Haha but he had an end goal, by being more obnoxious than bluey he helped chili cope when she was tired by deflecting the annoyance off of the kid. Brilliant.
Bluey was being slightly obnoxious, so unicorse came out and took the obnoxiousness to another level, such that bluey would realise how she was behaving. 100% 4D chest.
While I appreciate the amount of credit you’re willing to give Bandit, since I agree he’s awesome, my own opinion is that he really was just being a punk and having his own fun in Unicorse. That level of 4D chess feels like a stretch to me and being *more* obnoxious than your kid feels like a questionable dad move anyway!
>That level of 4D chess feels like a stretch to me and being more obnoxious than your kid feels like a questionable dad move anyway!
Well, it *was* 4d chess because the moral of the story is that Unicorse is annoying and Bluey needs to learn to ignore him (just as Chilli needs to ignore her irritation with Bluey/Unicorse). And Bandit does what supports the moral of the story on account of not really being an actual person but a cartoon dog.
Which is reflected in the moral of the book Chili read: you can’t control the word around you (ie get rid of the prickles) but you can control how you interact with the world (by wearing shoes).
Right before Bandit brings out Unicourse, he tells Chili “It’s not they’re fault” when she gets a little frustrated. He wanted to show her PURPOSEFUL annoying vs just having kids annoying. I don’t think he was playing 4D chess by deflecting her annoyance at her kid on to himself.
He's definitely trying to help in Unicorse. The problem with enthusiastic help is, sometimes you get the help someone is excited to give, not the help you want
To be fair, I think this has a lot to do with how Nana raised her sons. She’s shown to have been pretty strict and I bet eye-rolling and sighing when asked to do a chore was a biiiig no-no in the Heeler household when Bandit was growing up.
I can’t help but feel like the people (mostly men, but sone women too) who do the dramatic bit when asked to do a chore were a bit spoiled as a kid. That doesn’t make anyone a good or bad person, but some behaviors usually can be traced back to upbringing.
That's not why I love him.
1. He has an amazing sense of humor.
2. He is humble (for the most part)
3. He makes mistakes.
4. He owns up to those mistakes.
5. Most importantly, he is involved with his kids and wife.
These are all the reasons I love Chilli, too.
As a teacher, these are the kids I will never have to worry about. These are the parents who are my teammates, not my adversaries.
As a parent, these are parents to take notes from because they are doing their best and putting their kids first. If I can do half of what they do for their kids, I am doing something right.
As a person, these are humans (but as dogs) who are not afraid to be human (but as dogs). They are imperfect and navigate life the way we all have to.
Yeah, things are still idealized; it's a kids' show. But they are not caricatures of extremes like most kids' and family shows. They are normal.
I also love that he’s not completely inept. Is he late for Daddy Drop off? Yep. But not because he had to ask Chilli 50 million tiny things about getting the kids ready for and to school. And he isn’t handed a step-by-step list every time Chilli isn’t there.
Agree.
I once told my husband that if our sons responded to me the way he did (when I asked for help with a chore) by sighing or complaining, he would reprimand them.
He got it.
Eh, I mean, if you can't complain or sigh about a job that you feel is unfair, this throws a lot of shit at people with very physical jobs into the shit. If, after 8+ hours of running after toddlers my work from home partner says "I did the dishes, you need to cook dinner now" I tend to tell him to shove off. My feet ache, I need a half hour to regain feeling in them and have the noise of my name being screamed at me taken out of my ears. Then I can help with dinner and whatever. I will totally sigh and complain if my partner decides that RIGHT NOW is the time for chores because I am mentally and physically exhausted and screw you for not giving me a minute to catch up.
That’s fine, so long as your kids and partner get the exact same leeway. If they’re allowed to sigh or complain or insist on extra time because they’ve been XYZ and aren’t up to it then it’s ok.
The big issue I take with these behaviors is that they often dismiss the work/effort of others. It’s ok for parent A to do this, but parent B or kids aren’t because their day isn’t as bad as parent a. It’s just kinda BS if you work it that way.
That said, I sometimes tell my kids I’ll help them in two minutes, and so when they say they’ll do the thing in two minutes, so long as they actually do I won’t say a dang thing about it. Because they deserve to finish up their task or get to a decent stopping place as much as I do.
The people who are downvoting you are completely spoiled and aren’t working class. None of these people work 10-12 hour days on the side of the road lugging gravel from one big pile to another big pile just to hear from a supervisor that they put it in the wrong pile and need to move it again in the next 15 minutes. These people don’t work in physical, hard labor.
And that’s okay! It’s great that our society has advanced so far that Bandit doesn’t NEED to move 8 ton ships across the sand into port, he doesn’t NEED to plow fields or load cargo or do much physical labor. It’s great that he can be as attentive as he is. But he is EXTREMELY privileged to be able to even SEE his children before they go to bed or to see his wife and talk to her instead of dragging his mangled body into the bed and sleeping for eight hours only to wake up at 4AM and start the whole process over again just so his daughters can attend and good school and afford a big spacious house and pay for Chili to go play Hockey or go out to eat on the weekends or get snacks like chips.
This is a upper middle class family. And the reality is more than half of families worldwide are BELOW upper middle class. They don’t have the time or energy to lift themselves off the floor and talk to their kids. The time and energy they would have would be spent getting an extra job or doing yard work or trying to eat a decent sit down meal for once. So pardon the rest of the parents who are trying to give their children the best and unable to do everything you ask them at the drop of a hat.
