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Spoilers For: Nothing!
A blue cartoon dog with an Australian accent is making me a better parent.
When I was younger I would fantasize about what kind of parent I would be when the time came. All my kids’ food would be healthy and homemade, I’d sew every Halloween costume, and more than anything, I would immerse myself in imagination. I want to be the parent that hasn’t forgotten the best parts of childhood—imagination is reality.
My daughter can spend hours creating clever games and rehearsing scenes to perfection. Of course, she often calls on mommy dearest to join the improv, and here in late, I haven’t brought my A-game. Juggling household chores, sticking to my writing schedule, and working on my latest project, leaves me with little energy left.
Sometimes I’m like Anne Hathaway hosting the Oscars and sometimes I’m like James Franco hosting the Oscars.
Like many parents, when I hit these doldrum moments I rely on a little more screen time to fill the gaps. Per a thousand recommendations, we recently go into Bluey. Bluey is a charming, slice-of-life show from Down Under about a family of Australian Blue Heeler Cattle Dogs and IT IS AMAZING.
Go to its IMDB page and you’ll see it has a 9.6/10 star rating. Yep, that’s right. A nine-minute cartoon has a better score than The Wire and The Sopranos. The page is also littered with gushing reviews. One common theme you’ll see is that parents love watching as much as kids. Full honesty, I’ve found myself watching it after my daughter goes to bed.
What makes it so special? Well for one it doesn’t have the constant sound of oinking and snorting (IYKYK). But more so, it’s deeply conceptual, think about every paint ball episode of Community. The premises are unique, and the parents are not just involved, but their voices exist empathically and authentically. Sometimes they are in trenches of imagination play and sometimes they just want to use the loo by themselves.
That’s the reality of parenting.
Watching the show is validation for your exhaustion and inspiration to spend an entire afternoon method acting like a robot.
One particular episode gets me every time. “Takeaway” from season 1 is a bottle episode where Bluey and her sister Bingo go with the old man to pick up some takeaway from the local Chinese spot. Perhaps this is a nod to the Seinfeld episode “The Chinese Restaurant” because the whole episode is about what happens while they wait five minutes for the spring rolls. What can happen in five minutes? A lot when it comes to kids.
It doesn’t take long for the simple wait to crescendo into chaos thanks to the precocious pair. Poor daddy is left frustrated and hungry by the end. It is a moment that every parent can relate to. It is a moment that can break a parent, depending on the day. I won’t spoil the ending because I’m recommending this show to parents and non-parents alike, but an unexpected message has Pops readjusting his mindset and seizing an opportunity to let his kids be kids.
Each show has a valuable lesson but it’s so perfectly mixed in that you don’t taste the broccoli in the brownies.
Despite being a pack of cartoon canines, these characters resemble real relationships better than anything else in the kid’s TV arena. Let’s be honest Daniel Tiger is too sterile and giving Stepford Wives vibes in how calm everyone remains. Peppa’s parents? Daddy Pig is practically in need of round-the-clock care for how inept they made him. But in Bluey, we have siblings that squabble and makeup. We have parents who like playing games with the kiddos but also enjoy a BBQ chat with a buddy while they attempt to enjoy a beverage.
Every time I sit down to watch it with my daughter I find myself having a deeper appreciation for my time with her. I remember this age is so brief and her imagination will never be bolder. If my daughter wants to play hospital then I better be the patient in a real pickle.
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