• @lennybird@lemmy.world
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    117 months ago

    My wife and I joke about this all the time — how the hell can we become more like Daniel Tiger’s parents!? We swear right off-camera in the other room they’re ripping a massive bong or something to remain that chill… And Daniel, that kid is perfect, listens to reason all the time, and pretty much never has a tantrum!

    Just once I want to see Daniel lose his shit followed by the parents who are exhausted trying to hold it together. I want a realistic portrayal of parenting and childhood tantrums. I want to see the parents break down and over-punish or say something wrong but then retract and come back and say sorry, etc.

    That being said, we take our own deep breaths, try our best to comfort our kiddos when we can and ensure that all their needs are met. And when all else fails—gas, diaper, food, play-time, teething, checking for cold symptoms, holding them in a low-stimulus room, etc. — we give them a little time to try to calm down or take a nap. On the flip-side, we’re not fans of the CIO method and aren’t just going to let them go on and on for a half hour or more. A reset after that tends to reveal whatever the problem is… But anyway, we’re still learning.

    • @ilinamorato@lemmy.world
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      37 months ago

      Yeah, I’m often amazed at how the closest thing to realistic anger I’ve ever seen Daniel’s parents fall into is when Daniel used his dad’s sock to make a puppet. And the closest thing to a real tantrum that Daniel himself has ever had was when he was…like, over-exhausted or something?

      Same with Bluey. That dad is setting expectations way too high.

      we’re not fans of the CIO method and aren’t just going to let them go on and on for a half hour or more.

      That never worked for us either. The kid definitely escalates. Resets work way better.

      • @constantokra@lemmy.one
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        37 months ago

        Bandit models a lot of good parenting, but he’s way too much of a pushover to be an actual role model. Also, I’m sure you’d look like a super parent if people only got to see your absolute best moments.

        • @HowManyNimons@lemmy.world
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          37 months ago

          Bandit has unlimited energy and a team of well-slept writers. He’s a good role model as long as you realise he is as unrealistic as any other cartoon animal.

        • @ilinamorato@lemmy.world
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          37 months ago

          Oh, that’s a good point. My nine best dad minutes every week probably compare significantly more favorably to Bandit’s than a randomly-selected nine minutes.