1
00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:07,080
Speaker 1: It's the Happy Families Podcast. It's the podcast for the

2
00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:10,160
Speaker 1: time poor parent who just wants answers.

3
00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:12,760
Speaker 2: Now, in terms of our picture of what a perfect

4
00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:15,680
Speaker 2: parent is, bandit doesn't fit the mold, and I think

5
00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:18,480
Speaker 2: that's actually what makes band it perfect.

6
00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:21,920
Speaker 1: And now here's the stars of our show, My mum

7
00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:22,440
Speaker 1: and dad.

8
00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:24,840
Speaker 2: Hello, this is doctor Justin Colson. Welcome to the Happy

9
00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:27,800
Speaker 2: Families Podcast for the week leading up to Father's Day

10
00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,320
Speaker 2: this coming Sunday, and we've got some really exciting plans

11
00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:32,919
Speaker 2: for the week. On the podcast, You're going to meet

12
00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:35,720
Speaker 2: two of Australia's most famous dads from your television screens.

13
00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:40,280
Speaker 2: We're speaking with Osher Gunsberg and David Campbell. I'm so

14
00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:42,400
Speaker 2: excited for these conversations. Plus, where was it going to

15
00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,199
Speaker 2: chat with one of the funniest dads on the internet,

16
00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:48,880
Speaker 2: James Breakwell, otherwise known as the Exploding Unicorn on Twitter.

17
00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:50,920
Speaker 2: He has over a million Twitter followers and is the

18
00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:55,240
Speaker 2: author of four books and the dad to four young girls.

19
00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:58,640
Speaker 2: Imagine that between the two of us we have ten daughters.

20
00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:01,520
Speaker 2: And on today's epist so it's something a little bit different.

21
00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:03,720
Speaker 2: A couple of weeks ago, I spoke with Justin Rulan.

22
00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:05,440
Speaker 2: You might have heard of me speaking of Justin Rulan

23
00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:08,560
Speaker 2: on the podcast. He is the producer of the podcast.

24
00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:10,360
Speaker 2: He's the guy that edits it makes it sound great.

25
00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:13,200
Speaker 2: But he also works on a podcast called Bluey's Brisbane,

26
00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:15,399
Speaker 2: which goes behind the scenes of the hit TV show,

27
00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:18,800
Speaker 2: speaking to cast and crew and deep diving into the

28
00:01:18,800 --> 00:01:19,840
Speaker 2: world of Bluey.

29
00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:22,960
Speaker 1: Let's make some Father's Day cards for Dad? Don't you

30
00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:24,800
Speaker 1: do a red love heart rainbow card?

31
00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:30,560
Speaker 3: Great? Okay, what's going on? After all I've done for

32
00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:31,240
Speaker 3: this family?

33
00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:34,520
Speaker 2: We had a chat about Bandit Healer. Now for those

34
00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:36,240
Speaker 2: of you who don't have young children. Banded is the

35
00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:40,720
Speaker 2: father of Bluey and Bluie's younger sister, Bingo. He's the

36
00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:43,760
Speaker 2: much loved dad dog at the heart of Australia's favorite

37
00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:47,320
Speaker 2: four legged family. He balances the drudgery of housework with

38
00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:53,360
Speaker 2: creative escapades his puppy dog babies, repurposing everyday objects and

39
00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:57,000
Speaker 2: actions for imaginative play and engagement. And Justin and I

40
00:01:57,120 --> 00:01:59,960
Speaker 2: talked about Bandit's parenting style and what we can learn

41
00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:01,880
Speaker 2: from it. I hope you really enjoy the interview. Can

42
00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:03,080
Speaker 2: you and you keep please?

43
00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:06,360
Speaker 3: No, I'm done being a mini parent. My new parenting

44
00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:08,280
Speaker 3: book says not to boss the kids around.

45
00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:09,440
Speaker 2: Oh I like that book.

46
00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:12,639
Speaker 3: Thank you so much for joining us on the Blues

47
00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:13,440
Speaker 3: Prisbon podcast.

48
00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:16,200
Speaker 2: I'm so excited to be able to talk blue with you.

