To every parent out there: You have to start watching Bluey with your kids

Picking what to watch on the television is always a fraught business in our house. 

The two-year age difference between my children T, four, and Immy, two, is never more apparent than when they’re bickering over Ben and Holly or Spiderman.

That was until we discovered Bluey, after a friend recommended it. 

Never heard of it? 

Well, for you mums and dads out there, prepare to laugh, cry and watch the full 104 episodes on Disney +.

It’s based around the adventures and escapades of six-year-old Bluey Heeler, her four-year-old sister Bingo, their mum Chilli and dad Bandit; a family of Australian Blue Heeler dogs who turn family life into an amazing game.

You may be wondering whether it’s just another kids programme, revolving around an animal family. However, it couldn’t be less like Peppa Pig if it tried.

While Peppa is nothing but a precocious little porker, the Heelers are all about healthy relationships and positive family role models. 

Bluey is a kids’ programme for today’s world. With gender neutral names, it took me seven or eight episodes to realise that both Bluey and Bingo are female. 

In their doggy domesticity, it’s often the dad, Bandit, who stays at home with the kids, while mum Chilli heads off to work. They haven’t got same-sex parents yet, but hey, we live in hope.

And while so many of their episodes are absolutely hilarious – the ones where Bluey and Bingo get dressed up as ‘the grannies’, Janet and Rita, are side-splitting – there are many positive messages behind them too. Inclusion, kindness, acceptance, to name a few. 

An episode called Bad Mood sees Bingo walking around on her dad’s feet when she’s cross and him being the literal personification of her bad mood, stomping around and causing chaos, is great for teaching children how to manage their emotions; another called Bike is wonderful for showing that perseverance does pay off; while in Butterflies, they learn to say sorry for hurting their friends’ feelings. 

In Fruitbat, Bluey finds her dad yelping in his sleep and her mum suggests he’s dreaming about playing touch football with his friends because he doesn’t play it much anymore. When Bluey asks why he doesn’t play it in real life anymore, her mum explains, ‘He’s busy, sweetheart, busy working and looking after you two.’

The next morning, after a pretty exciting dream of her own, Bluey cuddles her dad. ‘Thanks for looking after us,’ she says simply. It’s an amazing lesson that parents are people too, who make sacrifices for their children.

But it doesn’t stop there. Because, actually, Bluey is one of those clever shows that is written with the parents as much in mind as the children. 

Baby Race is my favourite episode for exactly that reason.  

After telling her girls to ‘run their own race’, rather than compare themselves to anyone else, mum Chilli explains that, when the Bluey was younger, she ended up leaving her baby group because she felt like she was failing when a baby Bluey persisted in bum-shuffling and rolling, when the other babies started walking.

A more experienced mum (who can’t quite remember if she has eight or nine little ones) then tells Chilli that she is doing a good job. This is a brilliant reminder for any struggling parent that we’re all just doing our best, and that children will hit their milestones when they’re ready. 

But what makes me cry is the episode, when we see Bluey take her first tentative steps in the kitchen. 

We see baby Bluey’s eyes fix on her mummy and step towards her. The love you see in the (cartoon) eyes is just beautiful. When your child looks at you, they don’t see your struggles or your ‘failures’ they just see you – and how much you love them. I defy any mum to watch it without welling up!

There’s also the episode, Grandad, when Chilli takes her daughters Bluey and Bingo to see her dad, Mort. He should be resting after having a heart operation but, instead, he’s digging up a stump and then makes a run for it with his grandkids. 

Chilli runs after them all in an elaborate game of ‘chase’ through the bush. ‘He has to accept that he’s getting older and needs to look after himself,’ she says. ‘I’m his daughter. He should take care of himself for me because… I still need him.’ 

As the camera pans out, Chilli returns to being a puppy snuggled up to her dad. A heartbreaking glimpse into being part of the sandwich generation; being a parent yourself but also still wanting the love and protection of your own parents, and the inevitable acknowledgement that they won’t always be there. 

This episode really grasps at my heart because that’s exactly how I feel about my parents. No matter how old I get or how many children I have, I still call them up when I’m upset or angry, or if the boiler has broken and I don’t know how to fix it. 

Chilli and Bandit seem to have limitless energy when it comes to their kids, creating the most incredible, elaborate games that only imaginary parents could. 

Yet, the programme even acknowledges that. In Mount Mumandad, it’s a relief as a parent to watch Chilli and Bandit just collapse and let the kids clamber over them.

Even make-believe mums and dads need a break sometime too! Like the days when my husband Tom will just lie on the floor and the children will play doctors or dentists, with him as the perfectly still patient. 

There’s a reason why all of my parent-friends are obsessed with the programme too. One of them texted the other day to express their upset that their child had moved onto JoJo and Gran Gran and she hadn’t seen a single episode of Bluey for over a week.

Because while my children, T and Immy, are attracted to the silly jokes and crazy, over-the-top games, for me (and all the other parents out there), it’s the perfect comfort watch, full of laughs and tears and life lessons. The visual equivalent of a hot chocolate and blanket on a snowy day.

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