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Parenting

Confused Boomer grandparents don't get 'Bluey.' 15 fans and parents set them straight.

"My mom finally is getting that Bluey is a girl even though 'she’s blue'. So that’s good."

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Parents explain why Boomer grandparents are not Bluey fans.

Australian kids cartoon show Bluey has found a loyal audience in kids and adults alike. Although Bluey was created for kids ages five to seven, it has connected with Gen Z and Millennial parents (as well as childless adults, young adults, and teens) who claim it has helped them heal their inner child.

But the beloved animated show seems to fall short among one demographic: Boomer grandparents. In a discussion among dads in r/Daddit, one impassioned parent posed the question: "How do other grandparents feel about Bluey?"

He explains his family's dynamic, and how his kids' grandparents seem to not fully 'get it.' "I know bandit is our guiding light and that the show gives our generation everything we felt we lacked in our childhood, but was curious to find it didn’t have the same affect on my parents. One of the kids’ grandmas refuses to acknowledge emotion in the show. During emotional bits she would say things like, 'that’s a nice looking plant'," he writes. "Other grandma watched the first two episodes and thinks the show promotes bad behavior - mostly how mean they are to bandit. Granddads don’t really participate in that kind of 'play' with the kids. How does your older generation feel about the show?"

In response, 15 Bluey fans and parents expressed their funny and relatable thoughts on why the show misses the mark with grandparents.

1. "My mom finally is getting that bluey is a girl even though 'she’s blue'. So that’s good." – guitarguywh89

2. "My mum thought it was ageist because of the kids playing grannies lol." – th3whistler

3. "I often wonder how many of the people who 'don't like Bluey' are just being insecure about how they parent/have parented. I mean, there are probably some people who legit just don’t enjoy it, but I mean c‘mon its like the sweetest show ever." – nolte100

Bluey, blue and bingo, kids show, cartoon, kidsWave Hello GIF by BlueyGiphy

4. "The in-laws who all they ever wanted was grandkids don’t understand Bluey and many of the other shows. They always comment on how kids don’t behave like they used to. Then we have to remind them we would be in jail if we smacked around kids like they used to so it was easy to have kids that abide. Teaching versus being scared is much tougher. I take it, it is their insecurity that they don’t follow Bluey and Daniel Tiger, and particularly my MIL takes it as disrespecting how they did things. We just remind them the world has changed and what they wanted in the end was for their kids to be better off than they were. Isn’t that goal of everything, be it monetarily, physically, mentally, and especially in their health." – We-Going-Sizzler

5. "I love bluey and I try to emulate bandit as much as possible. My boomer parents have literally said that they don’t understand the show. They are completely out of touch. Gentle parenting is not even on their radar. It actually makes sense tho. Kinda sad." – peaceloveandapostacy

6. "Yeahhh my parents were just scratching their heads over 'Duck Cake.' Like the hyper authoritarian 'ohhh she’d be cleaning up her mess in THIS house! Hurr durr' like they did not get that the point is to make your kids understand that it is inherently good to help others (and makes us feel good too!). Nope! Not enough discipline. Explains a lot about them, actually." – Altruistic-Ratio6690

Bluey, Bandit, life lessons, parenting, kids showFathers Day Hug GIF by BlueyGiphy

7. "My parents are from the former Soviet Union. They think all children's programming is hot garbage if its not old school Russian cartoons from 80's or older. Only exception is Masha and the Bear. As others have said, they are not the demographic and luckily for our kiddos, we like the show, so that's all that matters." – St33lB3rz3rk3r

8. "My dad really struggled with the play bits. We watched the first episode with him (with the xylophone) and he just couldn’t parse that the xylophone wasnt magic and that it was all make believe. I think he just couldn’t wrap his head around a kids show that was just about kids playing and not something more fantastical. Which makes sense when compared to the 80s/90s cartoons we watched. That said if his little princesses like it he’s in lol." – DeliriousPrecarious

9. "A lot of the older generation got warped on harsh discipline and my way of the highway nonsense. The show may not translate for them, but they’re not the demographic." – AsItIs