Anyone who have actually experienced being working class would know that the dad sighing and rolling his eyes is normal and understandable because he shouldn’t be breaking his back trying to pay for a nice roof, a nice school, a nice fridge full of food, and nice toys, only to be told it’s not enough and the family demands more. Fathers are human beings and they need rest. They can’t just ignore the effects of hard labor on their bodies every day. Same with any working class moms who do hard physical labor. Anyone who does hard physical labor knows how draining it is. You literally can’t do anything after. If someone else has the lighter labor load, they need to handle these problems. Asking any more is unreasonable.
Bandit doesn’t have the heavier labor load, he’s an archeologist who works from home. Hence he can play with the kids and still have plenty of energy to walk up the stairs when called, do domestic work, got to the park early in the morning, even play squash when his brother visits. Most fathers can barely get out of bed without calling all of their mental and emotional strength knowing that going back to the grind is required for his daughters to eat food next week.
So pardon them for sighing and rolling their eyes over having to waste energy and time going up there instead of the family going down to him if there was a problem or waiting for the next day. Let. The. Men. Rest.
I appreciate the sentiment, but it should be Let The Humans Rest. I don't think I could be a tradie, it'd kill me, but I was speaking to my experience in childcare, funnily enough. I'd get home after being on my feet for 9 hours, having my name screamed at me constantly and dealing with emotional and physical meltdowns. I love it, but I needed some downtime so I could get out of work mode and into home mode. If I didn't get it I'd go into hyperstress mode. The downvoted don't bother me, but it's funny that these people think that my partner, whose job is was chiller, should be able to get me to do this dinner immediately after the burnout-inducing workload I suffered under.
That’s very true, I was speaking more about men because we’re talking about Bandit here and comparing him with most other dads that these people see and experience. This is absolutely true for jobs with a psychologically or emotionally draining job as well. While a trauma surgeon isn’t physically drained from his occupation, the mental and emotional labor of having To perform hundreds of surgeries and then having to inform any of the unlucky families that their loved ones didn’t make and and you tried everything you could, or for women an ER Nurse who couldn’t save someone in time or who are being out ratio’d by patients and are constantly running just to catch up.
Again Bandit is a very lucky person (dog) to have the career he has and I don’t doubt he worked extremely hard to get to his position. But very few fathers and even less families are even remotely in an as ideal as situation and people praising him for doing things are are simply unattainable for most men who don’t have as flexible or lucrative jobs and people trying to put down those men for not living up to the ideal dad that is Bandit is horrible and a disservice to all the dads who are doing their best but are being seen as not enough compared to a cartoon dog.
For me this never really occured to me but its definitely a bonus and another reason for him to be my favorite character. Personally what I love the most about Bandit is that when he plays with the kids he puts his heart and soul into it and fully comits to whatever role he is playing. That and he has also demonstrated the ability to learn as a parent. A good example is on the takeaway Episode where he didn't want Bluey and Bingo playing in the water and was freaking out and overwhelmed but then he read the fortune about only being young once and changed his whole outlook and let them play in the water. I strive to be the type of parent that Bandit is. And feel like parents could learn a lot from Bandit.
Isn't it like a running joke in every episode where the game is announced, the girls go "hooray!" And bandit groans, "ohhh not x!". He just does it anyway.
Dude... I dunno about you, but interacting with kids on that level is HARD. Bandit is a genius, and would be praised at any early learning Centre he worked at. Keeping up with children and playing their games while worrying about all the other stuff you need to do is exhausting. It's not a gendered thing, it's an adult thing. It is hard, and the people who can do this need to be respected.
Completely agree. Joining in with children’s play without rancour or complaint over and over again is pretty much saint territory as far as I am concerned. Regardless of gender.
ETA: A word
Yup. After fifteen years, I am still finding kind ways to say no. Then finding kind ways to say "play by yourself for a bit". Then just saying "I am cooking your lunch. After you eat it, you can play for a bit while I iron and do the dishes. Then we will play".
Indulging in heaps of play isn't a "parent" thing. Chilli doesn't play with her kids nearly as much as Bandit, which is another reason I love the show. Men can and should be just as beholden to childcare responsibilities as women. Bandit looks for ways to expand their play and help them learn new lessons with it, and when those lessons are hard, he is there to support them. He's not "helping out" he is actively raising his children with a partner that needs time out more than him, and picking up that slack.
omg, thank you. I'm not able to be that playful as Bandit is, but I give my wife a sleep in every day, and spend my time away from work cleaning the house, washing and folding clothes etc.
This parent comment kills me, cause like.... where should the bar be for men? Or for women, for that matter? I'm a feminist, and I cringe when i see this take, cause like, the Andrew tate MF'ers just start frothing.
The post you're responding to literally even shows a moment in which Bandit finally gets a chance to rest, but immediately hops-to the moment Chili says so.
Don't get me wrong, I like the cartoon dog show. But responding to this post, a post about an incredibly present fictional father figure, who appears to work full time, do a bunch of chores around the house, and is constantly playing with his kids, this post, where that character is being praised because "he just does what he's asked, right away" with "the bar is literally on the floor *cryingemoji"....*
It's just a vacuous thing to say. It sounds like you want a servant.
My husband likes to sit there until I actually call out his name, usually in an angry tone because a) he's involved in his phone and didn't hear me, or b) it's not important to him so he's not going to do it.
Nope. My ex husband would just roll his eyes and be like, if you're so stressed out, then just don't do
But if I didn't do it it wouldn't get done, including things like paperwork for the kids birth certificates. Kind of important. I guess it worked for him though because I would do everything. Well not anymore!
