I shouldn’t find this all that new and surprising – these phases are normal. But I don’t remember it being so over-powerfing when it happened a few years ago when I daughter was about 2. With young kids running circles around you, it is hard to fight these things and there is little point in trying to hide it – I have the blues. By this I mean the Blue’s Clues blues.
My daughter went through a phase where it was her favorite show. It is a pretty clever show, and unlike some others geared towards that age bracket, it is easy to watch with the kids. So I often would watch it with her. Now that my son is 2 1/2 and developing his own preferences, he has discovered a love for Blue and her pals. And in the process my wife, my daughter and I are getting reacquainted.
My son delights in the show. He sings along with every song. He imitates everything that Steve or Joe do. And even when he isn’t watching it, he references it in most things he does from skidoo-ing out of the car to the sidewalk to pretending an old greeting card is ‘a letter from our friends’. And I think that to some extent it has been encouraging him to be more polite in the things he does.
My daughter and I have used it as a point of conversation. We’ve discussed the relationship and pseudo-drama of the Steve-Joe switch (she has decided that she likes Joe better – I had felt that way before, but I’ve been gaining new-found respect for Steve). We’ve reveled in noticing the artistic minutia that is peppered in there for the non-target audience (such as the ever-changing artwork in the living room). And I’ve also used it as a platform to help her understand animation and entertainment in general (separating the characters from the reality).
My wife and I try not to over-expose the kids to these things – we know that they should have limits to the amount of TV they watch. But when they wake at 7AM every morning and can’t keep from being under-toe at every meal preparation, it is a crutch that is easy to lean on to give us the space or rest that we need to be sane enough to keep up with them the rest of the time.
What is funny about the show is how well it works and how well it will likely continue to work for years to come. The show is now over ten years old and has not aired a new episode in several years. And yet it still remains in Noggin’s heavy program rotation. I also recently saw a 10-year behind the clues special that revealed some interesting factoids about the show and its origins (e.g., the show’s original design was to be a game-show for toddlers, Blue was initially a cat, Mr. Salt was supposed to have a Brooklyn accent but it somehow got shifted to French).
So at 33, I’m still learning a few new tricks from a not-so-young puppy – and bonding with my kids at the same time (you can bond over a show – it counts, I looked it up). Without a doubt, I once again have the Blue’s Clues blues … and it makes me smile.
