Let’s Talk About Bluey ...

(photo credit imdb.com)

Bluey is a series of 8-minute short cartoons that air on Disney+ and the Disney Channel. And God bless the Aussies that came up with this cartoon. Unlike some of my kids' other favorite shows that follow a group of dogs (with super vehicles), this show has meaning to it that other kid shows lack.

Not only is the Australian made cartoon colorful and provides important lessons, it also has a reality and truth to it that makes it humorous and entertaining for adults. I remember my wife telling me I had to watch the POOL episode and how funny it was because of how true it was. And lo and behold, it was a mirror of our family going to the pool. The kids are excited to go to the pool and get annoyed and find mom boring as she meticulously packs the necessities to go to the pool. But dad exuberantly enters and excites the kids as he swoops them up and takes them to the pool. We soon find out that they have no snacks, pool toys or NO sunscreen. So dad instructs them to play in the area of the pool that is covered with a shadow. As the sun moves overhead the shadow gets smaller and smaller to the point they are not having fun and literally cornered to the remaining shadowy spot of the pool. And then our hero, mom, arrives with all the pool necessities to make the day fun (and safe). Watching this show, I have to appreciate the real life experiences the writers are drawing from – they have to be parents.

Since this is a dad blog, let’s talk about Bandit for a minute. Bandit is the father to Bluey and Bingo and is my hero. In many episodes, all Bandit wants to do is lay on the couch, rest peacefully and read his newspaper - an action of the quintessential father role of the 50’s and 60’s. However, instead of yelling at his wife to quiet the kids or yelling at the kids to go outside and do something else, Bandit looks for creative ways to distract the kids or even reluctantly goes along with their game. Not only does Bandit reinforce the importance of childhood imagination and play, he also offers creative solutions in parenting. I can attest that it is easier to get my kids to their bathroom to brush their teeth and get to bed when we play Rocketship. Or getting my daughter out of being grumpy is smoother when we play Bad Mood. And my kids always love to play Ticklecrabs when bored and need some daddy attention.

I will be honest - I know it is just a cartoon, but I aspire to be like Bandit every day. In fact, as I work with men who are working to better themselves as husbands and fathers and to break the cycles of dysfunction they grew up in, I encourage them to watch Bluey and note that if they can be life Bandit for 10 minutes out of the day then they are doing a great job. Why 10 minutes?? Well, you can’t be Bandit all of the time and sometimes 10 minutes will grow into 30 minutes or it takes just 10 minutes with a creative solution that will make an impact and break the old cycles. Seriously – watch Bluey if you have not already.