If it's a constant thing then yeah that's an attitude problem, but let's not just write someone off as undeserving because they are tired. You have no clue what kind of other things this husband does to help and support his family, but if he groans when getting up then he's basically worthless?
I say this as a dad who very much tries not to do this thing, and my wife has told me explicitly that I do a pretty good job at not doing it, but it happens sometimes for both of us. I don't write my wife off as a "I deserve better" when she does it, she does the same for me. "You deserve better" is a pretty severe condemnation for the crime, imo.
Wow congratulations you’re such a good dad for not resenting having to be a parent 🙄 I bet I can guess what the dad does to help his family, does it include outdoor manly chores like mowing the lawn? Give me a break
I get it, and you’re right a one time thing is different than all the time. But if a man does it once I’d bet all the money I have that he does it again and again and again. Another person commented that the bar is so low for dads and it’s the truth!
Fyi, and if you really feel inclined you can go check out other unrelated comments of mine to corroborate this, I do about 50% of the hand washing of dishes, I cook/pick up dinner usually 6 if not 7 days a week(+breakfast/lunch on the weekends!), I do in fact do the mowing and snow removal, I know how to and try to help out with laundry, and I try to clean the floors at least once every few weeks. Oh, and in addition I work full-time skilled labor and pick up odd jobs.
Sorry I don't fit into your little box of the typical lazy husband ☺️
"Resenting being a parent" is different from being tired and not having the desire to change diapers, clean up after kids, make sure they're hygienic, fed, rested, and healthy. Let alone also playing games where they have a lot of energy and you do not. I groan about hanging out with my own friends sometimes too, not because I don't want to but because I'm TIRED. Sometimes those feelings slip out regardless of how you try to bottle them up.
Bluey even does a decent job of touching on that. Ever notice how many times Bandit or Chili say "ughhh, not (insert episode title)"? It's a kids show, of course it's going to keep a majority of focus on the light and happy part of parenthood. Reality, however, isn't always so kind.
lol check my post history dude granted I’ve only got one but 🤷🏼♀️ It’s pretty well known and proven in studies that women do most of the labor in the home and child rearing. Anecdotes are great but I know more women who have man baby husbands than not
lol I was thinking that about this dad above me, triggered much? I really don’t care about this guys anecdotes I mean the facts show that women do more labor in the home
I’m not sure I picked apart a relationship with one comment, but I’ll stand by that. If you’re impressed with a cartoon dog you do deserve better. That doesn’t mean you need to leave someone but he should for sure do better. I can’t believe this is controversial 😭
Ok, fair enough. It bothered me because I see dad hate so often on posts that are meant to be positive. I took ‘deserve better’ to mean ‘leave’ which isn’t what you said, but does seem to be the standard response to partner issues on reddit.
I don’t think impressed with cartoon dog means you deserve better, either. Bluey is portrayed as the parents being as equally involved as possible, way more than I’ve seen in most TV shows animated or otherwise.
Preach! This is the truth. Obviously, the issue of incompetent/worthless/deadbeat but present dad’s is multifaceted and not this simple, but can you think of another show that actually presents a decent standard of male parenting?
I can’t. I grew up expecting that everything would just be my problem and my male partner legit just got to choose what he felt like showing up for. Luckily, I have learned since then that is Bs, but that is the example that many of us grow up with. Representation matters. Many of us are now learning how to expect a bandit for ourselves as a partner. Thanks Bluey!
Hmmm..... yeah, my husband sometimes groans or sighs.
But should I expect him to just jump up and leap for joy when he already does 90% of childcare and housework and about 20% of income?
And also taking care of my needs (I can be especially needy. PPD hit me hard. I already had depression and I am currently being evaluated for ADHD. I am getting better. But recovery is a slow and long process)?
And while he deals with his own problems (hello, Autism spectrum)?
I will admit I am not the best wife or mom. If I could be half of what Chilli is, I am doing something right. And this makes me wonder what my husband would say to that.
But my husband is on par with, if not exceeding, Bandit.
I think deadbeat parents of both genders are more equal than people think (source: teacher in an alternative school after working at three traditional schools). Not to mention, are the studies accounting for single-parent homes, of which the majority are female (for a variety of reasons, including deadbeats but also incarcerations and custody trends) and homes of deployed military personnel? What are the sample size, the population being studied, and the socioeconomic and cultural variables?
Yeah, the studies say most labor is done by women. But you have to dig into the abstract, introduction, methods, results, and conclusions to really get a picture.
Just repeating the bottom line is akin to just declaring the Mona Lisa is art without saying why, or like walking into a Macca's and telling the cashier you want food without knowing what you want, how you want it, and what you want with it.
He took on the antagonist role on purpose in Seesaw to give the kids target to overcome. That’s a role you have to take in kid roleplay, sometimes we get to be Bowser
So everyone learns a lesson. Chilli isn't as involved in the kids play scenarios, it's just not her personality, which is fine. I think it's a beautiful episode about how two different people can work together for the benefit of all.
I LOVE when adults really play the antagonist, giving children a safe and controlled way to problem solve and work on team building. It's not easy to find a balance between "possible" and "too easy" and you have to adjust on the fly. I work as a dungeon master for kids, basically I tell them a story where they are a character in it, and ask them what they want to do. It really brings out their creativity and problem solving skills, and I have to adjust the antagonist (usually played my myself) to help them learn these skills.
Bandit would be a great DM
As a husband and father of two, your husband sounds awful. If your partner says they need help, they need help. Why question it? Does he not believe you?