Bluey, Blue balloon, parade, parents, kids, popular showMacys Parade Bluey GIF by The 96th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Giphy

10. "In a way, the show is actually a bit of an indictment on their way of parenting. Since, ya know, it models opposite behavior." – defnotajournalist

11. "My wife's mother feels that the show promotes 'cheekiness'? She's apparently not a fan." – Belerophon17

12. "Grandma doesn't like it because 'the kids are too sassy, do you want your daughter to sass you like that?' Yes, Mom, I do. Grandpa doesn't like it because he thinks it's 'sexist against men'. Ok boomer." – stravadarius


Bluey, blue kids, play, kids show, cartoon, parenting Scared Oh No GIF by Bluey Giphy

13. "Sounds like the grandparents are pretty much making the point. The boomers left a lot to be desired as parents, stewards of the world, and now as elder statespeople. Let's do better. I know Bandit would." – PhishGreenLantern

14. "I think it's less to do with bluey and more to do with the older generations inability to process their emotions in a healthy way." – SerentityM3ow

15. "[lurking mom] Caught my father in law teary eyed after watching an episode with my nephew. Bluey is doing great work healing multigenerational trauma!" – Dull_Title_3902


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Heroes

Denver 3-year-old bravely saves great-grandma after she fell outside while babysitting him

He learned bravery from watching 'Paw Patrol.'

Photo credit: Canva

3-year-old saves great-grandma after she fell and hit her head

There's no rule that says only an adult can be a hero. Teens and sometimes small children can become heroes too, even when they're not thinking of themselves as someone worthy of a cape. Bridger Peabody is just three years old but the toddler is already adding hero to his resume before he even starts preschool.

Bridger is a huge fan of the show Paw Patrol, which came in handy when an emergency took place while he was being babysat by his great-grandmother Sharon Lewis, 77. The two were home alone when the unthinkable happened, "Gigi," which is what Bridger calls his grandma, fell and the toddler had to rescue her. Lewis uses a walker to get around and must've become unsteady on her feet while maneuvering the wheeled walker inside.

The pair were outside enjoying some playtime before everything went south. As they were making their way inside from playing in the backyard, Lewis fell—but it wasn't just a normal trip and fall. The great-grandma didn't land on her knees, bottom, or even her hands—which probably would caused enough damage. When Lewis fell, she forcefully hit her head on the cement steps and blood quickly rushed from her wound—but that wasn't the end of her problem.

elderly, great grandma, great grandma, injury, childcareThank goodness the little boy knew what to do. Giphy

"I tripped over something and fell and hit my head on the concrete step," Lewis tells Inside Edition.

The elderly woman was unable to move and her cell phone was not with her. Since she was home alone with the toddler, she realized he was the only one there who could help her. So, she instructed him to get her phone. Bridger may be young, but he knew his grandmother was hurt and needed his help. There were a couple of stumbling blocks for Bridger to overcome, though, the first one being that the phone was in the car, not inside the house. The second was that the sun had set and the toddler is afraid of the dark.

dark, emergency, child, great grandma, helpThe situation was pretty dire.Giphy

This is where Paw Patrol comes in. The show is popular with toddlers and preschoolers, and depicts cartoon dogs of different breeds donning uniforms from various help and service professions (firefighter, police, construction, etc.) to rescue different fictional animals. It shows kids the importance of bravery, team work, and kindness—which Bridger clearly picked up on. The little guy knew that it was dark outside, but he also knew he needed to help his great-grandmother—so he braved the dark channeling his inner Paw Patrol character.

His self pep talk was caught on camera and it's just as adorable as one might imagine. You can see Bridger holding his blankie in the night vision security camera as he walks to the car repeating, "Don't be afraid." The boy opens the car door and excitedly exclaims, "YAY! I did it!" when he gets inside the car. When the interior light turned on in the car, Bridger could clearly see the phone and was able to grab it and bring it back to his grandmother, allowing her to call 911.

The ambulance came to take Lewis to the hospital where she received 22 staples in her head. She's now home safely recovering all thanks to the bravery of her three-year-old great grandson.

