I personally had a blast going indepth on the psychology behind muffins actions and toddlers in general haha, It feels like forever since I really deep dived a character so i hope you buddies enjoy
Thank you so much for making this video. I feel so seen as a child who was like muffin I wasn't told right from wrong I was punished just for acting like muffin but I didn't know any better and instead of my parents taking the time to teach me they told me I was a bad kid because I didn't know any better. It was so hurtful that I thought I was a monster just for having these emotions and my parents treated disrespect and disobedience like a sin. I got spanked a lot for what I found out later are autistic traits qwq thank you thank you thank you for teaching people children are not monsters for not knowing any better.
I really enjoyed this episode since it was more psychology based, an interesting perspective as I'm also hoping to work with kids and/or therapies, and service dogs. Love all your videos and hope you do more deep dives like this.❤😅 Stay cool buddy😎
It's also important to remember that Bluey is 7 and Bingo is 5. Muffin is 3-4, and Socks is a baby. So Stripe and Trixie are still leaning how to parent.
And stripe being the youngest of his family probably plays a role. When you got older siblings parents tend to be a little hands off since you're also learning social rules and boundaries from your siblings just from play and observation.
I was going to mention Stripe being a little too lenient as a parent but then I saw this comment and that makes sense. I don’t have kids yet but I imagine it’s a lot figuring out what works and what doesn’t
Muffin is what Caillou SHOULD'VE been. A catalyst for parents to take responsibility for their actions and be better for the sake of their children. It's honestly amazing how much negativity this character receives because even though she's had her moments, I always knew was never out of malice. I'm glad you finally broke down what makes this character work in the universe that the show is set in. Muffin is cool y'all are just mean 😭
It's too bad that Caillou is similar to Muffin in actions which may be the reason why she receives so much negativity since so many people hate Caillou. The biggest difference between the two is the parenting that is seen after these actions. Caillou's parents are the "bad" version of parenting as they feed into Caillou's actions allowing him to be a brat with almost no repercussions which can be seen in real life with what we call "spoiled brats". Meanwhile Muffins parents are the "good" version as they can be seen working together and alone to not only take responsibility for Muffins actions, but also strive to become better for her sake.
Tbh, most people that dislike Muffin are probably people that don't want or like dealing with children. Bluey is not a show just for little kids and families, it is also for traumatized adults that want to re-connect to their inner child And to those people, having a Muffin is a nightmare. I do dislike her because I don't want children, and the idea of having a child that is as bratty as her, gives me anxiety and chills down my spine But I do not think is a bad thing honestly. One thing is expressing the discomfort of children while watching a cartoon. Another is being a as*hole to real children I think Muffin helps us have more empathy to parents that have a Muffin, instead of making us Hate kids like Muffin
I really liked the line, "she doesn't know any better yet, we have to teach her". I hear so many ppl just say that their kid "doesn't know any better" but does nothing to help them learn.
The best way I heard it described is that Bandit’s family is the hyper-idealised family, it’s playtime literally all the time with the parents, the kids learn their lessons with ease and are frequently well behaved etc. whereas Stripe’s family is a more realistic family, the parents have disagreements, the kids are frequently bratty, hard to control and don’t really take away anything meaningful from the lessons. It’s quite cool that the writers aren’t afraid to step back and show that contrast. Bandit and Chilli are great parents and I think a lot of parents would strive to be like them as best they can, but they are idealised for a reason.
Although I think it's because Muffin and Socks are younger so of course they're gonna fuss more. I also think it could be part of their personality but you know what I mean. Whereas Bluey and Bingo are older and don't feel the need to fuss like the cousins do, that's why they seem to learn more cooperatively and share more easily. I wonder if Bluey and Bingo acted similarly to Muffin and Socks at their age? Maybe a bit less wild but not perfect like how the show idealistically shows them to be.
I've actually seen the theory that Muffin wasn't JUST wanting her performance as a ballerina to be perfect on a personal level but she actually was trying to give Socks a chance to guess correctly, which Socks was clearly struggling to do and is clearly upset about, with her being ecstatic when she correctly identifies her big sister as a ballerina.
Exactly. That episode is so misunderstood. A lot of folks hate it because they think Muffin was being spoiled, when in reality, she just wanted to help Socks.
I think it's a little of column A and Column B here. I don't think the writers necessarily intended it that way from Muffin's perspective, or I feel she would have said something about Socks herself, but they certainly wanted to have Socks guess correctly at the end, so I can see how you got there!
As someone who worked with a lot of four year olds in a less than stellar environment, I thought Muffin was a good example of how kids that age act. They need understanding and boundaries, not people calling them the devil incarnate.
THIS SO MUCH. Kids aren't acting like Muffin because there's something wrong, that's just how kids that age are. They get so much better as they learn how to communicate their needs and feelings more, and get an understanding of how the world works. They don't push limits as much because they understand that they're there. They don't melt down or scream as often because they can say "I'm really uncomfortable because my shirt itches" or "I'm tired, can we go home now?"
While I do not work with kids or have them, I experienced bullying growing up and I understand how powerful labels can be. Like bullying, insulting a kid for not acting in a way that's socially acceptable or palatable doesn't teach them anything. It only teaches them to hate themselves unconditionally. Teaching kids how to behave, what's ok and not ok, and confronting them in a loving, understanding way makes such a big difference ! (Like what u said hehe)
@@necroculturevulture9628I agree! There’s an importance in not shaming kids for not getting what it’s like to be adults. I went through experiences where I was treated like an object as a kid, and yet was given more responsibilities like an adult as a child by a bad parent who would use that type of thing to manipulate me. It isn’t healthy, and I wish people talked more about kids just being growing humans. So of course they aren’t going to understand the world at 3 or 4, they are a young, young child. And yes! I agree boundaries should be set in the first place, but like life itself, there are genuinely harmful parents who don’t actually take that time to set boundaries, or punish without giving a genuine reason for punishment. I know it’s definitely my own experience that’s speaking from what I’m saying, but being told as a kid that “I’d get it as an adult” doesn’t excuse a punishment that made me confused and frustrated as a kid because I wasn’t told why what I did to get punished in the first place was wrong. Add in also the fact that I’m also someone who grew up with a father who is very traditional in the sense of old fashioned American gender norms, and being pain hateful, that this rift between me and my father formed super young for those reasons and more. I like to say that my experience hopefully spreads the awareness that if you end up viewing kids as objects, it can and will fuck them up as they get older. Yes, life is messy and no one is ever perfect. I can say with confidence that my father could have been a better father. Though as a young adult, I spend less time thinking about what he could’ve done, and what I can do for myself to heal. Because the concept of bullying or condemning a kid for something they did without explaining did happen to me as a kid. I was blamed for being bullied, my physical abuse from my older sibling was denied of existing. Among that, my father essentially told me through his actions how he felt about queer people, so it makes sense why it took me so long to even think about coming out to him lol.
I want to mention on top of this, the “you want to be treated as an adult?” Came from my father telling me as a kid that I shouldn’t cry, or have meltdowns because “that’s not what adults do.” I still have much more to unlearn in terms of feeling shame over crying, and the fact that I’m still coping with the fact that the father had will never be what I could get, or should’ve gotten. And I know people tend to say: you should wait for x person to change. Sometimes people don’t. And that’s what I’ve had to teach myself to not break down over my father’s abuse of me mentally when I was a child.
people tend to hate kid characters who actually act their age because, get this, they act their age. i don't really understand it myself, but it's something i've noticed in a lot of media, not just bluey. i think it's because quite a few kids in media are idolised or just don't act like kids so when a character does act their age people dislike it because it's "immature" even tho that's literally just a kid. tldr: a lot of current media writes kid characters in an idolised way, so when they're written like actually kids, a lot of people find it annoying due to the past media. or at least that's what i've noticed.
@@lightninmoth exactly! it’s rare to see a 4 year old acting exactly like bingo or bluey, and even if they do at the end of the day tantrums are going to happen because surprise, surprise, they are just kids!