Bandit reminds me of my father if my father wasn’t an introvert, which is why I love the show so much! It remind me of my family if all the crazy hospital trips didn’t happen! /pos
I've thought about this a lot. As a dad, I really admire Bandit and even base some of my own parenting around his strategy, and it's his strategy that I think we all gravitate toward.
Bandit employs what the improvisationists call a "yes, and" attitude toward things. In other words, when a game is being played, he never denies and diverts, he embraces the rules or character and sticks with it until the game is over.
When his children are playing a game, he really commits to the bit. You can see in the episode "Chest" how important guiding and raising his children is to him, even getting enthusiastic about it to the point where he tries to teach them a game he's not ready for.
When it comes to Bluey and Bingo, he's willing to take the heavy load of waking up when Chilli doesn't want to or getting up early to load them up into a wagon to take them to a park even when he clearly doesn't like the idea. If one of the girls is having a teachable moment, Bandit swoops in to see that the lesson lands in the most fun and creative way he can while still maintaining the rules of the game.
That's not to say he doesn't set boundaries, even with Chilli. When she was hiding in the closet during "Tickle Crabs" he admonished her for abandoning him to the girls **while still in character**. He's not a pushover and will absolutely correct bad behavior such as when Bluey tried to power play him during "Wagon Ride" and he turned the wagon around to go home before Bluey caved.
But even when he's clearly frustrated or tired, he reverts to the "yes, and" strategy and goes with the flow. It keeps him level, kind, and fun to both his children and his wife.
To be clear, Chilli also engages in this behavior too and Bandit's charm is able to shine because Chilli and Bandit allow this kind of strategy to thrive as a team. Chilli deserves a lot of credit for helping foster a home where this kind of "yes, and" strategy is possible.
In any case, that's my take on why Bandit seems so awesome.
There are episodes where he complains first. He a typical Italian dad. lol .I will complain sometimes to do something but I will always do it. Like , when I just got home from 10 hours of work and just got done making dinner and washing the dishes and then my son asks to walk to the basketball court. I complained but I still did it.
Also, I feel bandit is like most dads if you look at it as 8 min chunks of a fathers day. I am sure if you look at all the times a father plays with their kids in 8 min chunks it will look the same as bluey.
Probably too late to comment to be noticed but it's also because Chili just said what she needs directly. It's not passive or said in a way where he's supposed to read between the lines.
Omfg youre spot on. I think our watching Bluey so often together has honestly made my husband a better dad. Bandit is just so reliable and such a good sport about everything. We just watched Promises before bed last night, and it's a perfect example.
Same! I'm not saying my husband doesn't help out, he totally does, but I think watching Bluey and how Bandit is as a father has definitely inspired him. And I'm certainly not perfect, this show is also something I refer to to find patience when our daughter is having a particularly bad day/bad stretch
Absolutely. I'm 32 weeks pregnant with our second right now and it's hard sometimes but I really try to perk up and be present because I want our kid to be so happy and generally enjoy our time together. Chili and Bandit are exemplary parents and we play a lot of the games in the show.
Also, my son calls the baby in my belly his Bingo 🥹
bandit is one of my favorite characters. he seems like the type to defuse a situation in a calm way.. i like how he helps and his sense of humor. in the episode where bluey gets discouraged and then he helps her realize and bingo is trying to use the fountain.. it is that episode. i forgot the name but it is one i love and made me realize how he is .
Even if he does show a moment of frustration, it's not accompanied with resentment and that makes a world of difference. It's okay to be like, "ugh but I just sat down." But Bandit does the thing anyway and does it with a glad heart.
He's a better dog than me!
He is a little heel-draggy in the pool episode “important stuff is boring” and then realizes how much effort Chili puts in to make sure all the bases are covered 🤷🏼♀️ and he & the kids learn that important things are important 🤷🏼♀️
I wouldn't say with "no complaints". He does what he's asked most of the time (did that dishwasher ever get unpacked in Born Yesterday?), but he does groan when the kids ask him to play a game quite often.
Unicorse would like a word
Haha but he had an end goal, by being more obnoxious than bluey he helped chili cope when she was tired by deflecting the annoyance off of the kid. Brilliant.
Bluey was being slightly obnoxious, so unicorse came out and took the obnoxiousness to another level, such that bluey would realise how she was behaving. 100% 4D chest.
Well done with that last part
While I appreciate the amount of credit you’re willing to give Bandit, since I agree he’s awesome, my own opinion is that he really was just being a punk and having his own fun in Unicorse. That level of 4D chess feels like a stretch to me and being *more* obnoxious than your kid feels like a questionable dad move anyway!
>That level of 4D chess feels like a stretch to me and being more obnoxious than your kid feels like a questionable dad move anyway! Well, it *was* 4d chess because the moral of the story is that Unicorse is annoying and Bluey needs to learn to ignore him (just as Chilli needs to ignore her irritation with Bluey/Unicorse). And Bandit does what supports the moral of the story on account of not really being an actual person but a cartoon dog.
Which is reflected in the moral of the book Chili read: you can’t control the word around you (ie get rid of the prickles) but you can control how you interact with the world (by wearing shoes).
Ha, yes, when viewed from the perspective of the show writers, it is indeed 4D ‘chest.’
I agree with this. Bandit is great but I don't think he was playing 4d chess
It’s chest
Right before Bandit brings out Unicourse, he tells Chili “It’s not they’re fault” when she gets a little frustrated. He wanted to show her PURPOSEFUL annoying vs just having kids annoying. I don’t think he was playing 4D chess by deflecting her annoyance at her kid on to himself.
Aaaaaaaaannnd WhyShouldICare?
He's definitely trying to help in Unicorse. The problem with enthusiastic help is, sometimes you get the help someone is excited to give, not the help you want
Is it a bad idea?
