Lehmo

An ony ‘Lehmo’ Lehmann

THE RADIO AND TV FUNNYMAN ON THE IMPORTANT ISSUES IN LIFE The madness of the past two years has meant that we have watched more television than ever. Well, I have.

To be fair, when I think about it, I have watched a lot of television over the past 50 years and it has brought me a lot of joy, but there is one show that has stood out from all the rest.

It’s a show that has made me double over with laughter and it’s not Seinfeld, The Offi ce or Fawlty Towers.

It’s a show that has had me waiting anxiously for the next episode to drop and it’s not Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad or Mad Men.

It’s a show that makes me want to be better at life and it’s not Squid Game, Ted Lasso or RuPaul’s Drag Race.

This wondrous, hilarious, joyous and motivational TV show is none other than the story of an energetic little blue heeler and her family — Bluey!

When we fi rst went into lockdown in March 2020, my son was 3 and now he is 5. Over that period he has fallen in love with and watched, over and over again, episodes of Bluey, and we have shared many of those viewings.

From an inward perspective the show absolutely makes me want to be a better dad. As my TV screen fl ickers, so does my brain and I start wondering ‘Why don’t I play games like this? Why don’t I have this chilled-out, fun perspective on everything? Why can’t I be more creative with my son?’

Then my thoughts turn … ‘I will be more fun, I will be more creative, I’m going to be just like Bandit’. Bandit is Bluey’s dad. Chilli is the mum and the girls are Bluey and Bingo.

Their cousin is Muffi n. In fact, one night my son woke me up at 2am (yes, he was in our bed) and said, ‘Dad, is Muffi n a boy or a girl?’ ‘Muffi n?’ I said, having no idea what he was talking about. ‘You know, in Bluey? Is Muffi n a boy or a girl?’ ‘Oh … ummm … a girl, I think.’ ‘OK’. And with that he drifted back off to sleep in some dreamy Bluey bliss.

So during the past 18 months, based on various Bluey episodes, I have channelled Bandit as we have played the following games (not once or twice but countless times): Shadowlands, where you try and stay inside tree shadows at the park; Daddy Robot, where I talk and move like a robot while Laddie stands on my feet — I think I enjoy this one more than my son; The Doctor, where I play sick and Laddie fi xes me using his medical kit; Grannies, where Laddie dresses up as an old lady and I just laugh along at his impersonation.

And the list goes on! We’ve had so much fun and it has killed so many hours while locked down together.

But, as with any obsession, it can sometimes go too far.

Recently, after being inspired by a Bluey episode called Lobster, Laddie asked if he could have lobster for dinner. I thought it sounded like a nice treat and ‘he asked for it’ sounded like the perfect excuse if my wife asked me why we were spoiling ourselves on a Tuesday night.

So off I toddled to the local fi sh shop where I asked for three lobster tails. ‘No worries.’ And with that he toddled off out the back, giving me enough time to clap myself on the back for being such an excellent attentive dad. He pops them on the scales, squints his eyes and says, ‘That’ll be 95 dollars’.

To say I was not expecting that is a massive understatement but there was a queue behind me, a starving fi ve-year-old at home and I had to keep my dignity intact. So, as a bead of sweat ran down the side of my face, I paid and walked home praying that the next episode of Bluey isn’t called Caviar!

For the record, he took one bite of the lobster and decided he didn’t like it, but my wife and I were happy to pick up the slack.

Then there was the time we were playing Yoga Ball — I throw a yoga ball at him and he laughs like a loon. I don’t quite get it but he laughed loudest when I would hit him from behind with the yoga ball and he’d dramatically hit the deck giggling like crazy.

I was chasing him just before dinner and I threw the yoga ball, it clipped his back feet, he lost balance and had a run-in with the door. He felt pain, I felt horrible and my wife felt like moving out but it was a rare blip compared to the enormous suite of joy Bluey has brought our household.

Laddie was fi ne by the way, and we continue to play Bluey-inspired games and it continues to hold the title of my No.1 all-time TV show.