@@Nutellacat literally! some of the kids i look after [i'm a babysitter, 2 - 12 age range normally] are angels and are really sweet but in the end they're kids and they're gonna have tantrums [especially toddlers], they're gonna do immature things and not know how to properly regualte things like emotions because, surprise, that's all taught and not automatic. tbh, i think it's a shame that a lot of media idolises kids because it causes things like this, hate towards kids just being kids.
@@lightninmoth wish bluey showed more of the girls having this tantrums, the last time i saw then acting like muffin was bingo on the episode pool when she doesn't want to leave.
@@lightninmoth Preaching to the choir yo. Many children at Muffin's age don't know how to regulate their emotions much less know the basics of manners and other general things such as personal space. Speaking as both a day-care assistant and a college student majoring in child development. It's not like you can expect them to be the perfectly-mannered child as soon as they turn 3 years old. And yes there are a lot of factors in how a child grows up, but the point is children are bound to express emotions but they won't be able to regulate them unless they're taught by both the parents' words and actions.
I’ve literally watched my toddler slowly shift from acting like muffin when she was 2 and acting like bingo now that she’s almost 4. It’s so wild how much they change as they learn so quickly. Muffin is a child, who’s been alone until socks, and her parents give her whatever she wants. My daughter is an only child who doesn’t get whatever she wants lol
People have been fed a diet of children's shows where the main character child is presented as idealised. This shift towards a more accurate representation of a child of a certain age is difficult for some people to comprehend. None of the characters in Bluey are perfect and that's what makes them seem more real.
I have heard of parents skipping Muffin episodes during family viewing because "she acts disrespectful" like she's not acting normal developmentally and those episodes could be used to connect with and teach a child in the same stage
Literally my favorite comment omg, situations that arise like that are definitely best used as learning opportunities as opposed to leading to restrictions. The video wasn’t even out long enough for people to watch it all and you essentially said one of my favorite points towards why I love muffin without (I’m assuming ) you finishing the video. I love your mind lol
@@rock2946that's because muffin has people who will teach her and help her understand. A lot of parents unfortunately do not take that time to teach their kid.
As a daycare teacher, not all toddlers are as high maintenance as muffin. But this is still a very realistic look at age appropriate behaviors, and the way parents often react to having a more high maintenance toddler.
Same here, I also like how Muffin is portrayed in Bluey. And I have a feeling that Socks might be a more chilled out and quiet toddler. But in the end, she is still a toddler who will still act out. Just not in the same way Muffin does.
@@CiderVG I feel this. Some people talk about their kid being a "unicorn" my first is a dragon. She's not like muffin, she shares really well, but as 3y kids go she's emotionally high matinence. (Yesterday she screamed and cried for an hour because I couldn't uncut her mango. She was so sad/mad at me and yelled at me to stop talking when I tried to explain) My second baby is nearly 1 and she's already more chill than her sister was. Louder, but cranky less often.
Muffin being a very common very normal level of chaotic for a toddler feels like a reality check for a few people watching that just doesn't register. If you hate her, you might not be ready to love a child of your own who's probably going to have the same kind of moments. It's not all bad, but it's unrealistic to expect a 3 year old to have total self control
yes!!! but unfortunately i still know so many parents who don't care if they're ready to be parents or not and it's hard to watch the child's childhood be so cruel.
Literally the fact that I'm not a big fan of her cemented the idea in my mind that I never want to have children. That is a thought I've had for a long time, but knowing that I even find this annoying had made me understand I definitely wouldn't make a good parent lol
I was never allowed to be a child, specifically bc my parent couldn’t handle a child. Hearing that people. Choose to help children is literally the most heartwarming thing. Thank you 💕
shoutout to those of us who got praised for being so "obedient" and "quiet" when we did so because we were never allowed any other choice, any way to express ourselves
@@cyanthrope gotta toss in a bigger shout out to those of us who know it's the truth and plan on breaking that cycle of toxic obedience with our own kids. It's one of the hardest things I've done so far, the instinct is to parent how I was, but I'm determined to be that change for my own kids.
Fortunately, I was never in this position, but I have friends and partners who were parentified children . In some ways they seemed more mature from being forced to grow up fast. But they were open about how losing their childhood made them feel “behind” or “stuck” in other ways like struggling to have fulfilling relationships, asking for support, expressing emotions in a healthy way, etc. Some adults don’t get that when you repress a child’s needs, it doesn’t make them more “mature” or prevent them from being like Muffin. the trauma is going to come out one way or another, whether they internalize or externalize it. And they’re not doomed by their circumstances but it takes a lot of work to heal from. I’m sorry for anyone who was born to emotionally immature parents and am happy you are healing and looking to break toxic cycles.
I think a lot of the "hate" may stem from people's unresolved anger at how they would be punished a lot for acting like Muffin did at her age. Muffin is not a bad kid, but they don't see it that way because *they* got called bad kids for it.
@@known_questionmark I'm talking about my experience and what I grew up with. That's kinda a rude assumption to say I don't want kids just because I see neglectful patenting. I'm just agreeing with the first comment because I saw kids getting punished if they ever acted like Muffin. I'm saying Muffin represents neglectful parent's biggest fear : an unruly child. I'm just gonna say it. Muffin gets away with shit most if not all kids can't get away with it. She's literally just a kid but I don't tolerate her screaming and shifty behavior.
Once I realized that Muffin was not the trope for an only child I loved her. She’s a great kid. She’s very willing to share, she’s thankful, and she loves her cousins. Just look at how she gets 1300 dollarbucks for the granny mobile then becomes helpful Super Granny. But being a kid is frustrating as hell, and Muffin embodies that.
EXACTLY, I get so annoyed when people are like "damn why is my three year old having a fit he doesn't appreciate how easy he has it" BEING THREE IS SO HARD. Nothing makes sense, no one can understand you, you can't understand them, you have no control over anything, people get annoyed when you ask for clarification ("why do you have to ask WHY all the time?!")...being three sucks. Muffin's four now and already seems well on her way to chilling out. But she's always been a good kid, just a handful. She's a good big sister, a good cousin, she's never mean or rude. She's just extra.
Yeah, the granny mobile is one of my favorite episodes, showing how her 'extra' personality can actually come in handy. Being a stubborn butt sometimes isn't a bad thing if you are standing up for what is 'right' not just being stubborn for stubborn's sake. Kinda showcasing the difference between Muffin (being kind and innocent in her game) vs the cranky old lady being maliciously stubborn and selfish. Muffin feels good doing something good, and wants to continue playing 'hero' which is a good sign that she will continue to use her bull headedness to stick up for others and be sensitive to the injustices in the world. Idk. Muffin IS annoying and I do kinda cringe when I am watching with my kids because I do fear any nuisance is lost on them, BUT she's also kinda funny as in the fact...yup that's how high strung kids act dialed up a bit from inconsistent parenting but YUP.... it's only funny because it's just acting out... not like 'bad' behavior (like seriously concerning) just super ORNERY.
I remember the Pizza Girls episode where Muffin gladly took her cousins for a joyride in her mini car and had no qualms with letting Bluey drive it. Not to mention her trying to keep the car clean by saying that they can't have mud in the car which is pretty responsible for a 3yr
I always thought that the Ballerina thing was because Muffin noticed that her little sister was sad that she wasn't able to get the word ballerina out even though she knew the answer. Yes it wasn't executed in a very good way but I found that episode to be very cute.
Yes! Also I think if Muffin would have been allowed to finish her hat in Faceytalk she would have given the iPad over to socks willingly--Stripes winds up getting into an unnecessary power battle in that instance IMO
@eviescotia it's so dependent on the kid honestly. My oldest at that age, would have been fine with being allowed to finish the hat and would have happily handed it over at that point. My youngest is very much an "if you give a mouse a cookie" personality, and if she's allowed to finish the hat then she will find ways to drag it out ad infinitum and it becomes much worse than if we just set a hard boundary.
