Recently, our very own Dr. Jeanette Yih Harvie from our Research and Evaluation team, wrote a blog featured on Military.com discussing Bluey of all things! The children’s show was dealing with the topic of moving and as a military Parent, it resonated extra deeply with Dr. Harvie. Read the excerpt below and read the full article on military.com.
Over the weekend, my family and I watched the highly anticipated 28-minute episode of the cartoon “Bluey” titled “The Sign.” For the uninitiated, “Bluey” is an Australian cartoon featuring a family of anthropomorphic blue Heeler dogs. It’s one of those shows that is just as much for the parents as it is for the children; while kids love the beautiful imagery and delightful storylines, parents also watch along, often with tears, as the episodes evoke a deep sense of nostalgia and the brutal heartache of parenthood.
But unlike the more joyous episodes of “Bluey,” “The Sign” had me in tears from the start. The story is a continuation from the previous episode, where viewers learned that the Heeler family had put their Brisbane home up for sale and were planning to relocate to another city. “The Sign” deals with two parallel storylines: One is the upcoming nuptials of two secondary but beloved characters, and the other is the conflict and guilt that Mom (Chilli Heeler) and Dad (Bandit Heeler) feel for uprooting their family for a new job prospect.
As the spouse of a U.S. military service member and a mom who loves a military kid, I can relate hard to the anguish and ambivalence about moving children (and ourselves) away from a lovely place we’ve called home. But perhaps it’s serendipitous that this episode aired during April, which the Defense Department established as the “Month of the Military Child” in 1986 to honor the contributions that military children make to their parent’s (or parents’) service to the nation.
“The Sign” may not totally capture the impacts associated with a permanent change-of-station, or PCS, move, but it certainly reflects the existential angst that comes with it. While Bluey and Bingo question their parents about the wisdom of the decision (Chilli: “I think it could be good for our family.” Bluey: “But it could be bad for our family.”), Chilli’s ultimate answer to her children’s questions hits every military parent right in the heart: “I wish I could tell you which one it was going to be, but I don’t know.”