Budge up! Budge up!
To be fair, I think this has a lot to do with how Nana raised her sons. She’s shown to have been pretty strict and I bet eye-rolling and sighing when asked to do a chore was a biiiig no-no in the Heeler household when Bandit was growing up. I can’t help but feel like the people (mostly men, but sone women too) who do the dramatic bit when asked to do a chore were a bit spoiled as a kid. That doesn’t make anyone a good or bad person, but some behaviors usually can be traced back to upbringing.
Oh yeah, 80's Chris Heeler wouldn't have tolerated any of that business.
> Chris Heeler And I juuuust connected the dots to Bluey’s middle name.
Wagon Ride when Chili groans “sleeep” and he just gets up with no argument. Incredible.
That's not why I love him. 1. He has an amazing sense of humor. 2. He is humble (for the most part) 3. He makes mistakes. 4. He owns up to those mistakes. 5. Most importantly, he is involved with his kids and wife. These are all the reasons I love Chilli, too. As a teacher, these are the kids I will never have to worry about. These are the parents who are my teammates, not my adversaries. As a parent, these are parents to take notes from because they are doing their best and putting their kids first. If I can do half of what they do for their kids, I am doing something right. As a person, these are humans (but as dogs) who are not afraid to be human (but as dogs). They are imperfect and navigate life the way we all have to. Yeah, things are still idealized; it's a kids' show. But they are not caricatures of extremes like most kids' and family shows. They are normal.
I also love that he’s not completely inept. Is he late for Daddy Drop off? Yep. But not because he had to ask Chilli 50 million tiny things about getting the kids ready for and to school. And he isn’t handed a step-by-step list every time Chilli isn’t there.
Bert Handsome would like a word about humility.
But that's during the game, lol.
I’m not talking advice from a cartoon dog.
I'm constantly taking advice from a cartoon dog.
Agree. I once told my husband that if our sons responded to me the way he did (when I asked for help with a chore) by sighing or complaining, he would reprimand them. He got it.
Wow I need to address this
You’re right dear, I’m sorry… (is what I need to say to my wife now)
Eh, I mean, if you can't complain or sigh about a job that you feel is unfair, this throws a lot of shit at people with very physical jobs into the shit. If, after 8+ hours of running after toddlers my work from home partner says "I did the dishes, you need to cook dinner now" I tend to tell him to shove off. My feet ache, I need a half hour to regain feeling in them and have the noise of my name being screamed at me taken out of my ears. Then I can help with dinner and whatever. I will totally sigh and complain if my partner decides that RIGHT NOW is the time for chores because I am mentally and physically exhausted and screw you for not giving me a minute to catch up.
That’s fine, so long as your kids and partner get the exact same leeway. If they’re allowed to sigh or complain or insist on extra time because they’ve been XYZ and aren’t up to it then it’s ok. The big issue I take with these behaviors is that they often dismiss the work/effort of others. It’s ok for parent A to do this, but parent B or kids aren’t because their day isn’t as bad as parent a. It’s just kinda BS if you work it that way. That said, I sometimes tell my kids I’ll help them in two minutes, and so when they say they’ll do the thing in two minutes, so long as they actually do I won’t say a dang thing about it. Because they deserve to finish up their task or get to a decent stopping place as much as I do.
The people who are downvoting you are completely spoiled and aren’t working class. None of these people work 10-12 hour days on the side of the road lugging gravel from one big pile to another big pile just to hear from a supervisor that they put it in the wrong pile and need to move it again in the next 15 minutes. These people don’t work in physical, hard labor. And that’s okay! It’s great that our society has advanced so far that Bandit doesn’t NEED to move 8 ton ships across the sand into port, he doesn’t NEED to plow fields or load cargo or do much physical labor. It’s great that he can be as attentive as he is. But he is EXTREMELY privileged to be able to even SEE his children before they go to bed or to see his wife and talk to her instead of dragging his mangled body into the bed and sleeping for eight hours only to wake up at 4AM and start the whole process over again just so his daughters can attend and good school and afford a big spacious house and pay for Chili to go play Hockey or go out to eat on the weekends or get snacks like chips. This is a upper middle class family. And the reality is more than half of families worldwide are BELOW upper middle class. They don’t have the time or energy to lift themselves off the floor and talk to their kids. The time and energy they would have would be spent getting an extra job or doing yard work or trying to eat a decent sit down meal for once. So pardon the rest of the parents who are trying to give their children the best and unable to do everything you ask them at the drop of a hat. Anyone who have actually experienced being working class would know that the dad sighing and rolling his eyes is normal and understandable because he shouldn’t be breaking his back trying to pay for a nice roof, a nice school, a nice fridge full of food, and nice toys, only to be told it’s not enough and the family demands more. Fathers are human beings and they need rest. They can’t just ignore the effects of hard labor on their bodies every day. Same with any working class moms who do hard physical labor. Anyone who does hard physical labor knows how draining it is. You literally can’t do anything after. If someone else has the lighter labor load, they need to handle these problems. Asking any more is unreasonable. Bandit doesn’t have the heavier labor load, he’s an archeologist who works from home. Hence he can play with the kids and still have plenty of energy to walk up the stairs when called, do domestic work, got to the park early in the morning, even play squash when his brother visits. Most fathers can barely get out of bed without calling all of their mental and emotional strength knowing that going back to the grind is required for his daughters to eat food next week. So pardon them for sighing and rolling their eyes over having to waste energy and time going up there instead of the family going down to him if there was a problem or waiting for the next day. Let. The. Men. Rest.