My brother and I were "easy children" growing up. No tantrums and no defying our parents. I struggle with empathy when it comes to children that misbehave because I simply never experienced it, since I found it easy to behave I feel frustration as to why other kids can't just be like that too. I have to remember that all kids are different and that the way I behaved stemmed from my environment, fear and a bit of trauma. I was still bad in other ways, like being manipulative and getting my brother in trouble. This video grounded me back to that mentality and it reminded me to extend understanding when it comes to misbehaving kids, thanks!
I honestly don’t wish being an easy child on anybody. I started acting out as a preteen, and was emotionally stunted because I was too scared to be mad as a child. Misbehaving as a kid teaching many lessons.
Oof, I feel like I ghost wrote this a few years ago! My dad was in the military and my mom a teacher and both huge in the community so I always had to be good, always “on” and on my best behavior all the time or…else. And man did it make me suppress my emotions until it exploded again and again in ways that weren’t healthy, especially as a teen and young adult. Took a lot of therapy to understand that my frustration with kids allowed to misbehave and not be “on” all the time was due to how I was raised, and I didn’t have to keep that mindset. And now I’m fairly easy going, more than most when kids misbehave (not full out being terrible, but just a bit “bratty” and childlike like muffin), because oh my god your parents are actually letting you exist as just you for a bit without resorting to the worst. It’s a magical thing for me to see even because I’m not used to it, and one mom even asked why I was tearing up as her kid climbed all over me and I was just like “you’re letting him exist as he is without hurting people, I appreciate that.”
@@rustedvulture8974this sounds so much like my mom! My grandma complains about her being a good kid and a difficult teenager, but my mom was just finally expressing her feelings for the first time. Sadly even though most of my family values open communication, we’ve had to learn to hide the truth from my grandma because she flies off the handle and is too unaware and too stubborn to want to change.
My kiddos are neurodivergent, and actually, they find Muffin particularly helpful. They can look at Muffin and see she behaves in a way that often isn't ideal, and see that those around her understand she doesn't do it to be unkind. She just doesn't know yet. It not only helps them when handling themselves, but when handling each other. They'll talk about parallels to the show to behaviour in each other and it helps them process it and access more compassionate approaches. I won't lie. Muffin was not my favourite in early days. But 1) She is definitely the one you get to watch grow and mature the best and 2) she helps kids see and understand kids sometimes aren't obedient and nice, and that's okay. It can be handled and forgiven.
I have run into people who say they skip the Muffin episodes/dislike her/etc and yeah, she can be over the top and mean and bratty but she's a child. A literal toddler. I have never wanted children but even I can understand that this is just what children go through. Maybe it's because I went through watching my nephew go through all of these stages, I don't know, but it feels incredibly cruel to place so much on a 3-4 year old and to say that you hate them.
In real life yes children act like that but animation a lot of people expect to be better than life so their anger likely stems from the difference from norms
i like her chaotic nature and she’s very silly imo i think the only one that bothered me is when her dad told her she was the most special kid in the world. i wasn’t annoyed with her but i was with her dad i understand why he said it and i understand why she behaved the way she did i just think we as parents need to watch what we say to our children.
Muffin is one of my favorite characters because she feels so "real". My husband and I always joke that if kids always acted like Bluey and Bingo, we would want to become parents. But we're happily the support crew to our friends and family who have kids. :-) My favorite part of FaceyTalk is Socks drawing her scene when the Muffin drama is unfolding. All the screaming, chasing and arguing is so normal for Socks, that she is able to tune it out and draws. This hits home with me because I love to draw and when I was little, a lot of chaos was happening in our family and I drew to escape.
I also just kinda love how Socks is able to vibe out. She's one of my favorite characters. Although. It also kinda brings Stripe calling Muffin the most Special into a kinda harsh light though if you actually dig deeper into that more in my opinion. It's sad. I feel like the writers kinda forgot about Socks there...
Bluey and bingo probably were more like muffin or socks when they were younger but just cant remember anymore. They grew out of it and muffin and socks will too. (Not that we get to see that since bluey characters will never age up)
Muffin is such a delight, she’s a little hellion but in a way that’s still fun to watch and true to some kids I’ve been around. A little bit rowdy and immature compared to her cousins, but still developmentally appropriate. She’s still learning about boundaries and manners. She’s one of my favorite characters in the show, especially because it shows how the creators are committed to showing a lot of different kinds of kids and not just a “perfectly behaved little cherub”.
@@WolfspiratWe might. Bluey and Bingo both age up a year during the show and even Socks gets a new design because she got older too. They probably won't age up a ton, but even if they were to, I think this show could pull it off with how well they showcase other characters.
@@silversugar2140I don't think the writers forgot, I think stripe forgot lol. No, but I actually think it would be fitting for stripe to hear the question "am I special?" Out of the context of how he just defined it. Instead, taking it as a question of "am I allowed to make mistakes like that?", or "will you be just as forgiving to me if I make mistakes like how you did?". Another way to think about it is that Stripe was using emotional context of the situation, and muffin was using surface literal content
In "Camping," there is a brief flash-forward to a teenage Bluey. Muffin, off-screen, shouts "Bluey, that book's mine!" and Bluey says, "I know it's yours, I'm just borrowing it." And I love how the characterization is so consistent, because teenage Bluey becoming a big reader is very true to Bluey, and Muffin still being somewhat materialistic and whiny is very true to Muffin. Muffin is just the way Muffin is, it's not just her age. But the fact Teenage!Muffin does not object further shows that Stripe and Trixie have successfully taught her lessons about sharing, and Bluey has developed a relationship with her cousin that comfortably tests their boundaries.
I don't think it's showing materialism, it's just Muffin being annoyed that Bluey took her book without asking first. Sharing is well and good but it's not sharing if someone just takes it without asking.
As the parent of a 2 year old, seeing muffin is a breath of fresh air. She showcases alot of the challenges a younger child brings, but we also get a glimpse of the sweet kid she is at heart. It's also refreshing to hear your take on this, it's important to remember who kids are as people, and where they are developmentally
She does say things like please and thank you sometimes, so she is growing and learning well. She is the perfect example of what happens to people without boundaries.
As a mom to three, one who is the same age as Muffin, I can understand her in a way that I'm not sure most do. Even just today, we had to go to a place where there was nothing to do for her, even though I tried to keep her entertained with, of course, Bluey and a drawing pad, but eventually, it just stopped working. I decided to go home because it wouldn't have been fair to her to stay there. She was tired, cranky and just plain bored. Why subject her to that (and everyone else to the meltdown) when I could just try again the next day or wait until someone could watch her?
Hey some days there’s just not much you can do, I will say I applaud you for doing everything you can for your little one, I’ve seen too many parents that frankly don’t really give the necessary support and it sounds like you are an extremely understanding and kind mother 💙💙💙
I remember when my grandma had a stroke, my mom taking us to the ICU where she was and just having to sit and stare at the walls. There was a waiting room, but there was only one TV and it was on CNN.
And this is it right here. Your three year old shouldn't be expected to act like an adult or even an older child. You saw that she was at the end of her rope and removed her from the situation before it escalated, because her not losing her marbles was rightly more important to you than trying to impart some kind of "lesson" or forcing her to "act right or else." Your kid is lucky to have a mom who gets that being three is actually pretty hard
I'm surprised to hear that Muffin is hated. We've all been her at some point in our lives and while it's annoying, it's not malicious. And while most of us want to be Chilli or Bandit, we're more often than not Trixie or Stripe. I'm surprised how little compassion people seem to have for them. Maybe it's because Muffin's family breaks the illusion so many adults tune into Bluey to see. Muffin's family isn't a bad family. They're doing their best, and their best is realistic to many watching.
