Does She Wish She Never Had Us? What Bluey Can Teach Us Career Moms About Core Memories, Stress, and Motherhood

Core memories are made with simple gestures

Does She Wish She Never Had Us? What Bluey Can Teach Us About Core Memories, Stress, and Motherhood

If you’ve ever watched Bluey with your kids, you know it’s not just a cartoon. It’s basically free family therapy in seven-minute bursts.

As a mom who tries to enjoy programming with her children, I find Bluey incredibly relatable. It reflects many daily struggles of parenting while keeping kids blissfully unaware of adult topics.

As a therapist, I see how Bluey offers parents insight into how their children think, feel, and view the world.

As adults, we often lose the sense of naivete and innocence that drives kids’ imaginations. We take for granted how children perceive the world and themselves. Watching the show reminds me to consider how my kids may be feeling and thinking.

One recent episode that highlights this need for awareness is the Sheepdog episode.

In this episode, Sheepdog, mom Chili is overwhelmed. She juggles dinner prep while the kids clamor for attention. Finally, she turns to dad and grits out, “I need 20 minutes where no one comes anywhere near me.”

Relatable? Absolutely. Stress and motherhood often go hand in hand.

Harmless? Not for Bluey, who immediately internalizes her mom’s stress and asks the gut-punch question: “Does she wish she never had us?”

Ouch. Cue the mom guilt.

While Bluey receives reassurance from various sources and everything ends well by minute eight, the episode highlights something significant: the way our kids interpret our stress. Those moments can turn into core memories (remember the movie Inside Out?).

What Are Core Memories, Anyway?

Core memories are sticky emotional imprints that form in our children and carry into adulthood. They aren’t always the “big” moments like birthday parties or vacations.

More often, they’re the everyday snapshots:

• The way you smiled at them over breakfast.

• The hug when they got off the bus.

• The baking of cookies during the holidays.

• The time you sighed at the laundry pile and muttered under your breath.

• How you reacted when they spilled juice on your laptop.

  
  

As mothers, we often stress because we want to get it right. We want our children to have the best lives possible. But they don't interpret our stress that way.

Our kids are meaning-making machines. When they see us stressed, distracted, or irritable, they don’t think: “Mom has a deadline, and her nervous system is maxed out.” They think: “I’m the problem. I must be too much.”

If left unchecked, these little interpretations solidify into core memories that shape their self-worth, relationships, and even their mental health.

How Stress in Parents Shapes Core Memories

Imagine How Your Children Interpret This Look?

Here’s the thing about stress: kids don’t just observe it; they absorb it.

When stress is the soundtrack of home life, children may:

• Believe they’re a burden or not enough.

• Normalize unhealthy patterns like people-pleasing or boundary violations.

• Develop anxiety or depression linked to chronic exposure.

• Remember tension instead of connection.

  
  

Now, this isn’t about beating ourselves up. Every mom loses her cool, yells, or hides in the bathroom with snacks (hey, no judgment). The danger isn’t in one bad day — it’s in the repetition. If stress and overwhelm are the norm, that’s the story our kids carry forward.

The Good News

There is Good News

Here’s the hopeful part: it’s never too late to shift the story.

Neuroscience shows that the brain is plastic. This means our brains have the capacity for flexibility and change.

We can create new, positive core memories by intentionally sprinkling in connection, repair, and joy.

Think of it like this: you don’t need to build Disney World in your backyard. You just need to communicate and show up in small, intentional ways, OFTEN.

Let’s be honest. Life is not a Disney movie, and you can’t go to Disney World every day.

Stress is an inevitable part of life. Parts of stress and overwhelm can even be positive and healthy.

But we need to model stress and overwhelm in a way that builds resilience, self-esteem, and connection between ourselves and our children.

Below are some practical things to consider.

5 Practical Tips to Create Positive Core Memories

1. Name and Normalize Your Feelings

Instead of bottling it up (and then exploding), try saying: "Mom is feeling stressed right now. I need a minute, but I love you.” This shows kids that emotions are normal and not their fault. Bonus: they learn language for their own feelings.

2. Create Micro-Moments of Joy

It’s not about hours of “quality time.” It’s about micro-moments. Five minutes of kitchen dance parties, silly bedtime voices, or eye contact over pancakes. These moments build emotional safety and joy into your kids’ memory bank.

3. Repair After Rupture

We all lose it. The key is circling back. Say, "I’m sorry I yelled earlier. That wasn’t about you. You are never a burden.” This rewrites the narrative and builds resilience. Think of it as the emotional equivalent of hitting “refresh.”

4. Regulate Before You React

When your boss emails, the dog pukes, and your kid spills OJ on your silk blouse — pause. Place a hand on your heart. Get grounded. Take three deep breaths. Reset.

This not only calms your nervous system but also models emotional regulation for your kids. You’re teaching them: big feelings are safe, and they can be managed.

5. Prioritize Presence Over Perfection

Your children won’t remember spotless counters. They’ll remember how you made them feel.

So let the laundry pile wait while you go on that walk. Choose the cuddle, the laugh, the board game. Presence is the anchor for safe and loving memories.

Why This Matters

If you’re a career-driven mom, you’ve likely mastered the art of running boardrooms, projects, and companies. But here’s the catch: the hustle, proving, and never-resting strategies that fuel professional success often backfire at home.

The result? You feel like you’re “failing” at the one role that matters most.

Your kids feel it too—not through your words, but through your actions and your stress. Navigating a new normal can feel overwhelming, where yelling and running around are no longer just another Tuesday.

Imagine this:

• Waking up calm, not wired.

• Running your home with the same confidence you run your career.

• Watching your kids grow up knowing — deeply knowing — that they are loved, wanted, and safe.

  
  

That’s what happens when you step out of survival mode and start living with alignment.

Final Thoughts on Core Memories, Stress, and Motherhood

The Bluey Sheepdog episode gives us a glimpse of what’s at stake. When Bluey asks, “Does she wish she never had us?” it’s a reminder that our kids are always interpreting our moods, our sighs, and our stress.

The truth is our kids don’t need us to be perfect.

Perfection is a myth.

They need us to be present, regulated, and willing to repair when we get it wrong.

Because those are the moments that become their core memories.

Your children are building memories today. The only question is: how do you want to be remembered?

💬 Ready to Rewrite Your Story (and Theirs)?

If you’re a mom ready to move beyond survival mode and start creating core memories rooted in calm, connection, and joy, I’d love to invite you into my Aligned Motherhood Circle: my premium group coaching experience for ambitious moms.

In this high-touch space, you’ll learn how to:

✨ Reclaim calm and clarity in your daily life.

✨ Build systems at home that actually reduce stress.

✨ Rewire subconscious patterns of hustle and guilt.

✨ Create meaningful, positive core memories for your kids.

Learn more about my program here.

Click here to book your free consultation call and explore the Aligned Motherhood Circle.