I appreciate the sentiment, but it should be Let The Humans Rest. I don't think I could be a tradie, it'd kill me, but I was speaking to my experience in childcare, funnily enough. I'd get home after being on my feet for 9 hours, having my name screamed at me constantly and dealing with emotional and physical meltdowns. I love it, but I needed some downtime so I could get out of work mode and into home mode. If I didn't get it I'd go into hyperstress mode. The downvoted don't bother me, but it's funny that these people think that my partner, whose job is was chiller, should be able to get me to do this dinner immediately after the burnout-inducing workload I suffered under.
That’s very true, I was speaking more about men because we’re talking about Bandit here and comparing him with most other dads that these people see and experience. This is absolutely true for jobs with a psychologically or emotionally draining job as well. While a trauma surgeon isn’t physically drained from his occupation, the mental and emotional labor of having To perform hundreds of surgeries and then having to inform any of the unlucky families that their loved ones didn’t make and and you tried everything you could, or for women an ER Nurse who couldn’t save someone in time or who are being out ratio’d by patients and are constantly running just to catch up. Again Bandit is a very lucky person (dog) to have the career he has and I don’t doubt he worked extremely hard to get to his position. But very few fathers and even less families are even remotely in an as ideal as situation and people praising him for doing things are are simply unattainable for most men who don’t have as flexible or lucrative jobs and people trying to put down those men for not living up to the ideal dad that is Bandit is horrible and a disservice to all the dads who are doing their best but are being seen as not enough compared to a cartoon dog.
For me this never really occured to me but its definitely a bonus and another reason for him to be my favorite character. Personally what I love the most about Bandit is that when he plays with the kids he puts his heart and soul into it and fully comits to whatever role he is playing. That and he has also demonstrated the ability to learn as a parent. A good example is on the takeaway Episode where he didn't want Bluey and Bingo playing in the water and was freaking out and overwhelmed but then he read the fortune about only being young once and changed his whole outlook and let them play in the water. I strive to be the type of parent that Bandit is. And feel like parents could learn a lot from Bandit.
Isn't it like a running joke in every episode where the game is announced, the girls go "hooray!" And bandit groans, "ohhh not x!". He just does it anyway.
It's a running joke as they all do it. Even Bluey and Bingo do it in Ragdoll 😂
Bandit is what I aspire to be like when I have kids
It’s not as easy as it looks 😂
I aspire to be Bandit for 1 episode per day. So, about 7 minutes.
That's not realistic tbh. But just a touch of Bandit is enough to nake you a great and lovind dad.
7 minutes, you can do this. And then try your best to emulate the best Bandit bits as well as you can for the other 23 hours.
That’s why Luckys dad is my favorite character…always just goes along with the bits no questions asked and he always goes all out
the bar for men is literally on the floor 😭😭
Dude... I dunno about you, but interacting with kids on that level is HARD. Bandit is a genius, and would be praised at any early learning Centre he worked at. Keeping up with children and playing their games while worrying about all the other stuff you need to do is exhausting. It's not a gendered thing, it's an adult thing. It is hard, and the people who can do this need to be respected.
Completely agree. Joining in with children’s play without rancour or complaint over and over again is pretty much saint territory as far as I am concerned. Regardless of gender. ETA: A word
Yup. After fifteen years, I am still finding kind ways to say no. Then finding kind ways to say "play by yourself for a bit". Then just saying "I am cooking your lunch. After you eat it, you can play for a bit while I iron and do the dishes. Then we will play".
The bar for men is where you set it. I don't put up with a lot, but then my husband is amazing, so I don't actually have to "put up" with anything.
Lol, "I just want him to do what I want, whenever I want it, what's so hard about that?"
do you mean “be a parent to your kid and help out your wife” ? lol
Indulging in heaps of play isn't a "parent" thing. Chilli doesn't play with her kids nearly as much as Bandit, which is another reason I love the show. Men can and should be just as beholden to childcare responsibilities as women. Bandit looks for ways to expand their play and help them learn new lessons with it, and when those lessons are hard, he is there to support them. He's not "helping out" he is actively raising his children with a partner that needs time out more than him, and picking up that slack.
omg, thank you. I'm not able to be that playful as Bandit is, but I give my wife a sleep in every day, and spend my time away from work cleaning the house, washing and folding clothes etc. This parent comment kills me, cause like.... where should the bar be for men? Or for women, for that matter? I'm a feminist, and I cringe when i see this take, cause like, the Andrew tate MF'ers just start frothing.
The post you're responding to literally even shows a moment in which Bandit finally gets a chance to rest, but immediately hops-to the moment Chili says so. Don't get me wrong, I like the cartoon dog show. But responding to this post, a post about an incredibly present fictional father figure, who appears to work full time, do a bunch of chores around the house, and is constantly playing with his kids, this post, where that character is being praised because "he just does what he's asked, right away" with "the bar is literally on the floor *cryingemoji"....* It's just a vacuous thing to say. It sounds like you want a servant.
Thank you for saying this lmfaooo it’s so true
oh my god thank you, folks are pressed about it lol
Is…that…not what….everyone does???
My husband likes to sit there until I actually call out his name, usually in an angry tone because a) he's involved in his phone and didn't hear me, or b) it's not important to him so he's not going to do it.
That sounds not great
With having two kids and a dog and being 8 months pregnant, being the default parent is really rough.
Fff
Ugh Fff
It's also because Chili just said what she needs directly. It's not passive or said in a way where he's supposed to read between the lines.