As a 22M fan of the show, I never got the Muffin hate. I think I saw a bit of toddler me in Muffin… totally chaotic, impulsive, and behind in social skills, yet completely natural. Plus I just think her character is incredibly entertaining and can be used for humorous moments quite well
People who hate kids always forget we were kids once we were naive and stupid and stubborn and chaotic! It’s sad to see such hate be brought into a child for just being a kid especially since most of their behavior comes from their parents which they have no control over.
Fr, Muffin is their first kid and they're clearly still navigating things. + having differences in how you raise kids vs raising them poorly is not the same
We don't hate Muffin, we just know our children are gonna imitate the wild behavior. ❤ I can't wait to share Muffin with my daughter when she's a bit older lol
I think part of the reason muffin screams so much (apart from being a 4 year old) is that, in the episode where they have a call, stripe tells muffin hes gonna turn off the call and when everyone screams Stripe backs down. Basically, he is teaching them that if they scream hard enough they will get what they want
I didn't even realize there was a reason to dislike muffin until a few of my friends said they didn't like her. she's just 3, and can't be expected to behave as maturely as the older kids. genuinely everyone should read up on child psychology, even if you don't have kids or plan on having kids. it's so important to understand them and give them the benefit of the doubt because they are still learning
As an autistic person, i identify with Muffin quite a bit. Especially when looking back on my own childhood. Learning a new social rule (you're the most special) and misapplying it in inappropriate situations (i can do what i want cuz dad said I'm special); Meltdowns/tantrums; and stimming behavior (sucking her thumb). To be clear, I'm not diagnosing her with autism. But of the characters in Bluey, she most accurately exhibits autistic behaviors.
Even though they’re fictional characters they’re still based off of children and it’s definitely concerning when people do judge children like they can parent their own actions. Seeing adult Bluey fans go after Muffin and especially Judo is so sad to me because I grew up with kids just like them and they actually struggled a lot.
Exactly this, i and millions of others used to act the same exact way as her at that age, the adults around me would tell me im a bad kid and that sort of thing but would never explain to me why what im doing is bad. I also am autistic and while my teachers and basically every adult around me familiar with autism said i was probably autistic, my mom would tell me theyre wrong that i was just "smarter than the other kids" which ended up in me having the whole gifted kid crash. It ended up in me developing clinical depression at age 8 and being prescribed ssris at 11. The adults around me blamed it on me and chemical imbalance instead of their way of parenting, they would never listen because of my behavior. Its an awful way of treating kids, i know my parents mostly meant no harm with it (my mom would say really fucked up jokes about hurting/killing me for being annoying on the phone thinking i couldnt hear her, i did) and still dont wanna accept that they still hurt me depsite not wishing to cause harm. Im still recovering, not only mentally but physically too. It spiraled into me trying benzos and opioid at 13, im stilk trying to get away from that. In short: kids are assholes, but its not their faults. Theu dont know what theyre doing, they dont have the experience to know. You have to be patient, be kind but be firm. You need a balance, dont just yell and scream. Explain whats wrong with their behavior, how it affects things, and how itll affect them. Kids arent just husks for you to imprint yourself on, theyre people. Ones that are new to the world. Sorry for the rant i just felt like sharing my personal experience with these sorta people
Parents who are good at parenting get annoyed with parents who are bad at parenting, and the brats they raise. How is this surprising? Even Chile gives him an annoyed glance. What is so confusing about this to people?
@@CovenoftheOpenMind I wouldn't say Stripe and Trixie are bad parents. They're new to it since Muffin is their first pup and they have different parenting styles, not just compared to Chili and Bandit. I'm certain that there's going to be a core difference of how Muffin behaves and how Socks will behave when she is older. Also, Bluey and Bingo ain't perfect either. There was a time where Bluey was quite mean towards Socks in one of the Christmas episodes.
Seriously, we are taking about a toddler. That's the whole point. Most of them outgrow this stage, and not without parents' help. You have to experience it to know what I mean- to raise a child, or at least observe a child being raised. If you have already, then sorry, you probably didn't gain much from your observations
I think Socks is going to be the Bingo of that family, just totally chill and well-behaved most of the time, while Muffin will be the Bluey. She's so cute.
Ever since someone pointed out that in Baby Race, the friend looks at the audience when telling Chili, “You’re doing great.” I always pay extra attention when i see this choice made again. Bluey is an amazing show because it’s not just a great show with humor for parents, it’s an amazing show FOR parents with humor for kids. Nothing hits you like a parenting lesson from this damn show ❤
@@summonbiggerfishyou do realize that real, adult human beings created and wrote the characters right? There's a ton of great content in this show for both parents and children.
omg some ppl are CRAZY 🙄 yeah she can be a bit bratty, but guess what? kids can and WILL be absolute shits and terrors bc they are kids. ppl cant see how shes learning and growing as a kid
I’ve always liked her and I’ve always thought of her as bratty but in a likable way if that makes sense. She still is a good kid despite this behavior at times.
Ppl have this idea that someone is inherently either good or bad. People are just inherently who they are, with good and bad things further shaped by their experiences.
I think that shows how unforgiving we can be as adults. We forget what it was like to be a kid and not knowing the “rules”. Also maybe some people just didn’t get that patience as kids. It’s a self awareness thing.
Honestly this feels pretty common with a lot of medias where people become angry when an infant, toddler, child, or teenager behave like what they are. Or even if they behave nasty when they should know better they forget the history of the character that makes them behave that way and give them no chance to grow
Yeah to be honest, shows like Cailou and Arthur emphasized the “spoiled brat” characterization so much that people just hate those type of people, even if they might be like that themselves without them knowing it. Muffin is basically a correction to the wrong lessons learned from those older shows.
Good point. I've seen people compare Muffin to DW and I don't get it - DW is fully just an asshole, where Muffin is never mean, just chaotic. But I can see how if you only see a kid who isn't totally tractable and obedient as the "bratty one" you don't stop to consider where the behavior is coming from.
@@tinkerhell-kj3mv As a Muffin, disliker (not hater) Muffin will always be better than DW, DW was a little sociopath who seemed to only thrive on tormenting her brother while facing. Absolutely no negative consequences. Muffin is only a minor annoyance who will most likely grow up and be very wholesome and sweet.
The episode with Nana is when i started to like Muffin. When Nana said the only rule is that everyone gets what they want i thought it was beautiful and such unconditional love. Not everyone is the same for whatever reason and we all deserve unconditional love. When we have those people who are less tolerable they're just doing their best and we can still show them love and grace. 💜
I'd love to see an episode where Stripe gets frustrated and tries to be super strict, and after it backfires he goes to Bandit and Bandit coaches him gently and gives him some brotherly guidance on balancing in parenting.
I love Muffin's chaotic energy! Like Chili says, different families have different rules and as a result, different children. It may be that people feel negatively towards Muffin by comparing her to Bingo but no child is perfect and I'm happy to see that Muffin may be a handful but she's never mean-spirited
People think there's something wrong with a kid not being totally sweet and tractable constantly...which, I totally get that kids like Bingo are easier to get along with, but Bingo is also the kind of kid who's likely to get picked on or taken advantage of because she doesn't want to make waves. No one's going to push Muffin around. Source: am a former Bingo
@@tinkerhell-kj3mv Right and you can even see that in the adults! Everyone except muffin struggled to tell that grouchy old woman off whereas muffin got her to pay up 💀
@@tinkerhell-kj3mv You're so right. My toddler is a bingo, so was I, and that's a massive worry of mine. My sister was a feisty muffin kid and she handled herself so well during school and onwards. I was bullied, shy and submissive so was often taken advantage of. I'm still learning to draw my own boundaries with other adults and working to appear confident and assertive for my little girl. Every kid has their strengths and weaknesses, and even the "bingos" of the world have their muffin moments. All the muffin hate just breaks my heart, they're truly fabulous kids and really keep you on your toes.
