By Amanda Huffman
Contributing Writer
There’s been a bit of controversy over the Season 3 ending of “Bluey,” the super popular children’s show, which focused on moving. While the writers did a beautiful job covering the different emotions and challenges both parents and kids experience when a family is faced with a move, the ending was disappointing for some viewers, including me. The episode concludes with the Heeler family back in their home celebrating that their plans fell apart and that they no longer had to move.
To be honest, I was annoyed with the ending but not surprised, because in reality it didn’t make sense for the family to move. After talking to a few of my military spouse friends and discussing the episode with my kids, I am glad that Bluey jumped in and focused on an important topic — moving. I hope that these kinds of episodes give both parents and kids words to voice hard conversations when it comes to moving.
How My Kids Felt
My kids have moved multiple times in their short lives. They know what it means to say goodbye to friends and what it’s like to have to start over. They could empathize with both Bluey and her sister Bingo as they struggled with different emotions. And while I teared up as these scenes played out, my kids were not emotionally affected like I was. Instead, they were matter-of-fact as they remembered past moves and stories of friends and homes we once lived in.
When I asked my youngest how he felt about the episode, he told me that he really liked seeing how hard it was for Bluey to think about moving. He admitted he was disappointed they ended up not moving, but not because he felt slighted and annoyed that in his life we did move. My son had wanted to see where they moved to. What would their new house be like? What friends would they make at their new location?
With his eight-year-old wisdom, my son told me how much he still missed our last home, but if we didn’t move we would have missed out on the friends we made here. It was in line with the story that Calypso, Bluey’s teacher, shared about how everything works out in one way or another. In Bluey’s case, she didn’t have to move in the end, but for my son, moving worked out great because of new adventures and new friends, even if saying goodbye was hard.
Expressing the Emotions of the Parents
One of my favorite parts of “Bluey” as a series is how realistic the parents are in sharing their struggles. Instead of pretending to be happy about the move, Bluey’s mom shares that she doesn’t want to move. Both of Bluey’s parents constantly question if the move is the right choice for their family.
Even though military families don’t have a choice when it is time to move, it doesn’t take away the emotions and questions swirling around in our minds of how the military lifestyle affects our kids. And while we may think the next move is the right choice for our family, it’s important to discuss how hard it can be with our kids, and to help them understand the complexity of the move.
Getting a Conversation Started
In the end, Bluey did not move or experience the challenges of what that entails, which feels like a missed opportunity for a fun, new adventure. However, I understand the logistical challenges presented for a children’s show when the main character moves. Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that the writers brought up real emotions and challenges that kids face when it is time to move on to the next adventure. Being able to relate to characters and find words for the feelings we are facing is really the most important part of television programming.
How do we find the words when we don’t know what to say? We can always start by watching a show that relates to our own lives and then let the conversation continue by using the experience of our favorite characters to shape our own conversation.
What are your thoughts?
Do you think “Bluey” should have touched a topic like moving without actually moving?
Amanda is a military Veteran who served in the Air Force for six years as a Civil Engineer who served on a combat deployment with the Army in Afghanistan. She traded in her combat boots for a diaper bag to stay home with her two boys and follow her husband’s military career in the Space Force. Amanda is the host of the Women of the Military podcast. There she shares the stories of women who have served or are serving in the military. The podcast has over 200 episodes and over 100K downloads. Amanda is also an author and has published two books. Her first book, Women of the Military tells the stories of 28 military women who served in the military. Her second book, A Girl’s Guide to Military Service, is the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Winner for Teen Non Fiction. It is a guide for high school girls considering military service to help them build a strong foundation for their future career. She also works as a freelance writer and has been featured in a number of military publications including The War Horse, Military.com, Military Families Magazine, Clearance Jobs, Military Spouse Magazine, and more.