49
00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:18,720
Speaker 3: But we love Blue here. I'd love to get your

50
00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:22,160
Speaker 3: take on the character of Bandit Healer, because you know,

51
00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,160
Speaker 3: one of the things that you TV critics are constantly

52
00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:28,440
Speaker 3: sort of wowed about is this portrayal of Bandit as

53
00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:31,799
Speaker 3: a dad. He's not the real bumbling kind of dope

54
00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:34,840
Speaker 3: that we're kind of used to in TV dads. I'm

55
00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:37,800
Speaker 3: thinking Homer Simpson, Daddy Pig from Pepper Pig, you know,

56
00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:40,040
Speaker 3: King of the Hill. Is it really important we see

57
00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:43,040
Speaker 3: this positive representation of parents on the TV.

58
00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:45,799
Speaker 2: A couple of things about Bandit. First off, I don't

59
00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:49,800
Speaker 2: think that there's any attempt by the makers of Bluey

60
00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:52,360
Speaker 2: to make band It perfect, and in fact, band It

61
00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:54,440
Speaker 2: is not perfect. It's pretty clear as you're watching that

62
00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:57,160
Speaker 2: Bandit can get kind of annoyed, be a little bit

63
00:02:57,200 --> 00:02:59,359
Speaker 2: short and sharp, abrupt, blunt with the kids.

64
00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:03,160
Speaker 3: Can let go mate? Yeah, hey, look I'll just explain it.

65
00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:05,120
Speaker 3: What you need to give me a spinko.

66
00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:08,280
Speaker 2: Let go, band It does kind of just want to

67
00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:10,520
Speaker 2: do band its own thing, Like I wouldn't mind sitting

68
00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:12,200
Speaker 2: down and reading the paper and not being disturbed by

69
00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:14,120
Speaker 2: you kids, go and play somewhere else kind of thing.

70
00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:17,040
Speaker 3: All right, girls, who wants to sit on the couch

71
00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:18,240
Speaker 3: and watch cricket?

72
00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:22,360
Speaker 2: No? No, no wow. In terms of our picture of

73
00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:25,400
Speaker 2: what a perfect parent is, Bandit doesn't fit the mold,

74
00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:28,840
Speaker 2: and I think that's actually what makes band It perfect.

75
00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:31,359
Speaker 2: So if I'm watching a Blue episode, what I tend

76
00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:34,960
Speaker 2: to see is Bandit taking what psychologists would call a

77
00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:39,160
Speaker 2: minimal sufficiency approach to parenting. That is, I'm going to

78
00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:43,120
Speaker 2: do enough to have a sufficient impact. But that's all

79
00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:44,720
Speaker 2: I'm going to do. Like, I'm not going to raise

80
00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:46,160
Speaker 2: the bar so high that I've got to be a

81
00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:48,360
Speaker 2: helicopter parent and channel parent and attachment parent, a free

82
00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:50,120
Speaker 2: range parent and all those other things all at once.

83
00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:52,680
Speaker 2: I'm just going to be the present father. I'm just

84
00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:55,200
Speaker 2: going to be the present parent, and so long as

85
00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:57,600
Speaker 2: the kids are okay, I don't actually need to get involved.

86
00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:00,920
Speaker 2: It's the minimal sufficiency paradigm, and I really like the

87
00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,520
Speaker 2: way they portray that. But with that comes some other

88
00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:06,840
Speaker 2: advantages from a pairing point of view, but also for

89
00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:10,080
Speaker 2: the kids. So there's kind of I guess associated with it.

90
00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:12,080
Speaker 2: There's what I would call a middling level of a

91
00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:14,560
Speaker 2: I was going to say attachment, but it's probably more

92
00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:18,240
Speaker 2: a middling level of detachment. But it's not really involved,

93
00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:20,760
Speaker 2: but is present. And there's a whole lot of research

94
00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:23,560
Speaker 2: that shows that when kids have their autonomy, when they're

95
00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:25,320
Speaker 2: able to act for themselves, when they're the ones that

96
00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:27,880
Speaker 2: are in control of the decisions that they're making, but

97
00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:31,560
Speaker 2: there's a parent who's around, who's hovering, not not hovering

98
00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:33,880
Speaker 2: in a helicopter sense, but hovering as in a I'm

99
00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:37,120
Speaker 2: present if you need me kind of sense. That's the

100
00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:41,080
Speaker 2: sense that I get when I watch Bandit in Bluey