@@CandyFlossFluff This is such an awesome way of putting it. I'll make sure to tell this to people next time they become Muffin haters. I was a Bingo myself, and while I wasn't disliked, people took severe advantage of me. I even went as far as to give what little money I had each day at school to the popular kids because I wanted them to like me. It took me literally years to realize I was being used. I was THAT naive. Even if Muffin is bratty and rubs everyone the wrong way, she's not someone to take anyone's crud, and I wish people would understand that. Just because a kid, especially a toddler, is spoiled and bratty, doesn't mean they're bad.
Muffin was me when I was younger. I always saw her as a neurodivergent child due to her chaotic nature and simple wants covered by adverse emotions. It was difficult for me to communicate what I wanted because I didn’t always know how to say it. It led me to being frustrated and not being able to control my temper tantrums. I was also so anxious at this age because I didn’t understand what was going on because my communication skills weren’t the best and I couldn’t really read people or situations either. I basically had no self awareness. I eventually got to a stage where I could learn these skills through people teaching me rather than instinctively learning or having. I feel like Muffin is the same in that regard. She will learn by people telling her how her actions affect people but she will still be a chaotic queen when she grows up. ✨
One of the hardest things about being a neurodivergent kid (IMO) is that people think you're trying to be manipulative when you have a fit but you're really just...so past your limit your brain won't allow you to do anything else. I've seen people posit that Bluey and Muffin have ADHD and Bingo has autism, I can actually see all three of those being true though of course they're all very different kids.
Thanks for saying that. Most people blatantly don't even try to understand us. They also think we'll "grow out of it" (LOL) bc everything they've heard is from parents complaining. Neurodivergent adults exist (and that's all we're trying to do). ❤
I know a Muffin in my life, but she's 8. She's my little cousin and her parents never corrected her behavior when she was Muffin's age. Of course that behavior is normal for a 3-4 year old, but not someone twice the age. My little cousin's parents never made her have punishments or explained that her behavior was wrong. She is struggling with not being the family baby anymore, and my family is seeing that her behavior isn't "cute" anymore. Hope she grows out of it, and Muffin is a pretty good example of a little kid, and what can happen if you don't set up boundaries or punishments for kids
I know a Muffin that's 21, in a group home and male. Random screams included (attention hog). Needless to say they are struggling to find staff to pick up shifts.
The thing is Muffin's behavior is developmentally appropriate for a three year old; she doesn't need more punishments, she just needs to get older. When she's a little older it'll be time for her parents to say "okay this is how we handle feeling upset/bored/angry/disappointed" etc. There's no reason to think Trixie and Stripe will neglect that aspect of Muffin's development. They largely deal with her appropriately, because she's three. The problem comes when, like your cousin, four, five, six all pass by and no one's taken the time to teach them these things.
@@tinkerhell-kj3mvhowever something you have to understand is that understanding is a different thing Yes a kid at that age will behave like this that’s totally normal but if you have this mentality that they will grow out of it constantly without trying to ever learn them when they are young they won’t learn when they are older you can absolutely explain to a toddler why their behavior is wrong what they should and shouldn’t do try and help them find ways to regulate their emotions the only thing you shouldn’t do is always focus on the bad behavior you need balance of explaining to the kid what is wrong and right while also not making them feel like a villain for their behavior who never does anything good this is a hard one to balance in general but saying they will grow out of it and doing nothing to help them when they are young out of a belief that they are too young to understand is one of the reasons why this behavior continues and then as they grow older people will hold them accountable for behavior that has never been explained to them as wrong
@@tinkerhell-kj3mvI have a young sister who is soon at Muffin’s age I do have to constantly explain to her what she can’t and can do she gets upset of course but that’s the thing I still have to remind her of it because one day she will get to a point where I can explain more why we don’t do that but right now she needs the boundaries set and also the thing with kids if they learn the boundaries they will know them and then there is a matter of asking yourself what behavior should be corrected and what is okay to leave be because pointing out everything at a constant doesn’t work and you have to put in a lot of perspective into what the child is doing and why like if the child is doing it For example my grandma scolded my sister for ruining her books but I thought of her scolding as harsh because my sister ruined the children’s books that my sister owned so it was her own and it’s normal for children to pick something apart and while you can certainly correct it the reaction my grandma had to it was over the top since the context was that my sister ruined her own books not something library owned or something owned by others so acting like she committed a crime was ridiculous even though I did agree that the behavior could have been addressed it just wasn’t a appropriate emotional reaction at the same time
This information abt muffin gives me so much understanding why my cousin also acts like this. I always thought she was just a brat and sometimes a princess but whith the help of this video, it had help me to understand that she is at a state same as muffin and that state i have NEVER been to as a kid. Thank SO much for helping me understand my 4 year old cousin. This REALLY helps alot 😊
As soon as a saw muffin I knew. I used to work in a daycare and she a good representative of kids in that age range. I think parents want their kids to be like Bluey or Bingo forgetting they have to deal with the muffin stage 😂
people treat Muffin's character like she's just a tiny fully formed adult, able to fully reason and understand her actions and their consequences. but she's 4 years old, and the entire point of her character is to showcase the product of lazy, hands-off parenting: an uncontrollable wild-child. she's designed to be a foil to the Heeler kids and every other character which is more well-behaved; *she's the example of how not to act*
I feel like most adults expect children to act like fully formed adults, which is part of the problem. They're young and new in the world. How would they know how to act properly unless u take the time and patience to teach them?
YES. I still don't personally care for Muffin all that much, but so much of her behavior comes down to parenting. While Stripe & Trixie are likable enough as standalone characters, when we see them parenting, all I can think is "that's how to end up with a Muffin." Every kid is going to have their tantrum moments, but the "do as I say, not as I do" mentality from both parents is not helping her self-regulation. Definitely the foil character, great for opening up discussions about how Muffin's actions make others feel.
Now, after watching the episode fully, I can say that Stripe and Trixie are pretty good parents. They recognize they can't be like Bandit and Chile, but they are taking steps to be better for themselves and their kids. If they actively resisted the lessons they learned in the series, or let their pride govern their parenting, then they'd be bad parents.
I love muffin :) she reminds me of my own son. He’s hyperactive, has a hard time listening or understanding sometimes, and has an aggressive streak. But it’s clear he’s not intending to be malicious, he just has too much energy and it needs to come out somehow. He also has a very kind heart and just wants to connect with people, something he’s unfortunately going to struggle with his whole life due to having ADHD. Muffin is just a toddler, admittedly a more difficult and willful one, but a toddler nonetheless. Every child is different, that doesn’t make them bad.
Personally, I think Muffin's psychology and everything is 100% accurate to someone that age. I've heard my mom say several times when she watches Bluey with me that she remembers those days, especially with how one of my older sisters acted at that age. Quite similar to Muffin. Thanks for making this video. It was an amazing find. I look forward to watching more. 💕
I generally feel 3 yr olds are just demons given flesh, but I recognize that I have some real inner child trauma because I was never, never, EVER "allowed" to behave in those ways. I got frustrated with kids who acted out when I was their age, and I feel the same frustration now. Absolutely none of that is Muffin's, or any child's, fault. It's something in myself that I have to process.
I used to feel that same frustration, and to be honest sometimes it’s still there, but working through my own trauma and experiencing the teachings of little shows like this helps make the world a lot less frustrating and more enjoyable for sure 💚
I absolutely love how Bluey teaches that KIDS CAN BE IMMATURE and it’s absolutely normal. The problem with this generation is forcing kids to mature too fast. I hate seeing it because kids will be kids, and we shouldn’t get mad at them for that.. Muffin and Socks are my favorite characters, and i absolutely love them because they show normal child behavior. This is why Bluey is such an amazing show:
Yes! Kids are often maturing too fast due to being hit for simply being children. And this hitting is normalized as “spankings”, which have been outed as being harmful to childrens mental development! Im certain that alot of people who dislike muffin for being a child would hit their children for being children
We need more kid characters acting like real kids , because kids aren't pure beings that instantly know right from wrong , that's taught by experience and from parents or other parental figures
I worked with a looooot of "Muffins" when I worked at different daycares, and I can totally understand people being frustrated with Muffin. I do too sometimes! But she's doing the best with what she's got. Not enough people really truly understand that a 3 year old has only been ALIVE for 3 years, and they've had a LOT to learn in that time. I think Muffin is a classic 3 year old, who has moments where she is "misbehaving" and other moments where shes thoughtful, like you pointed out! Plus, as seen in the clips you used, Bluey and Bingo have their moments of tantrums or misbehavior too, we just get more time with them to understand their behavior better than we do Muffin and Socks.
