One thing I never thought would happen was my kid becoming attached to Bob Ross. He was/is an icon among those in my age group but for a 5 year old to want to watch him was crazy to me. So then I started thinking about why exactly that could be.
His Voice
Bob Ross has an amazingly soothing voice. He could say the worst thing and you would still like it from him. He’s mellow and calm and puts out that vibe that everything’s going to be okay. He has kind of a Mr. Rogers feel to him as he tells you that anyway you decide to paint is fine.
He Teaches
He is constantly telling you the colors and the technique that he is applying to the canvas. This teaches kids new colors and new words that they aren’t generally exposed to otherwise. Keeping them entertained by creating and explaining his methods helps teach kids by telling and doing.
He’s Inspirational
My kid is always in complete awe by the creations he’s made by the end of the show. He can make so many beautiful things with just a brush it’s inspiring her to try and create things with the stuff she finds around the house. While that’s mostly crayons and markers there will come a day I buy her a set of canvas and oils. And when that day comes I know Bob will be there to help guide her.
He’s Positive
Even when he makes a “mistake” he’s so positive about it. He’s constantly reassuring you that there is no such thing as a mistake, “Just happy little accidents”. This is the kind of attitude that we need to instill in our kids young, otherwise the feeling of disappointment could settle in and be their go to coping mechanism. If you teach them to expect that things won’t turn out how they want from the beginning, and that good things are happy accidents then they are more likely to become more go with the flow like people. Just like Bob Ross is so go with the flow in his paintings.
A Good Role Model
When you look up Bob Ross you find that he was in the military and held the title of Sargent. He would often yell at people to make their beds or if they were late to work. He vowed that if he ever got out of the military he would never raise his voice again. During his stint in the military he saw many beautiful landscapes of mountains and snow, which he would then include in his paintings.
Most of his paintings were donated to fundraisers or charities and he declined to take any of the money from the sale of them. He wanted to contribute to make the world a better place.
ASMR
If you ever want to get your kid relaxed, which is what we did the first time we showed our hyper active daughter his videos, this is a great way to do it. With his calming voice and the sounds he makes with the brush and paint on the canvas it creates a autonomous sensory meridian response. Which is a fancy way of saying it calms the brain and starts to relax you. Often times leading to a more restful sleep.
Conclusion
The point is that Bob Ross though he is gone is still someone we should be taking notes from. The messages in his videos and the positive attitude are wonderful for kids to pick up on and should hopefully make them much more calm and understanding people in the long run. As a parent I know that I will not be the only person my daughter learns from, but if I have a choice in the matter I am going to try to get her into friendly and positive influencers such as Bob.
