Sometimes it’s nice to watch TV as a family
After a long day of playdates, birthday parties, family gatherings, or school and homework, it’s sometimes nice to unwind and watch TV as a family. Watching TV can be a positive childhood experience (PCE) in itself, where parents and children connect and bond over shared interests. It can also be a great way for children to learn more about PCEs as they watch their favorite show, as they can relate to the actions of their favorite main character.
PCEs and the Four Building Blocks of HOPE
Research shows that positive childhood experiences help children grow up into thriving, resilient adults. The more PCEs a child has, the more health and economic benefits they will have later in life.
The Healthy Outcomes from Positive (HOPE) framework centers around the four key types of PCEs, grouped as the Four Building Blocks of HOPE:
- Relationships: safe and supportive relationships within the family and with other children and adults.
- Environment: safe, equitable, and stable environments where children can live, learn, and play.
- Engagement: opportunities for social and civic engagement to develop a sense of belonging and connectedness.
- Emotional Growth: opportunities for emotional growth where children feel supported through difficult events and emotions.
The Four Building Blocks of HOPE are an actionable and flexible way for families and communities to practice more PCEs. It is up to you to define what each Building Block means to the children around you and what Building Blocks you may want to pay more attention to.
Finding PCEs in your child’s favorite TV show
Child-friendly TV shows can help children discover what PCEs are and inspire parents to promote more PCEs with their children.
For example, Bluey is a popular Australian TV series that resonates with children and adults around the world. The show centers on a young seven-year-old dog named Bluey Heeler and her five-year-old sister, Bingo, and her parents, Chilli and Bandit.
During their many fun adventures, the Heeler family supports each other, plays imaginative games together, and learns from their mistakes. Bluey demonstrates real issues and conversations that parents have with their children, where Chilli and Bandit, at times, do feel frustrated, tired, and annoyed with their two daughters.
This feel-good show shares many examples of the Four Building Blocks of HOPE in action, where the Heller family experiences PCEs, even if their day is not going as planned. Below highlights episode “Takeaway” from season one.
Bluey highlight: a lesson on patience while waiting for spring rolls
This episode takes place outside a restaurant. Bandit, the father, parks the car and runs into the restaurant to grab his takeout order, only to realize the spring rolls are missing. Now, he and the girls, Bluey and Bingo, have to wait a long 5 minutes for the restaurant to make his spring rolls.
The girls want to play in the water from a hose outside, but Bandit tells them they cannot play in the water because he does not want wet dogs in the car. Instead, Bluey and Bingo entertain themselves by pretending to run their own restaurant and accidentally eat Bandit’s spicy takeout food, spilling it on the ground.
When Bandit comes back from checking on the spring rolls, he exclaims that they need to wait another five minutes. Bingo then shares that she needs to use the bathroom. Because the restaurant does not have a public bathroom, Bandit helps her pee in a bush on the sidewalk. While holding Bingo, chaos erupts. Bandit can only watch as Bluey accidentally starts a flood with the hose. Crows start eating the spilled food, and he can only watch helplessly while helping Bingo.
Eventually, Bandit shoos the crows away and turns off the water hose. He sits at the table feeling frustrated and exhausted. The restaurant owner comes out to give them fortune cookies, one reading “Flowers may bloom again but a person never has the chance to be young again.” Bandit realizes that the girls will not be young forever. For him, it is better to enjoy the time they have together, and he lets Bluey and Bingo play in the hose water.
What moments of PCEs did you spot during this chaotic adventure? Here are examples of the Four Building Blocks of HOPE:
- Relationships: Even during hectic and overwhelming times, relationships between children and parents are strengthened when patience takes center. Even though Bluey and Bingo made a bunch of mistakes while waiting for the spring rolls, Bandit was always there for them, helping them learn and live in the moment.
- Environment: Even a small section of a sidewalk outside a restaurant can be a safe place for children to thrive. While Bandit was getting his takeout order, Bluey and Bandit felt safe, playing and laughing while waiting for their father.
- Engagement: While Bluey and Bingo waited for the takeout order, they used their imagination to play restaurant, making up their own rules and creating new identities to play with.
- Emotional growth: Bluey and Bingo learn to be patient waiting for the spring rolls and how they can entertain themselves. For Bandit, he learns to focus on creating fun, memorable moments with his daughters, even if it means breaking the rules once in a while.
What PCEs do you see in your favorite TV show?
TV time can be a great way for families to enjoy a show and learn something new together. Many shows and movies shape us and teach us how to handle big emotions, navigate difficult situations and conversations, and learn to be a better person. Whether you are watching Bluey or another show or movie, pay attention to the PCEs and the Four Building Blocks of HOPE you see on the screen.
