Want to embody fun, wisdom, and humility? You’ll be hard pressed to find many better examples of awesome dad-ing than Bandit. For a great family experience, bring the Bandit sensibility to your adventures.
Be like Bandit!
In Season 1, Episode 29 – “The Creek”, Bandit heads out of the playground with the kids to explore the creek, and by extension nature.
1. Get The Family Outside
Bandit was known as fun and willing to play. He wasn’t deep in his phone or too lazy to jump in; when the kids asked him he was available. He was quick to say yes to a trip to the creek.
Much of the magic of childhood is facilitated by adults who give kids the environment and appropriate level of engagement to exercise imagination and play.
2. “I’ll just have to chop the leg off”
Bluey is nervous about the bugs, leeches, snakes, and many other potential dangers. On the way, she falls down and Bandit nonchalantly says, “I’ll just have to chop the leg off.”
Bandit is the epitome of a safe, non-anxious adult. He warns them to watch for snakes but isn’t phased by leeches, falls, or potential dangers. He disarms with humor, but assures with his presence. He’s neither a helicopter parent nor completely free-range. He encourages age-appropriate risks and models decision making, without stopping to explain everything he’s doing.
A personal point of pride is that when we first watched this episode, my daughter said “Hey, that’s like you” when Bandit said this. I hope to often be like Bandit.
3. Bring their friends
Bluey’s friend McKenzie provides the camaraderie and positive peer pressure to help her overcome her fears.
Having a friend along, especially McKenzie who tends to be more adventurous, allowed Bluey to work through challenges without leaning on Bandit. While peer pressure can be negative, it can also help us rise above our fears and experience new things. There’s nothing like bringing friends along to help your kids have a great adventure in nature.
4. “You just sorta muck around”
When they finally get to the creek, Bluey asks Bandit what they’re supposed to do. Bandit doesn’t rush to create a game or alleviate their boredom, he lets them engage their imaginations.
When we give our kids time to stop and figure it out, sticks become swords, rock formations become castles, and adventures take shape.
5. “The creek is beautiful”
Bluey slowly comes around to enjoy both the beauty of nature AND the personal growth that comes along with facing challenges. While this may be neatly wrapped up in a short episode, both of these are goals of adventuring with the family.
Bluey grows in physical coordination and strength by jumping rocks and navigating challenging terrain. She grows in courage by removing leeches, jumping gaps, and accepting minor dangers. These are gifts we can give our children, even if they don’t come as quickly as an episode of Bluey.
5. “But seriously, we have to check for ticks”
Bandit doesn’t stop being the adult the kids need. His strong presence and adult experience gives the kids comfort facing dangers. He’s still going to make them check for ticks at the end of the episode, even while joking about imaginary dangers.
Our kids need more Bandit Heelers in their lives: strong, capable, knowledgeable, funny, humble. They need the safety to take risks and the comfort that we will intervene to avoid disasters.
Where to start
Bandit is an incredible non-anxious presence for his kids. But it’s worth noting that he didn’t start deep in the backcountry or with loads of gear. He started near to home but far enough from comfort to experience nature and allow Bluey some discomfort. Don’t bite off more than you can chew… but do, GTFO – Get The Family Outside.*images used under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
