A Closer Look into Charlie and Lola...Again :)

Rating: Tv-Y
Target Audience: Preschoolers
Episode Length: 30 mins (consists of two stories)
Network/Schedule: Playhouse Disney 11/10c (check local listings for your area)


Last semester when I started this blog the first show I looked into was one that is particularly close to my heart…Charlie and Lola. This show…about a brother and sister and the fun lessons they share…is one of the cutest shows I have ever watched. It focuses on a lot of the issues kids go through as they grow up while also capturing the magic of the imagination and how looking at things in a different way can help a child to understand them better. One particular episode of Charlie and Lola focuses on the same issue as my capstone project…separation anxiety.

In the episode, titled “I Love Going to Granny’s and Grandpa’s, but…,” Charlie and Lola are packing to go visit their grandparents by themselves for the first time. As Charlie does his usual introduction for the show, he admits that Lola is acting a little unusual this time. Lola tells Charlie that they can’t go to Granny’s and Grandpa’s because her hula hoop won’t fit into her suitcase. Charlie tells her that they can just put it in the car. Lola then starts making up other excuses for why they can’t go, so Charlie tries reminding Lola of all the fun things they have done at Granny’s and Grandpa’s. Finally, Lola tells Charlie that she can’t go because her imaginary friend, Soren Lorenson, will miss her too much. So, Charlie tells her that she can send him a postcard and let him know what they are doing. Eventually, after a few more excuses and a private talk with Soren Lorenson, Lola confesses that the real reason she doesn’t want to go is because she is afraid she will miss her mom, dad, and Soren Lorenson too much; and sending a postcard won’t be quite enough. Charlie, being the amazing older brother that he is gives Lola a hug and tells her that it will be ok. He says that not only can she talk to everyone over the phone, but they can even pick out one thing of their mom’s and dad’s to take with them to remember them by. This of course makes Lola feel a lot better and she even decides to leaves her hula hoop behind for Soren Lorenson. The last scene of the show shows Lola outside at Granny’s and Grandpa’s house coloring a picture when Charlie comes out and tells her mom and dad are on the phone. Lola simply replies for him to tell them she says hello, but she is extremely too busy to talk right now.

What I like so much about this episode is the way it demonstrates how children will often make different excuses for why they don’t want to do something. Lola didn’t want to be away from her parents, but instead of telling Charlie that in the first place she claimed it was because her hula hoop wouldn’t fit into her suitcase, or because Soren Lorenson would miss her too much. I wasn’t until she told Charlie the truth that they were able to come up with a solution that would work. I think that happens with all of us, even as we get older. We constantly tell ourselves that we don’t want to do something for this reason or that, but it’s not until we admit the real reason that we can find a way to get over the issue. I think we’ve all had that feeling where we get a nervous when we go away from those we love for the first time. We fear losing the comfort and protection they provide. Charlie and Lola teaches us that there are many ways to over come that fear, and it can be as simple as picking out a few items that remind us of those we love. It’s a fun, imaginative episode that I think can really help kids as they grow up and travel to new and exciting places.

For more info on Charlie and Lola visit:

http://www.charlieandlola.com/
or
http://atv.disney.go.com/playhouse/charlieandlola/index.html

Picture found on: movie-tv-episode-database.com/.../