101
00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:45,720
Speaker 2: middling detachment, present, minimal sufficiency, but also a couple of

102
00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:49,120
Speaker 2: other things struck me. Number One, fun and engaged. When

103
00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:53,840
Speaker 2: Bandit needs to be there, he's there. And there's there's

104
00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:58,480
Speaker 2: kind of a really easy nature to the way that

105
00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:00,719
Speaker 2: he interacts with the kids. Doesn't talk down to them,

106
00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:03,360
Speaker 2: doesn't ignore them, doesn't think he's better than them, doesn't

107
00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:06,039
Speaker 2: go with any power plays, just talks to them like

108
00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:10,000
Speaker 2: they're people that he really enjoys chatting with and can

109
00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:13,040
Speaker 2: be himself with knows how to hold firm on limits.

110
00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:15,800
Speaker 2: You see this again and again in Bluey. Band It

111
00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:19,360
Speaker 2: has an expectation of where the kids are supposed to be,

112
00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,559
Speaker 2: and what I love about Banded's expectations is they're pretty

113
00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:24,920
Speaker 2: well in line with the developmental reality of where the

114
00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:28,360
Speaker 2: kids are. And this is so important because as parents,

115
00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:30,440
Speaker 2: we often expect way too much of our kids emotionally.

116
00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,400
Speaker 2: We don't usually expect enough of them from a physical capacity,

117
00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,080
Speaker 2: but we expect way too much of them emotionally, and

118
00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:39,520
Speaker 2: Bandit doesn't tend to do that. Banded's expectations are about right,

119
00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:41,640
Speaker 2: holds firms on the limits because they seem to be

120
00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:44,720
Speaker 2: pretty well appropriate, but allows loads of space and autonomy

121
00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:48,279
Speaker 2: for the kids. It's just such a great way to

122
00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:52,839
Speaker 2: portray and engaged involved dad who gets that some structure

123
00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:55,680
Speaker 2: and some autonomy are both important for the kids.

124
00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:58,960
Speaker 3: I'm thinking about an episode called ice Cream, and it's

125
00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:01,919
Speaker 3: got this great opening scene where the kids are, you know,

126
00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:04,640
Speaker 3: pestering Bandit for something in the shop.

127
00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:07,599
Speaker 2: When it is and if you pay for it yourself,

128
00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:10,080
Speaker 2: I haven't got any money, Well, then you can't help it.

129
00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:11,279
Speaker 3: I want it.

130
00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:15,159
Speaker 2: Well, that's commonly called bad luck. Now that's not fair.

131
00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:19,239
Speaker 3: It's pretty fair. Wow, you're right. He does hold firm

132
00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:21,680
Speaker 3: on those on those boundaries that he sees fit that

133
00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:24,719
Speaker 3: he needs to hold strong onto. The episode of Bluey

134
00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:27,320
Speaker 3: that really drew me into this role of bandit was

135
00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:32,560
Speaker 3: the episode Takeaway, classic depiction of how parenting changes you

136
00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:35,240
Speaker 3: in that, you know, just going and picking up some takeaway,

137
00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:39,159
Speaker 3: what should be a simple job just descends into absolute chaos.

138
00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:42,279
Speaker 3: There's just all sorts of pandemonium in this episode. Where's

139
00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:46,440
Speaker 3: the nearest toilet? Oh, that's too far been go? Can

140
00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:50,880
Speaker 3: you hold on till we get home? Okay, okay, it's

141
00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:54,120
Speaker 3: a bush. Was this your experience like you're a dad

142
00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:57,159
Speaker 3: six times over? Was this your experience with your girls

143
00:06:57,480 --> 00:06:58,960
Speaker 3: in that phase of parenting.

144
00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:02,360
Speaker 2: We don't have kids with an expectation that life will

145
00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:03,960
Speaker 2: be simple once we've had them, and if we do,

146
00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:06,919
Speaker 2: we're in for a rude shock. Having children means that

147
00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:09,960
Speaker 2: your life is probably not going to be efficient for

148
00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:13,800
Speaker 2: a very, very very long time. I love that Takeaway

149
00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:16,840
Speaker 2: episode and watching it just it makes me laugh and

150
00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:20,760
Speaker 2: cry all in the space of seven minutes. The role

151
00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:23,880
Speaker 2: of parent is exhausting, and this is an episode that

152
00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:26,080
Speaker 2: highlights it so beautifully. There's that other one where they

153
00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:28,600
Speaker 2: go to the movie theater, same kind of thing. Okay,

154
00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:30,480
Speaker 2: three tickets and a popcorn.

