.
They had to come up with
creative solutions to their problems.
And that sense of fulfillment, that reward that comes
from that, that team dynamic, that bonding.
But also as a person to act in integrity, right?
To act, act in integrity and to, and to live according to
'I'm gonna do the honest thing
and I'm gonna do the hard thing
because I can do the hard thing'.
And the more, the more experience your kids have with that
the more they will challenge themselves to do more
and push themselves to do more.
And the more they believe that they can't
they'll find excuses, they'll look for exceptions
and they'll look for someone to bail them out.
Rules help us to be strong.
And so I would use this episode
to have this conversation with your kids.
And also I watch, I watch Bluey
and I think about my own life.
I honestly do.
And I think how can I be better when it comes
to living according to my principles,
living according to what I believe is right?
When it comes to not looking for exceptions
or justifications,
but instead looking for solutions, right?
And working together with people.
So go Bluey!
If you enjoyed this, I invite you to check out
" 'Just Spend More Time Together', They Said"
one of our 'Crap Therapists Say' episodes
where we talk about advice that therapists have given,
is it good? Is it not?
What advice would we give?
And yeah, check that out.
What do you think of Bluey?
What are some of your favorite episodes?
Let us know in the comments below!
What has been your experience with taking the easy way out
(bell chimes)
versus doing things by the rules and
and what has helped you and what has been a struggle?
Let us know in the comments below
because we love to learn from you.
Now, if you are needing support
with life's challenges and you want to work with us
but you're not sure what you can afford
or what level you need, we have different options.
You can go to www.mendedlight.com.
We have everything from a membership site
where you can take online video courses
on relationships and mental health and overcoming trauma,
live book club events, and live Q&A's with Alicia and I,
all the way to working with members
of our team specialists to help you through these things.
So go to www.mendedlight.com
and check out the options today.
As always, folks keep shining because we need your light!
(jazzy outro music)