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Modern Families

Mom shows off mother-in-law's comically generous "sick care package" and it's so relatable

Mothers-in-law giveth and they annoyeth.

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Putting the "care" in care package.

In my experience, grandparents like to give a lot of...stuff. It can be overwhelming and frustrating, bringing all these things into your home that you have to find a place for, all of it adding to the clutter and mental load. And I know I'm not the only one. Some informal surveys say 75% of parents are frustrated that grandparents give the kids too many gifts. Based on the parents I know, that number easily checks out. And it's not just gifts, but food, baked goods, and groceries that we don't ask for—it's all too much!

It's a double-edged sword, though, because sometimes the stuff is great and really helpful. It's important to remember that there is a lot of generosity and love behind grandparents' (sometimes outlandish) gifting. It's a way for them to stay connected to the family when they can't always be there during the day-to-day. A little gift here and there is a way to show the grandkids they love them, and sending a batch of brownies you definitely don't want to be eating is just their little way of helping out.

To that end, a mom on TikTok recently showed off her outrageous haul from her mother-in-law, who sent a laughably generous care package when the family was sick with the flu.

gif of Alf sickMom-in-law went above and beyond to answer the sick family's call.Giphy

Makenzie Hubbell can barely contain her laughter as she begins telling the story on camera.

"My entire family is sick and we asked our mother-in-law to shop for us, so this is everything she got. "

Hubbell then holds up two eight-packs of Gatorade, or enough to hydrate a professional sports team.

"We asked for some goldfish for my son, for when he starts eating." Cue enormous, bulk-sized tub of Goldfish crackers. Then two giant bags of Tyson's chicken nuggets. "We asked for ground turkey. She got us two," Hubbell says, showing off the packs.

"Did not ask for these, but very thankful," she says, holding up a container of strawberries. "Strawberries are very expensive."

It went on and on. A huge package of chicken breast that could feed their family for a week. But the package wasn't just food and rations. There was a book for the little one, cupcakes for mom's birthday, and a gift in an adorable bag (spoiler: It's a candle and a t-shirt).

The care package was a veritable clown car of supplies and gifts. It's safe to say that mom-in-law went way overboard, in the way that grandparents do. Watch Hubbell show it all off here:


@chunkymak

i fear the gatorade wont last more than 3 days😂😭 #plussize #plussizeedition #groceries #groceryhaul

Commenters related heavily to the video, and it's got us wondering if mother-in-laws have been getting a bad rap all this time.

Turns out that mothers-in-law, despite their reputation, are coming in clutch all over the place! We might not always see eye to eye, but they're some of the most reliable and generous family members out there.

"You won the Mother in Law lottery."

"This is my MIL but she gives so much and won’t allow us to pay any portion back"

"My exs mother, my oldest son’s grandma, drops off a care package of groceries every time she goes to Costco. Always a rotisserie chicken. Muffins, fruit, snacks for school and fresh veggies."

"Welcome to the best mother in law club. My husband had a lot of health issues before he passed and my MIL would schedule her cleaning lady to come over the day before he came home from the hospital."

"My MIL is the same way…but times 4. If I asked her to pick some things up, it would be a haul. Those of us that are blessed, APPRECIATE!"

"So happy when I hear positive MIL stories on this app. While I am not one nor do I have one it always seems like they’re getting such a bad rap."

To add to the comedy of it all, Hubbell's mother-in-law was back with more rations and an entire pharmacy's-worth of medical supplies the very next day:

@chunkymak

Replying to @weetchofthewoods she also got us the sams club big pack of pampers cruisers in the wrong size so she's going to exchange them but she's got such a huge heart🩷 #plussize #plussizeedition #groceries #groceryhaul

Conflict between women and their mothers-in-law might be a little exaggerated by sitcoms and stand-up comics, but it is a tricky relationship to manage.

Mothers-in-law are naturally protective of their own children and have strong feelings and opinions about how their grandchildren are being raised. Communication and boundaries are key, but can be a challenge for any family to navigate with grandparents.

Case in point: Just as many commenters on Hubbell's video expressed regret that they didn't have nearly as good of a relationship with their own MIL.

