On 'Cafe'

More advice from a cartoon dog

At the park, Bluey meets a new friend named Winnie, and like most children, they start a small business, a café. First, they sell mostly banana bread, and need customers, so Bandit and Winnie’s dad, Fido, are pulled into the game. And when each order banana bread, toasted, they struggle to pay for it and are forced to share one slice of untoasted bread.

Over the next few weeks, Bluey and Winnie’s café begins to sell more products: chai lattes with sugar packets that aren’t meant for eating, granola, croissants that sell out rather quickly, and eventually, smoothies whose flavor profile might be rather questionable. And throughout this time, Bluey struggles to understand why Bandit and Fido aren’t yet fully ‘friends’ and why Winnie hasn’t come over for ‘brekkie’.

At home, the Heelers are having breakfast, and Bluey says, “You sure take a long time to make friends!”

To which Chili replies, “Well, a café is a great place to get to know someone.”

Could you imagine if parents made friends as quickly as their kids? I mean, for starters, the world would likely be a better place to live.

Making friends is tough work, and no one needs to tell you that parents are busy, but that doesn’t make friends any less important or that we shouldn’t actively seek them out. Friends give parents a sense of belonging, a tribe, a clique, which is especially important when, despite connectivity being at its highest peak in human history, loneliness is at an all-time high.

So, when you’re at the park, at your kid’s practice, or at a school event, make the effort to tell another parent you like their shirt. Spark a conversation. Get uncomfortable and look a little silly. Instead of just dropping your kids off for the playdate, make time for a parent-to-parent hangout. We often tell our kids, three seconds of courage. Why can’t we tell ourselves the same thing?

Da capo!

Brandon