155
00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:32,840
Speaker 3: And another popcorn.

156
00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:38,000
Speaker 2: Nothing is easy, nothing is straightforward. Nothing happens because you've

157
00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:40,480
Speaker 2: wished it so. And what I love about the way

158
00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:45,560
Speaker 2: the makers of Bluey depict these scenes is they're also minimal.

159
00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:49,040
Speaker 2: They're all such small issues. There's nothing big going on here.

160
00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:51,000
Speaker 2: It's not like there's been an earthquake, becers, not like

161
00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:53,120
Speaker 2: there's been a car accident. I need to go to

162
00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:56,520
Speaker 2: the toilet and I'm thirsty, and all of a sudden,

163
00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:58,640
Speaker 2: somebody spills their drink, or they spill their popcorn, or

164
00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:01,000
Speaker 2: they spill their Chinese. At the take all the spring

165
00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:02,360
Speaker 2: roll is going to be an extra five minutes, but

166
00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:04,880
Speaker 2: the kids are tired and hungry, and everything kind of

167
00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:08,680
Speaker 2: blows up. I love the way they depict how exhausting

168
00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:13,440
Speaker 2: parenting is, and they get it absolutely right. Once you

169
00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:16,560
Speaker 2: have kids, you should expect that life is not going

170
00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:18,240
Speaker 2: to be straightforward ever again.

171
00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:21,480
Speaker 3: Oh right, okay, yeah, I'll do it, even though I

172
00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:23,880
Speaker 3: have to make a duct cake for your sister, the

173
00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:27,320
Speaker 3: hardest of old cakes. I'll just tidy up your mess instead.

174
00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:30,160
Speaker 3: I'm about to start. One of the great things about

175
00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:32,960
Speaker 3: the show is it's not cynical. Though they do show

176
00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,800
Speaker 3: those difficult moments, but I don't think there's any cynicism

177
00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:38,920
Speaker 3: in there. I read a great article by a writer

178
00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,959
Speaker 3: call Jesse Waddell who wrote in the Medium publication. She said,

179
00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:46,360
Speaker 3: why is every dad in every TV show made to

180
00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:48,200
Speaker 3: look like becoming a dad was the worst thing that

181
00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,719
Speaker 3: ever happened to them? So obviously bandits breaking this kind

182
00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:55,240
Speaker 3: of stereotype of the dumb dad. Why do you think

183
00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:58,600
Speaker 3: dads especially are portrayed in this way in pop culture?

184
00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:03,640
Speaker 2: When I consider this question, I think that it's just easy.

185
00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:07,760
Speaker 2: It's cheap laughs. It's easy to poortray dads as the

186
00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:13,360
Speaker 2: bumbling fool or the detached, disoriented, not quite with it parent.

187
00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:17,200
Speaker 2: It provides a comic foil we can all relate to

188
00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:21,400
Speaker 2: the dad who is a bit goofy and loves to

189
00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:24,480
Speaker 2: do the dad jokes and play the fool. And I

190
00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:27,720
Speaker 2: think because dads in their nature tend to be fairly playful,

191
00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:32,720
Speaker 2: that also lends to that stereotype with which then gets exaggerated, magnified, amplified,

192
00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:36,800
Speaker 2: blown up on a lot of the shows that you've referenced.

193
00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:38,120
Speaker 2: Is it helpful?

194
00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:38,439
Speaker 1: No?

195
00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:40,720
Speaker 2: Does it make me feel good about watching the shows?

196
00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:41,000
Speaker 1: No?

197
00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:45,120
Speaker 2: It's okay to not be overly critical though, because we

198
00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:46,640
Speaker 2: all like to laugh at ourselves, and we like to

199
00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:49,120
Speaker 2: laugh at those characters, but we know that they're simplified

200
00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:52,160
Speaker 2: shadows of what a real dad is.

201
00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:55,240
Speaker 3: You've watched the show, obviously, know that. You know, creative

202
00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:58,480
Speaker 3: and imaginative play is one of the huge features of

203
00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:00,160
Speaker 3: the show that you know. Why do you do you

204
00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:02,520
Speaker 3: think it's so important for dads to be present with

205
00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:06,480
Speaker 3: their kids. Specifically, I'm thinking of episodes like rug Island.