It's a good exercise for any married person to look past the conflicts and disagreements and recognize how generous grandparents, and especially those pesky mothers-in-law, can be with their time and money. They just love to go overboard like in Hubbell's viral video, and seem to take pride in being more helpful than you could possibly ever ask them to be. Sure, that generosity also comes with a lot of junk and a little more spoiling of the kids than you'd like, but Hubbell's video is a good reminder to stop and be appreciative for just a moment if you're lucky enough to have an overly generous mother-in-law in your life.

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Love Stories

Woman discovers her grandpa meticulously documented every date with his wife for over 60 years

He wanted to remember every detail of their incredible love story.

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Bring back yearning!

Is romance a lost art? Some might say it is. Many people find dating apps to be an impersonal nightmare, and meeting up in-person is not always much better. Still, love connections do happen every day despite the odds! But is there courtship? Is there chivalry? Has everything gone to complete hell since the invention of social media?

Some experts say that romance isn't dead, just different, and that's a good way of looking at it. But there's definitely something nostalgic about the old-fashioned ways of our parents and grandparents. When you met each other in real life, dated properly, took each other to a sock hop, and couldn't instantly go find someone else the second you got bored.

One woman recently shared a fascinating and nostalgic document she received from her grandpa: He had documented every single date with his wife for over 60 years.

people on a date in the 60sIf he wanted to, he would. Giphy

The caption, shared by the granddaughter, Kayla, read: "When girls can barely get a good morning text but my grandpa documented every memory and date he ever had w my grandma for 60 years."

What follows is an extremely well-organized log of every date or key memory between the pair. A couple of things stand out from the early years of Jim and Kay's love story:

  • The title of the document is "The Beginning of a Wonderful Relationship." Pure romance.
  • They met on December 5, 1969 at a collegiate dance.
  • They hung out A LOT in the early days. In the first month of dating, they went on around 15 dates!
  • Jim refers to himself in the document as "Jim," which took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out. I kept wondering, who's this Jim guy?!
  • There are no NSFW details—that's not how that generation rolls — but you can read between the lines. "Kay came over to Jim's place before she went to work." Alright, I see you, Grandpa and Grandma.
  • It is pages and pages and pages long. No memory was too minute to leave out. In the video, just the year 1970 goes on for over five pages.
  • In June of 1970, Jim proposes, and the story is pure gold:

"Jim picked up Kay after work and went to the 'Den of Times' for drinks. There, Jim proposed to Kay asking if she 'wanted to marry him.' She said she had 'wanted' to marry him for some time but that he needed to ask another question. When he said 'will you marry me? she accepted!"

Watch Kayla's touching video here:


@kaylastipsits1

my grandma is one lucky gal #fyp #foryou #dating #love #relationship #stl #silversprings #stlouis #missouri

Commenters swooned, sobbed, and in some cases, were super jealous of the love on display in this document.

Over 8 million people have viewed the video on TikTok and we're all in agreement: The bar has been raised.

"may this love ATTACK me," wrote one user.

"Now I'm mad at my husband"

“Made spaghetti, went grocery shopping” SOBBING

"MAY THIS LOVE FIND ME"

"They just don’t make them like this anymore"

"We get caught up in so many modern day dating rules….'don’t make yourself too available'. Notice how they spent almost every day together immediately after meeting for the first time [When you know you know]"

The most beautiful part of the journal, to me, is the pure mundanity of it. So many dates involved them going shopping for groceries, cooking dinner at home, or watching TV. The fact that it was all done together over the course of many decades, and Jim considered every instance worthy of writing down, speaks volumes about their love.

Reading through what's visible of the document, I didn't see any instances of "picnic in a rowboat on a lake at sunset" or "candlelit dinner at the top of a skyscraper." It's just all so normal and ordinary. And I think it paints an amazing picture of what love really is: Finding a person to live life with.

I'd love to see how the pages of this journal evolved over the decades. In any case, not only is this journal an amazing testament to true love, it's an incredible thing for Kayla to inherit. It's the entire story of her Grandpa and Grandma, from the very beginning, without a single detail left out. And it's a good blueprint for her to keep if and when she tries to find her own life partner.

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