I remember having some friends who were like muffin. I see them today and they are so confident and assertive in the best way. It makes me proud of them, and love muffin.
I found her hilarious but never hated her. She is exactly what you’d expect out of a 4 yr old. Overly mature child protagonists really spoil peoples’ perception of children . My favorite thing about Muffin was when her father explained that while she’s special to him, she’s not like that to everyone. She understood. No tantrum, no anger, she understood perfectly
I have a niece (8) and a nephew (2). The boy is at the stage everything in his hand is his and yells "MIIIINNMEE." He is the sweetest boy and is ready to help when he sees someone doing a task. His sister gets annoyed that he acts bratty sometimes and no one reprimands hims. We have to remind her he's learning.
yes that is how muffin is....one minute a "brat" but the other time is sweet. They didnt make her an angelic pickles where she is 99 percent a spoiled brat but more realistic as a kid
I work at a preschool and I knew a kid just like Muffin. He either acted how I expected or in a completely unexpected way and to be honest I didn't like him for a time. But that was because I was new and it took me a while to realize he's still growing, he was only 3! So we grew together, I learned to understand that it'll take a while for him to learn social skills and more complex emotions and he learned said skills and emotions with a little help from me here and there. Now when I look back I'm proud to say that he's one of my most well remembered kids
I like to compare Muffin Heeler to Manny Heffley. They are both ownwy thwee, but one has parents that attempt to set her straight, and when she is given the guidance, she at least tries to make attempts to fix her behavior, and she at least has friends, meanwhile the other is an unsympathetic manipulator that is aware of his age behavior and consistently uses it as an excuse to justify his actions, parents that are blisfully ignorant to his manipulations, never punishes him, and even enables his behavior which leads him to think what he's doing is right, he has no friends and refuses to empathize to with anyone including his family, and is even consciously allowed them to starve to death just to secure his own survival. Muffin is a normal kid of her own age, Manny is the second coming of Hitler.
Muffin is also portrayed through a neutral lens. We see her actions as a 3rd party neutral observer. We only see Manny's actions through Greg's perspective, and what kid likes dealing with their toddler sibling? Also Greg is a sociopath who lacks empathy so he doesn't understand that Manny is a developing baby and wants to manipulate the reader into thinking Manny is worse than he is. Greg is an unreliable narrator.
@pinkdarkboy7127 Thank you! People forget that Greg is an unreliable narrator and that he tends to make the people around sound worse than they actually are. He does the same thing with Rodrick. Not saying that Manny is a saint or that he has no flaws, but Greg is notorious for framing everyone else a bad light, except for himself, and maybe Holly too.
When I first saw Muffin in a video clip, my thoughts were: Yeah, I'd get a migraine... but I don't hold anything against her for it, because I understood almost immediately that she was likely in the phase where she was learning to assert herself as well as communicate. It's been hard to explain the entire time, but one way I've seen it: I was kind of like Muffin in kindergarten XD (roast me all you want, everyone, but:); my point is that I remember what it's like *being a kid,* especially developing communcation.
Exactly. Muffin will yell less when she's better able to make herself understood. She'll learn to deal with feelings better when she's able to understand them. This is a person so young she only just learned how a toilet works. EVERYTHING is new and bewildering to her.
I'll admit it, I'm a past Muffin-hater. When I first watched Bluey, I didn't *hate* Muffin like some people did, but I certainly didn't like her. I thought of her as a bratty kid who threw temper tantrums and was never properly disciplined by rich, spineless parents (Stripe mainly). The episode 'Library' and 'Charades' were certainly the episodes where my disdain for her was strongest. As someone who had bratty siblings even out of their toddler years, I pushed my own personal frustrations with bratty kids onto Muffin and hated that she got away with everything with little to no repercussions. Then I read a review of 'Library' where someone simply said 'Sure, what she does can be annoying... but she's 3. Do you expect her to properly regulate her impulses and emotions so soon?' Then my perspective changed: of *course* she reacted the way she did in 'Library'! Children *need* rules and boundaries so they don't become a danger to themselves or others, so when you basically say 'You know rules? You don't have to listen to them' to a kid who probably didn't even know impulse control was a thing, of course they'll do anything they can think of, because they can and so why shouldn't they? She had no malicious intent when doing it, she was just doing what she wanted when she wanted because she could. That's why she was so happy when she wasn't special: now she could play the game because she *had* to follow the rules, so she *couldn't* do whatever she wanted anymore, and that made it fun for everyone! That made me think about 'Charades' too; of course she loses her temper and is so insistent on what she wants. She's 3; she can't just say 'Excuse me Grandmother, but would you be so awfully kind as to lend me a ballerina costume so I can be a proper ballerina?' or word it in any way similar. They're malleable and volatile, hardly able to control their emotional state, so she just wanted things to go her way is all. Besides, I saw someone mention she might've wanted it to be perfect just so Socks could perfectly guess she was a ballerina, and that sounds super cute, so I'll head-canon that! I don't love Muffin by any means, but I certainly don't dislike her anymore! She's funny and sweet and a realistic depiction of children rather than being sugar-coated, so I truly am glad I was given a proper perspective of her so I stopped thinking of her as a brat. It's never that black and white. :)
EXACTLY ALL OF THIS. She's three. Three year olds are, frankly, often really annoying. They're supposed to be. They're doing their best and will figure out how to be a human being with time. Muffin is a handful even for a three year old, but hey, Bluey is also a handful and she's a pretty great kid.
I honestly like that Bluey includes characters like Muffin. The portrayal of kids in this show is so down to earth. I don't have kids myself, but I have nephews in the same age group. Let me tell you, this is the most relatable thing I've ever seen on television. When I think of child characters in other shows, they're never this grounded or realistic. Either made too pure and innocent, or too unlikable and bratty. And every god damn time, I get teary eyes from the wholesomeness and Ninjas cutting onions again....I'm not crying, you are! I love this show.
honestly, muffin is my reality check as a parent. muffin is my reminder my 3 year old is a normal kid, growing and learning. sripes and trixie are the parents i relate to most, cause they're trying to figure out this parenting thing
Muffin honestly reminds me of my cousins when I was growing up with them. In fact, Strip's family shows strong similarities with my cousin's its almost uncanny.
Personally I think Muffin is an agent of pure chaos. She does what she wants to do and It’s not good or bad, it’s just MUFFIN. I mean, comparing her to Bingo is kind of unfair, cause Bingo maybe closer to her age, but Bingo IS the YOUNGER sibling. Meanwhile Muffins the OLDER sibling. It would make more sense to look at Bluey when SHE was younger since Muffin just had Stripes and Trixie keeping her in check while Bingo has Bandit Chili AND Bluey keeping tabs on her. There’s a lot that an older sibling can do to keep a younger sibling from getting TOO crazy. On Stripes and Trixie part, they’re still sort of trying to figure out the whole parent thing, so I don’t think it’s unfair.
I was mentioning this in another comment but Stripes being the younger sibling probably plays a role in his lax parenting because when he was growing up he had his parents and brothers vs its now just him.
When I started watching Bluey, I was someone who disliked Muffin, or thought she was kinda annoying (coming from an 23 year old, childless adult, so I have no experience with kids) but after rewatching all the episodes that focus on her and actually taking the time to understand her character, I LOVE her! She has become one of my favourite characters, and some episodes like Muffin Cone are episodes I keep rewatching because they are so good! Bluey is a comfort show of mine, and I guess sometimes Muffin was too much for me, but I can appreciate her character now :) Amazing video as always!!!