206
00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:09,280
Speaker 3: It's almost like bandit needs to become a kid again

207
00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:13,000
Speaker 3: to play the game. You know? Why is it so important?

208
00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:16,120
Speaker 3: Why is playtime and being present so important with our kids?

209
00:10:16,559 --> 00:10:18,920
Speaker 2: What are the things that researchers have discovered in the

210
00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:23,480
Speaker 2: last probably twenty to thirty years, is that, well, mums

211
00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:26,600
Speaker 2: love to play with their kids sometimes, and while mums

212
00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:29,040
Speaker 2: are certainly capable of doing it and doing it well,

213
00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:31,920
Speaker 2: there does seem to be something of a gender divide

214
00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:35,960
Speaker 2: when it comes to playtime children and parents and that

215
00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:42,280
Speaker 2: divide seems to highlight that dads enjoy and engage more

216
00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:44,800
Speaker 2: in playtime with kids. They're also more likely to play

217
00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:47,720
Speaker 2: with rough and tumble styles of play than mums are.

218
00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:50,400
Speaker 3: Now, I need to get these two packages to live

219
00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:54,880
Speaker 3: in that. First, they need to stab them stamp scamp.

220
00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:59,800
Speaker 2: I mean, mums can get down and dirty in the

221
00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:02,400
Speaker 2: in the moshpit with the kids on the lands room

222
00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:05,280
Speaker 2: carpet as well, but it tends to be the dad

223
00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:08,200
Speaker 2: that dives in and does that kind of thing. We

224
00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:11,480
Speaker 2: don't really know why. We don't have good scientific reasons

225
00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:14,440
Speaker 2: and hypotheses for why that is. It just seems to

226
00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:17,760
Speaker 2: be the way that it goes. What we do know

227
00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:20,320
Speaker 2: is that children benefit from that playtime and that when

228
00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:23,119
Speaker 2: parents can let go of all their reservations, their inhibitions

229
00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:25,840
Speaker 2: and can get down and rough and tumble on the

230
00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:28,640
Speaker 2: carpet with the kids, or play marbles, or play card games,

231
00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:31,120
Speaker 2: or play Monopoly if you have to, or whatever it

232
00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:33,160
Speaker 2: might be, or just tickles. I mean, in my family,

233
00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:34,920
Speaker 2: my kids have got this game called pushed Out off

234
00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:36,559
Speaker 2: the bed, and it used to be fun when the

235
00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:38,320
Speaker 2: kids were little, because no matter how hard they tried,

236
00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:41,079
Speaker 2: they couldn't push me off the bed. Now that they're

237
00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:43,560
Speaker 2: all getting bigger, my youngest is now eight, and then

238
00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:45,160
Speaker 2: there's a twelve year old and a fifteen year old.

239
00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:48,320
Speaker 2: They're the three youngest. I don't stand a chance, not

240
00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:50,040
Speaker 2: a fair fight, not a fair fight at all. I'm

241
00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:53,240
Speaker 2: a seventy kilo cyclist. And it gets really really bad,

242
00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:56,160
Speaker 2: really really fast. They just they get their shoulders into me,

243
00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:57,599
Speaker 2: and they get their chins and their heads into me,

244
00:11:57,600 --> 00:11:59,960
Speaker 2: and I'm off the bed straight away. But the kids

245
00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:02,679
Speaker 2: love that, and they learn how to take risks. They

246
00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:07,600
Speaker 2: learn about consent, they learn about boundaries, they learn about limits,

247
00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:10,600
Speaker 2: they learn how to have empathy, they learn how to

248
00:12:10,760 --> 00:12:14,080
Speaker 2: get along in all kinds of situations where the pressure

249
00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:16,640
Speaker 2: is off, there's a lot of social skill stuff happening.