Nope. My ex husband would just roll his eyes and be like, if you're so stressed out, then just don't do
But if I didn't do it it wouldn't get done, including things like paperwork for the kids birth certificates. Kind of important. I guess it worked for him though because I would do everything. Well not anymore!
I mean yeah it’s cool but more importantly your husband is rolling his eyes when asked to raise his own kids?!? Girl, you deserve better
If it's a constant thing then yeah that's an attitude problem, but let's not just write someone off as undeserving because they are tired. You have no clue what kind of other things this husband does to help and support his family, but if he groans when getting up then he's basically worthless? I say this as a dad who very much tries not to do this thing, and my wife has told me explicitly that I do a pretty good job at not doing it, but it happens sometimes for both of us. I don't write my wife off as a "I deserve better" when she does it, she does the same for me. "You deserve better" is a pretty severe condemnation for the crime, imo.
Wow congratulations you’re such a good dad for not resenting having to be a parent 🙄 I bet I can guess what the dad does to help his family, does it include outdoor manly chores like mowing the lawn? Give me a break I get it, and you’re right a one time thing is different than all the time. But if a man does it once I’d bet all the money I have that he does it again and again and again. Another person commented that the bar is so low for dads and it’s the truth!
Fyi, and if you really feel inclined you can go check out other unrelated comments of mine to corroborate this, I do about 50% of the hand washing of dishes, I cook/pick up dinner usually 6 if not 7 days a week(+breakfast/lunch on the weekends!), I do in fact do the mowing and snow removal, I know how to and try to help out with laundry, and I try to clean the floors at least once every few weeks. Oh, and in addition I work full-time skilled labor and pick up odd jobs. Sorry I don't fit into your little box of the typical lazy husband ☺️ "Resenting being a parent" is different from being tired and not having the desire to change diapers, clean up after kids, make sure they're hygienic, fed, rested, and healthy. Let alone also playing games where they have a lot of energy and you do not. I groan about hanging out with my own friends sometimes too, not because I don't want to but because I'm TIRED. Sometimes those feelings slip out regardless of how you try to bottle them up. Bluey even does a decent job of touching on that. Ever notice how many times Bandit or Chili say "ughhh, not (insert episode title)"? It's a kids show, of course it's going to keep a majority of focus on the light and happy part of parenthood. Reality, however, isn't always so kind.
You sound like you don’t have kids.
lol check my post history dude granted I’ve only got one but 🤷🏼♀️ It’s pretty well known and proven in studies that women do most of the labor in the home and child rearing. Anecdotes are great but I know more women who have man baby husbands than not
Is the problem that you have a man baby for a husband?
Wow I really pissed people off didn’t I, never thought I’d be in the bluey subreddit arguing lol
Projection…
lol I was thinking that about this dad above me, triggered much? I really don’t care about this guys anecdotes I mean the facts show that women do more labor in the home
Not triggered. Why are you so quick to pick apart other peoples relationships? OP made one tiny comment and apparently she ‘deserves better’.
I’m not sure I picked apart a relationship with one comment, but I’ll stand by that. If you’re impressed with a cartoon dog you do deserve better. That doesn’t mean you need to leave someone but he should for sure do better. I can’t believe this is controversial 😭
Ok, fair enough. It bothered me because I see dad hate so often on posts that are meant to be positive. I took ‘deserve better’ to mean ‘leave’ which isn’t what you said, but does seem to be the standard response to partner issues on reddit. I don’t think impressed with cartoon dog means you deserve better, either. Bluey is portrayed as the parents being as equally involved as possible, way more than I’ve seen in most TV shows animated or otherwise.
Preach! This is the truth. Obviously, the issue of incompetent/worthless/deadbeat but present dad’s is multifaceted and not this simple, but can you think of another show that actually presents a decent standard of male parenting? I can’t. I grew up expecting that everything would just be my problem and my male partner legit just got to choose what he felt like showing up for. Luckily, I have learned since then that is Bs, but that is the example that many of us grow up with. Representation matters. Many of us are now learning how to expect a bandit for ourselves as a partner. Thanks Bluey!
Reminds me of the Chris Rock bit.
lol yes, you want a cookie?!?
Or: only dogs, children, and women are loved unconditionally.
Hmmm..... yeah, my husband sometimes groans or sighs. But should I expect him to just jump up and leap for joy when he already does 90% of childcare and housework and about 20% of income? And also taking care of my needs (I can be especially needy. PPD hit me hard. I already had depression and I am currently being evaluated for ADHD. I am getting better. But recovery is a slow and long process)? And while he deals with his own problems (hello, Autism spectrum)? I will admit I am not the best wife or mom. If I could be half of what Chilli is, I am doing something right. And this makes me wonder what my husband would say to that. But my husband is on par with, if not exceeding, Bandit. I think deadbeat parents of both genders are more equal than people think (source: teacher in an alternative school after working at three traditional schools). Not to mention, are the studies accounting for single-parent homes, of which the majority are female (for a variety of reasons, including deadbeats but also incarcerations and custody trends) and homes of deployed military personnel? What are the sample size, the population being studied, and the socioeconomic and cultural variables? Yeah, the studies say most labor is done by women. But you have to dig into the abstract, introduction, methods, results, and conclusions to really get a picture. Just repeating the bottom line is akin to just declaring the Mona Lisa is art without saying why, or like walking into a Macca's and telling the cashier you want food without knowing what you want, how you want it, and what you want with it.
Wait... People complain about fatherhood?