Muffin is pretty extra, with all the loudness and chaos. She's a normal three year old and a good kid but normal three year olds are also really exhausting. I get why people might not like her character in that respect.
I love Bluey. I read two parenting books and helllaaa articles and I love that I can see the psychology and advice within their dialogue. I leave feeling wiser than what I came and my daughter lights up when we watch the show… I really appreciate your insight. I have a “Muffin”of my own but I understand she’s truly acting as a toddler. Is it exhausting? Yes! And it’s videos like this that keep me afloat . I played this after a trying moment with my daughter during bedtime and I cried and felt so much encouragement as I played this… thank you !!
This comment literally made my night you have no idea! I’m so happy you got the encouragement you needed after that moment, know that you’re a great mother and not to ever give up 💙
As the dad of my own Muffin in the making (2y 8m), I can't express how much I needed this video and didn't know it. When you said it can be normal for a parent to feel like they're doing something wrong, it broke me. I needed to hear that so badly. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I honestly never understood the hate towards Muffin! It’s like you said in this video - she is a toddler and acts like it! She is still learning the world, how to act in it and how to process her own emotions and actions. Plus, throughout the series, we can see hints of her more caring side, like when she held up the ice pop for Socks or helped make a video for Bingo when she was in the hospital. I personally love Muffin and think she is hilarious! Faceytalk is one of my favorite episodes and I always get a kick out of watching it! Muffin is just a toddler learning how to exist in the world. What is wrong with that?
And the thing is, Trixie was even giving Stripe a hard time about putting Muffin in time-out in one of the episodes. I think it was during one of the facey talk episodes.
Also a former chaotic child and agreeing with proper discipline needed but also cautious about certain forms of discipline due to personal experience with alarming kinds of acting out bubbling up at a later age
I don't think Muffin needs more discipline. She needs parents who genuinely listen to her instead. She just wanted to draw her cowboy hat. She just didn't understand what the word "special" means. Etc. "Okay, finish your cowboy hat and then Socks get the tablet for as long as you had it" would've avoided the entire crazy episode of Faceytalk. Instead of saying "Muffin, you're special", Stripe could've just said "You need to follow rules. I made a mistake." Muffin is still at an age where she can't communicate all that well; she needs her parents to look at what she's trying to express instead of just controlling the behavior. Also, she's three, she'll soon be at a point where using her words is the norm.
I never considered before that Library and Muffin cone are exploring the balance between overly permissive parenting and overly strict parenting. I love these episodes as they show that while Stripe and Trixie are far from perfect, they are continually learning and growing along with Muffin.
I’m glad this popped up in my feed. I’ve been struggling with my oldest who is nearing three and an infant and my husband always joked my oldest was our muffin but it’s nice to kno WHY. Like I know he doesn’t have impulse control yet and is learning but it is always nice for a reassurance that I’m not completely messing up royally
Thank you for making this video. Many people just hate children and hate children in media, Muffen's behavior often embodies the things such people will point to as to why children are all terrible and it just really pisses me off. I've worked child care my entire life. Children don't act badly for no reason, even if it's a curve ball you didn't expect, there is something going on in their inner life. Teens and Adults need more social awareness and empathy. Yeah, maybe the child at a restaurant is throwing a tantrum and acting up, but it sucks to have 0 control or power over anything other then yourself; not your schedule, where you go, who you get to be with, what you do, eat, ect. Children only have as much choice as the Adults around them permit. That's a very frustrating existence if you're around adults who have little to no respect or empathy for you. The exstreams of controlling adults or permissive can both be symptoms of lack of respect, checking out because you don't want to deal with what is going on. In Stripes case, he does care which is why he does course correct, he's probably just conflict avoidant and need to work on himself to have an even healthier relationship with his wife and daughters. Trixy does care too, but she seems to have trust issues and that results in being overly controlling. So good on the show for demonstrating PARENTS needing to grow and work on themselves to better their relationships and be better parents. I thought you might include Grandma's role in the family dynamic since you used some clips from "Charades" but you didn't go there, so a video about Grandparents different parenting vs grand-parenting styles would be great!
I love Muffin, but she honestly reinforces why I choose to be childfree. She's a lot of work because , like you said, toddlers are like that. And I know I can't handle that for long periods. I already have difficulty with my nephew, who's in his toddler "no" and picky eater phases.
I'm genuinely curious, is it also impossible for you to handle other stressful responsibilities? Like pets, or doing jobs, taking care of yourself ect. Or is it just toddlers?
@@bb-mf6qh I won't lie, in general, stressful situations are difficult for me. In the worst cases, it can induce an anxiety attack. For me, stress from toddlers induces a similar stress as when I worked in food service (even had to take more meds when I worked). Specifically, their poor emotional regulation abilites (understandable because they're basically learning to human). I do have difficulty taking care of myself, but that's due to other mental health issues (another reason I choose to be child-free because I don't want a child growing up in that environment). Ironcially, animals are easy for me. Probably because I've grown up surrounded by animals. But to me they're much easier to understand and less complex than people.
@@bb-mf6qh At least you can have a break from other stressful life things and you can change your mind about them (although hopefully not about the pets)
I think it would be really interesting to see an episode that shows what Bluey was like at Muffin's age. I can imagine her having similar characteristics as they are both quite loud and were both the older sibling, having to deal with a new sibling around that toddler age. It would also show how Chilli and Bandit developed their parenting style to the one we say today, again showing they were probably a little bit like Trixie and Stripe to some extent
This video is so good, and perfectly explains what Muffin's role in the show is sorta supposed to be (other than being an adorable goof ball) I wish we could show her episodes when my niece is around, the lessons in her episodes are so perfect, not only for my niece, but for my niece's mother too (who seems to hate the show for no reason other than how much my niece loves it?). Unfortunately, my niece is at that age where she copies anything she sees (much like Muffin!), and due to some poor parenting and how 4 year olds work, she's taking on the more rude and bratty side of most of the characters, especially Muffin, and isn't learning the lesson that's taught at the end. It's such a massive bummer, but I know it'll just take time, and I really do hope that my niece's mom comes around to the show, the lessons could really help her with understanding how kids my niece's age work, and how to help her grow into a proper kid!
I hate to admit that I’m still not a fan of Muffin, but after watching this video, I kind of feel bad for hating her too much. Sure there are times when Muffin can be a brat, but she also had her good moments like in Ganny Mobile. So Muffin does server a good purpose to be in Bluey.
It's fine if people aren't a fan. Just hating on her however is honestly too much. She's a kid and well, if given the right amount of time and guidance, will grow out of it
There seems to be an interesting duality regarding the view on children, in some people. On one hand they are supposed to be mature enough to basically have the self control of an adult (or some cases even more), but are on the other hand not seen as mature enough to be given any agency of their own or to be taken seriously.
This is a great comment. It really helps me understand why everyone hates Muffin-haters. We give our kids agency, and we expect them to regulate their emotions, or try to, and we help them do so when they struggle. Our kids have their moments, but they're nothing like Muffin. I think Muffin is extremely annoying, and so are parents like her parents.
@@CovenoftheOpenMindLike with every and all analysis of characters in works of fiction, you have to keep in mind it is a purposefully created work, that will more often than not use shortcuts to get the point across. Like showcasing a completely normal behaviour in kids with the help of a singular character that basically just does that, in order to teach the audience a lesson, in the case of Bluey. Like you don't actually hate the character, but the characteristic, wich in this work is pretty much the sole defining trait of that character, because it was created that way. Like there isn't actually much of a character to begin with. Though the creators of the show seem to move away from that a little, granting Muffin some growth and depth. And until then people just fill the gaps with their own experiences and prejudices about characters that showcase certain traits. Sometimes leading to favourable or unfavourable results, leading to people that like or dislike her, without there actually being a proper basis for either.