250
00:12:16,679 --> 00:12:18,920
Speaker 2: There's a lot of creativity that happens. This is the

251
00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:21,280
Speaker 2: stuff that happens when we play with our kids. The

252
00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:24,680
Speaker 2: research shows that it's a tremendous benefit to them. But

253
00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:27,280
Speaker 2: the data also shows that we get a great, big

254
00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:29,319
Speaker 2: well being kick out of it as well, which is

255
00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:31,280
Speaker 2: kind of funny because most of us parents are so

256
00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:33,679
Speaker 2: exhausted when the kids want to play, we sort of say, oh,

257
00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:35,679
Speaker 2: do I have to. We kind of become banded in

258
00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:37,560
Speaker 2: a way. Now that's right. You kids go and play.

259
00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:39,280
Speaker 2: I'm just going to read the papy here on my own.

260
00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:42,400
Speaker 2: And then I don't know, we get involved and we think,

261
00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:44,679
Speaker 2: why did I not want to do this? This is

262
00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:47,120
Speaker 2: the most rewarding thing I've done all day? Why did

263
00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:47,920
Speaker 2: she give you.

264
00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:57,280
Speaker 3: Everything? So do you think Bandit's a good example of

265
00:12:57,320 --> 00:12:59,840
Speaker 3: the modern dad? I mean I'm thinking of you know,

266
00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:03,440
Speaker 3: my dad and in the eighties, and there really wasn't

267
00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:05,520
Speaker 3: a lot of expectation. You know, you go to work,

268
00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:08,160
Speaker 3: you put food on the table, and that was about it.

269
00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:10,800
Speaker 3: You know, we watch Bandit, you know, doing the laundry

270
00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:13,760
Speaker 3: and doing his fair share of the housework. You know,

271
00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:15,839
Speaker 3: he cooks the cake in duck cake for you know,

272
00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:19,000
Speaker 3: the birthday cake, hardest of all cakes for the kids.

273
00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:21,840
Speaker 3: He's sort of doing his fair share of the housework.

274
00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:24,240
Speaker 3: Is he the modern dad? Do you think?

275
00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:27,280
Speaker 2: Yeah? Is art imitating life or his life imitating art?

276
00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:31,120
Speaker 2: What I know from research is that Bandit is a

277
00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:34,960
Speaker 2: great representation of what most dads say they want to be.

278
00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:39,040
Speaker 2: That is, they want to be sharing at a much

279
00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:41,240
Speaker 2: greater participation level in the home. They know that their

280
00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:44,480
Speaker 2: wives or partners are not wholly and solely responsible for

281
00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:46,160
Speaker 2: the cooking and the cleaning and the ironing and the

282
00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:48,760
Speaker 2: washing and the whatever looking after the kids. And they

283
00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:50,520
Speaker 2: don't want to be seen as a wallet. They don't

284
00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:52,480
Speaker 2: want to be seen as the cash dispense of the

285
00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:54,600
Speaker 2: one that pays the bills and doesn't really have any

286
00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:56,840
Speaker 2: emotional investment in the rest of what happens in the family.

287
00:13:57,200 --> 00:13:59,439
Speaker 2: So what ends up happening in Bleuie I think is

288
00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:02,960
Speaker 2: representative of what most dads are saying they want. That is,

289
00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:06,200
Speaker 2: there's the opportunity to go to work and have a

290
00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:09,840
Speaker 2: meaningful role outside of the home, but there's also a

291
00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:14,160
Speaker 2: real desire to be involved in meaningful ways, in contributing

292
00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:19,000
Speaker 2: within the home, but particularly in participating in the relationships.

293
00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:24,160
Speaker 3: Amazing. Just finally, I know you have written at length

294
00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:28,480
Speaker 3: in about the modern education system about how that can

295
00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:33,560
Speaker 3: diminish our kids creativity. Especially when we watch Bluie, we

296
00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:36,600
Speaker 3: see a different kind of model of education happening. And

297
00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:40,000
Speaker 3: it's very clear that Bluie's school is modeled on a

298
00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:42,480
Speaker 3: Steinus school. I think they call it a Waldorf school

299
00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:47,200
Speaker 3: in the States, where play and things like being in nature,

300
00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:50,280
Speaker 3: the arts, music are all prioritized.

301
00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:54,000
Speaker 1: That looks good. I'm building a house, it's going to

302
00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:56,400
Speaker 1: have a bottom room and a top room.

303
00:14:56,920 --> 00:14:57,640
Speaker 2: Wonderful.

