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In the world of children’s television, few shows manage to strike the balance between entertainment and life lessons as well as Bluey. In this installment of “Stories That Shape Us,” Sarah Moss facilitates a conversation with Luke Hawley and his son Canaan to explore how watching Bluey has impacted their family. With its honest take on parenting and daily life and its clever humor, Bluey creates a connection that resonates across generations.

Sarah Moss: Canaan, how often do you watch Bluey?

Canaan Hawley: I’ve been watching it since I was two years old, and I’ve seen every episode, probably two or three times. Some of them, I’ve probably seen five or six times.

Luke Hawley: It's fun for all of us to revisit episodes, really. One of the things I love is when I come home and find myself watching an episode we've already seen. Even though I’ve watched it before, I catch something new that makes me laugh. It’s funny how Bluey keeps surprising me.

Sarah Moss: Luke, what else resonates with you about Bluey?

Luke Hawley: One thing Bluey does so well is capturing that bittersweet side of life. There’s an episode where Chilli's sister visits after years apart, and on the surface, it might seem like a simple family visit. But as an adult watching, you realize there’s an unspoken sadness—Chilli's sister seems to want kids but doesn’t have any. It’s not anyone’s fault, but life just didn’t go the way she planned, and that’s created some distance between her and Chilli and the kids. At the same time, Bingo starts acting like a cheetah in the costume she’s been given by the aunt who didn’t know that would happen, and it’s so funny. I appreciate that balance of humor and sadness, which, to me, is what makes the best film and literature—great art manages to hold those two together in a way that feels authentic.

Sarah Moss: Canaan, what are some things you like about Bluey? Do you have favorite characters or episodes?

Canaan Hawley: I think my favorite characters are Muffin and Bingo. Bluey is kind of boring, and Muffin and Bingo are playful and funny.

For episodes, I like the mini episode where Bingo learns to play the drums.

Luke Hawley: She’s pretty good at playing the drums, considering she’s never played before.

Canaan Hawley: Yeah, she’s probably better than my brother, Judah. I also like the cricket episode. It was fun to learn about cricket, and it reminded me of baseball.

Luke Hawley: The cricket episode really captures something special about family dynamics. It focuses on a different family story than Bluey and Bingo. Rusty is a really good cricket player, but it also tells the story of how he had to put in work to get there, and how his dad—even though he was deployed—encouraged Rusty and helped him get there. At the end of the episode, even though he can hit any pitch out of the yard, Rusty hits the ball to his younger sister, allowing her to get him out. It's a nice, quiet reminder that being part of a family sometimes means choosing connection over success.

Sarah Moss: Do you think, in general, the show captures the dynamics of family life well?

Luke Hawley: I think Bluey does a great job of showing the challenges of family life honestly. There’s an episode where Bandit and Bluey are doing an obstacle course, and Bandit really doesn’t like losing. Bluey figures out she can cheat to beat him, and they end up having this conversation about cheating. In the end, Bluey wins fairly, but Bandit cheats to stop her from winning. It’s a funny situation, but it also shows that parents are still learning about themselves while trying to teach their kids. I think that’s something I can relate to — all the times I’ve gotten frustrated with my kids, and then later thought, “Oh, I shouldn’t have reacted that way.” Bluey is honest about that. It doesn’t pretend the parents always get it right, and it doesn’t fall into the stereotypical TV family roles either, which I appreciate.

I’m sort of astounded by how charmed I am by the whole thing. It’s dealing with real family dynamics in a way that feels genuine. It’s not surprising that Bingo is Canaan’s favorite; after all, he’s the youngest of three, so he can relate to how the older siblings treat him differently. You really get to see how the parents take their roles seriously, but they’re also learning as they go.

Sarah Moss: Do you think the show helps you have more grace for yourself in those moments when you don’t parent exactly how you wish you had?

Luke Hawley: Yeah, I do. It helps me remember how fun parenting can be, and how important it is to embrace the silliness of being a kid. Sometimes you just have to let go and dive into that with them. The show also does a good job of showing co-parenting. Chilli and Bandit don’t always agree on how to parent, and I think that’s really relatable. It’s normal for parents to have different approaches, and Bluey highlights that. They’re always talking things through, and I think that’s so important. My wife and I have always tried to explain our decisions and behavior to our kids, and I think Bluey does a great job of modeling that — explaining things to your kids and answering their questions as honestly as you can.

Sarah Moss: Are there other reasons you enjoy watching the show as a family?

Luke Hawley: One of the things that makes Bluey so great is that it provides this common ground for us as a family. It’s like when I’m teaching, and I wish all my students had read The Great Gatsby so I could make references that would land. In our house, we end up saying, “It’s like in Bluey,” and it just creates this easy connection between all of us. It’s a reference point that works for all of us.

The show also introduced some words and phrases that have stuck with us. Like “trifficult” — it’s a mix of “tricky” and “difficult,” and now we all say it. The kids also seem to pick up on how the characters handle situations, which I think helps them figure out how to solve their own problems.

It’s also not easy to make a show that both kids and adults genuinely enjoy, but Bluey does that. There’s humor in there that appeals to grown-ups as well, and sometimes even when the kids leave the room, I’ll find myself still watching it. It’s rare for a children’s show to have that kind of crossover appeal.