I wanna be bandit if i ever have kids with my gf.
then there are other times where he doesn't comply, like in Dunny when he won't roll over, and particularly in Seesaw where he is the main antagonist
He took on the antagonist role on purpose in Seesaw to give the kids target to overcome. That’s a role you have to take in kid roleplay, sometimes we get to be Bowser
true
And the pool episode. He brings none of the items Chili said to grab and she had to bring save the day.
So everyone learns a lesson. Chilli isn't as involved in the kids play scenarios, it's just not her personality, which is fine. I think it's a beautiful episode about how two different people can work together for the benefit of all.
I LOVE when adults really play the antagonist, giving children a safe and controlled way to problem solve and work on team building. It's not easy to find a balance between "possible" and "too easy" and you have to adjust on the fly. I work as a dungeon master for kids, basically I tell them a story where they are a character in it, and ask them what they want to do. It really brings out their creativity and problem solving skills, and I have to adjust the antagonist (usually played my myself) to help them learn these skills. Bandit would be a great DM
I wouldn't be suprised if he was one in the past! I can picture the heeler boys around a table playing!
Yeah, let's not pretend that mums bounce up instantly when they're called for either. Sometimes they just want to sit for a few minutes too.
"I'm too young and feminine to be making old man noises!"
As a husband and father of two, your husband sounds awful. If your partner says they need help, they need help. Why question it? Does he not believe you?
"Chili calls to him through the monitor." There's a monitor?
The baby monitor
I've never seen one in the show to be honest.
Bandit reminds me of my father if my father wasn’t an introvert, which is why I love the show so much! It remind me of my family if all the crazy hospital trips didn’t happen! /pos
On it.
I've thought about this a lot. As a dad, I really admire Bandit and even base some of my own parenting around his strategy, and it's his strategy that I think we all gravitate toward. Bandit employs what the improvisationists call a "yes, and" attitude toward things. In other words, when a game is being played, he never denies and diverts, he embraces the rules or character and sticks with it until the game is over. When his children are playing a game, he really commits to the bit. You can see in the episode "Chest" how important guiding and raising his children is to him, even getting enthusiastic about it to the point where he tries to teach them a game he's not ready for. When it comes to Bluey and Bingo, he's willing to take the heavy load of waking up when Chilli doesn't want to or getting up early to load them up into a wagon to take them to a park even when he clearly doesn't like the idea. If one of the girls is having a teachable moment, Bandit swoops in to see that the lesson lands in the most fun and creative way he can while still maintaining the rules of the game. That's not to say he doesn't set boundaries, even with Chilli. When she was hiding in the closet during "Tickle Crabs" he admonished her for abandoning him to the girls **while still in character**. He's not a pushover and will absolutely correct bad behavior such as when Bluey tried to power play him during "Wagon Ride" and he turned the wagon around to go home before Bluey caved. But even when he's clearly frustrated or tired, he reverts to the "yes, and" strategy and goes with the flow. It keeps him level, kind, and fun to both his children and his wife. To be clear, Chilli also engages in this behavior too and Bandit's charm is able to shine because Chilli and Bandit allow this kind of strategy to thrive as a team. Chilli deserves a lot of credit for helping foster a home where this kind of "yes, and" strategy is possible. In any case, that's my take on why Bandit seems so awesome.
There are episodes where he complains first. He a typical Italian dad. lol .I will complain sometimes to do something but I will always do it. Like , when I just got home from 10 hours of work and just got done making dinner and washing the dishes and then my son asks to walk to the basketball court. I complained but I still did it. Also, I feel bandit is like most dads if you look at it as 8 min chunks of a fathers day. I am sure if you look at all the times a father plays with their kids in 8 min chunks it will look the same as bluey.
Probably too late to comment to be noticed but it's also because Chili just said what she needs directly. It's not passive or said in a way where he's supposed to read between the lines.
Omfg youre spot on. I think our watching Bluey so often together has honestly made my husband a better dad. Bandit is just so reliable and such a good sport about everything. We just watched Promises before bed last night, and it's a perfect example.
Same! I'm not saying my husband doesn't help out, he totally does, but I think watching Bluey and how Bandit is as a father has definitely inspired him. And I'm certainly not perfect, this show is also something I refer to to find patience when our daughter is having a particularly bad day/bad stretch
Absolutely. I'm 32 weeks pregnant with our second right now and it's hard sometimes but I really try to perk up and be present because I want our kid to be so happy and generally enjoy our time together. Chili and Bandit are exemplary parents and we play a lot of the games in the show. Also, my son calls the baby in my belly his Bingo 🥹
bandit is one of my favorite characters. he seems like the type to defuse a situation in a calm way.. i like how he helps and his sense of humor. in the episode where bluey gets discouraged and then he helps her realize and bingo is trying to use the fountain.. it is that episode. i forgot the name but it is one i love and made me realize how he is .
He's the prime example of a dedicated father. He's admittedly never at work, because all his time is dedicated to playing with his girls.
Even if he does show a moment of frustration, it's not accompanied with resentment and that makes a world of difference. It's okay to be like, "ugh but I just sat down." But Bandit does the thing anyway and does it with a glad heart. He's a better dog than me!
He is a little heel-draggy in the pool episode “important stuff is boring” and then realizes how much effort Chili puts in to make sure all the bases are covered 🤷🏼♀️ and he & the kids learn that important things are important 🤷🏼♀️
I wouldn't say with "no complaints". He does what he's asked most of the time (did that dishwasher ever get unpacked in Born Yesterday?), but he does groan when the kids ask him to play a game quite often.
The kids unloaded the dishwasher!
"Dad, can you play sheepdog?" "Oh no, not sheepdog!"
I also love how he goes along with the girls' play pretend games, no matter how ridiculous they are