304
00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:00,800
Speaker 3: You know, as someone who's sort of so maybe there's

305
00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:03,600
Speaker 3: a better way of doing education, how do you feel

306
00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:07,160
Speaker 3: seeing this, I guess, a different model of education being

307
00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:09,880
Speaker 3: depicted on our TV screens. How does that make you feel?

308
00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:13,320
Speaker 2: I think that anyone who watches the way the education

309
00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:18,600
Speaker 2: process plays out in blue is going to say to themselves.

310
00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:20,800
Speaker 2: I would imagine most people to say, I want that

311
00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:24,760
Speaker 2: for my kids. There seems to be a really nice balance,

312
00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:29,160
Speaker 2: a really healthy approach to learning and development and the

313
00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:33,080
Speaker 2: pursuit of interests, the opportunity to be curious and explore.

314
00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:35,160
Speaker 2: Those are the kinds of things that we know are

315
00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:38,960
Speaker 2: really beneficial for kids. We also know from research, not

316
00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:41,720
Speaker 2: just in Australia but around the world that our modern

317
00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:46,000
Speaker 2: Western education systems, from time to time, in fact, quite

318
00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:49,480
Speaker 2: often sometimes depending on the school, can really stifle those opportunities,

319
00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:53,000
Speaker 2: those experiences. So what I think they've done really nicely

320
00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:56,480
Speaker 2: in Bluey is portrayed what a I don't know if

321
00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:59,600
Speaker 2: I want to say optimal, but certainly an advanced and improved,

322
00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:03,000
Speaker 2: fancier kind of model of education could look like and

323
00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:04,720
Speaker 2: how that can be a benefit for kids.

324
00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:07,920
Speaker 3: Thanks Capso I'm going to have that story.

325
00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:09,680
Speaker 2: Okay, have fun.

326
00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:12,920
Speaker 3: Dr Colson, Thank you so much for your time. Where

327
00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:14,880
Speaker 3: can people find out more about you and what you

328
00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:16,760
Speaker 3: do in terms of making families happier?

329
00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:19,960
Speaker 2: All roads lead to happy families dot com dot au.

330
00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:22,320
Speaker 2: Just search my name and I'm pretty sure something like

331
00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:22,880
Speaker 2: that will come up.

332
00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:23,840
Speaker 3: Thanks so much for your time.

333
00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:40,480
Speaker 2: Thanks Justin, be go big Tree. Really well, I really

334
00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:42,360
Speaker 2: hope you enjoyed that conversation, JR.

335
00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:43,000
Speaker 3: Why don't you tell.

336
00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:45,160
Speaker 2: Em where they can find the podcast and everything they

337
00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:45,920
Speaker 2: need to know about it?

338
00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:49,480
Speaker 3: Yeah, thanks Justin. Well, it's like Justin's in stereo around here.

339
00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:51,680
Speaker 3: But if you want to get a bit of Bluey

340
00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:55,120
Speaker 3: in your podcast feed, Bluey's Brisbane is the podcast that

341
00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:58,080
Speaker 3: goes behind the scenes of blue We talked to cast

342
00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:00,280
Speaker 3: and crew from the show a lot of fun. Check

343
00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:03,160
Speaker 3: us out by searching for Blues Brisbane wherever you get

344
00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:05,560
Speaker 3: your podcasts, or you can find us on the socials

345
00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:09,200
Speaker 3: as well. Just search for Bluis Brisbane on Facebook, Twitter,

346
00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:10,080
Speaker 3: and Instagram.

347
00:17:10,119 --> 00:17:12,560
Speaker 2: Thanks JR. The Happy Families podcast is produced by Justin

348
00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:15,680
Speaker 2: Roland from Bridge Media. Craig Bruce is our executive producer,

349
00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:18,199
Speaker 2: and for more information about making your family happier, visit

350
00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:21,240
Speaker 2: us at happy families dot com Dot You Tomorrow OSHA,

351
00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:27,440
Speaker 2: Wednesday David Campbell, and Thursday James Breakwell, the Twitter Exploding Unicorn.

352
00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:32,080
Speaker 2: A big week of Happy Father's Day content coming your way,

353
00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:36,720
Speaker 2: you know, Pat Tomato, Sawce.

354
00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:39,160
Speaker 3: Some Tablova, Jevulf and Netra.

355
00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:39,879
Speaker 1: That's it.

356
00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:41,480
Speaker 3: You're hearty here