Yeah, these kids act too perfect for 4 to 5 year olds. It's to a point where my ex assumes all children are like this. And this is not real life. Muffin is a relief because most kids have tantrums and throw fits.
Muffin is loud, spoiled, and unhinged. But the show does it in such a real and likeable way. Growing up with all of my nieces and nephews, i have seen my fair share of Muffins that have been done the worst ways. She's definitely a cutie that learns from her mistakes rather than just being a poop about it. Shes little enough to take things at face value but also can understand what wrong and right is. She's hilarious and cute when need be, we all need that crazy little cousin
I can relate to Muffin since I was a bit of an angry child and also had a bad habit of sucking my thumb. Kids have a habit of acting like brats because they don't know how to control their emotions yet. In my case, I was a bit developmentally delayed. My parents also had differences with how they handled me. My mom was much softer than my dad.
As a dad of 2 very young children, Bluey gets it right. I'm honestly shocked people hate Muffin like they do, this is just kinda how kids act. Muffin is there to present a dichotomy between Bluey and Bingo's behaviors, opposed to 'bad' behaviors. You're not meant to like Muffin's actions. She's a developing child who hasn't been taught to manage her emotions properly. Not necessarily due to neglect or anything, but because she has parents who aren't perfect. Even then, Muffin is at a stage where children are developing more nuanced and varied emotions. Sort of a "first puberty." Combine that with a child's body, as opposed to a toddler's, (as in more capable of dextrous and complex tasks) and it's a recipe for disaster to unprepared parents.
I REALLY like Bluey's take on not only showing different parenting styles, but showing how you have to adjust it to match the personalities of your children. It helps parents feel seen, but it's also tends to be where the show gets a lot of criticism, because there's no "perfect" way to parent that works for every kid. Muffin shows this very well, and she's one of my favorite characters because she reminds me of many younger family members who were that obstinate as toddlers. And I will go to bat for Stripes and Trixie as I have known families where there are kids more like Muffin and some more like Bingo that live under the same roof with the same parenting, they're just different and need different things. Episodes like "Mini Bluey" show this very well, as your kids can not only be very different from one another, and their age can have a lot to do with what challenges you face in parenting at the time. Both Muffin and Bluey are both strong spirited in their own ways, which makes parenting hard in the meanwhile, but when done well, their struggles as children will become more positive as they grow up. While "easy" children like Bingo tend to need more guidance through their teenage years as they get older.
Muffin is a great, well written character I honestly can't stand, but watching this made me realize why: I have twin toddlers that often act like her, and they drive me absolutely bonkers. So, thank you for showing me the commonality, and also I may have some things to work on.
On the contrary I love Muffin, she's a little menace but she's not mean and hee little gremlin of a personality is adorable and that's what toddler should be sometime
Muffin is like my favorite character, shes just learning the world around her. My fav scene ever is her understanding she isnt special, but not because shes not SPECIAL. shes special to her family, shes their kid. But she understood shes not a special kid and isnt above rules and others have feelings too. I love itso much
I work at a daycare/preschool that have parents a lot like stripe, I have had a lot of kids from 10 weeks old and seen them every Monday through Friday from 6:45 am to 6:30pm and now a lot of them are 4-5 years old. (Ofcourse I don’t see them ALL the time) They act a lot like stripe and I noticed that their parents get intimidated by their children, the kids scream and cry so the moment that begins the first things the parents do it offer candy, toys or tablet time in return for good behavior. Or they stand silently and don’t know what to say. Since I’m just their teacher I can’t parent them and most of the parents don’t like discipline (and I don’t mean spankings, I mean time out or consequences) I have to for example. A four year old girl throws a small chair at her friend because they didn’t give her their toy from home, as a result the four year old should (in my opinion) be spoken to, told what they did wrong and why they shouldn’t do it. And time to think in time out. We can’t do that, all we can do is say “don’t throw or hit your friends” with no consequences. After years of being with (some) of them they listen to me and are rather well behaved, they often call me mom (don’t worry I try and correct that because I am not their mother and the parents get very very angry when they say “bye mommy”) but with their parents they immediately revert to behavior that is normal for a small child but amplified to a greater degree because these parents don’t really spend any time with their kids or know how to parent. This turned into a rant and off track with the video but, the point it. Muffins behavior is normal as long as it’s handled with understanding, care and correction if needed.
I feel like muffin and her family are necessary to show 1. Different family dynamics and 2. To help all of the parents who feel like they can’t live up to the Chili and Bandit expectation of parenting to realize that continuing to do your best and “focus on your own race” is the only expectation. Good parenting shows itself in many different ways and takes different amounts of time to get there.
As someone who has a 4 year old little sister, there’s nothing that’s wrong with muffin. People tend to forget that children at the age of 3-4 are basically still babies and are literally toddlers-
As the oldest of my mom's four kids by a somewhat fat margin (17/11/8/5, with me of course being the 17 year old), I can confirm that Muffin is only barely more spontaneous than any usual 3 or 4 year old. My siblings are the world to me, but sometimes I miss having all the attention, and being so low mantinence compared to them, I sometimes feel kinda sidelined, but that's besides the point... my youngest sibling, a 5 year old girl, reminds me SO much of Muffin, the Bluey crew really sold it with how they handled her characterization. Her parents having that argument about parenting was also VERY real, albeit way more civil than any argument my sister's dad ever had with our mom, but again, that's besides the point. This was a great analysis overall, kudos! Edit: Grammar.
Ooooof, I wasn't expecting to get hit in the feels but that thumb sucking thing got me bad. I'm an autistic adult and the one stim my parents absolutely could not break me of was thumb sucking. When I got to be about six, they got EXTREME with it to the extent shown here and then beyond, and when gloves and mouth devices failed to stop me, my parents even tried dousing the gloves in those extra hot hot sauces to make it HURT. For the record, I'm in my 30s, have a full time job, and yeah, I still do it when I'm on my own vegging out and not paying attention, and it's literally not hurting anyone. Parents care about all the wrong things sometimes, and it's normally because of a larger community pressuring them.
I see Muffin the same way you do - maybe annoying, but not maliciuos - too young to know better. This gets me thinking, what kind of pitfalls Bandit and Chilli fell into years ago, that we don't get to see! Wow, this is the first time I watch an episode before watching your analysis.
To anyone here in the comments who sucks their thumb - don't feel like you have to stop. I suck my thumb too. it's a stim, and if you do it for comfort, that's totally okay. I've been doing it since BEFORE I was born and I doubt I'll ever stop. you can if you want to. if you feel like it's something you need to overcome, that's fine too. Just don't feel like it makes you immature or weird. stimming is natural and u can do it however u please :)
You’re so sweet for saying that, I know how much effort it takes to make art so i like to take the time to appreciate all of their hard work. It’s really a blessing that i have individuals in the community that want to even send me art, it’s the least I can do 🥰
Muffin is kind of a mood. The episode where she never had a nap reminded me of Final's Week at College. Then again, she's kind of the Scrappy Doo of Bluey. A character you kind of like or dislike depending on perspective. Personally, I prefer her over Caillou. She's a bit less unhinged than Caillou.
My husband and I love watching bluey with our kids. We see so much of our kids in the characters. Muffin is one of our favorites because two of our kids have acted like her at one point or another.
I personally had a blast going indepth on the psychology behind muffins actions and toddlers in general haha, It feels like forever since I really deep dived a character so i hope you buddies enjoy
Thank you so much for making this video. I feel so seen as a child who was like muffin I wasn't told right from wrong I was punished just for acting like muffin but I didn't know any better and instead of my parents taking the time to teach me they told me I was a bad kid because I didn't know any better. It was so hurtful that I thought I was a monster just for having these emotions and my parents treated disrespect and disobedience like a sin. I got spanked a lot for what I found out later are autistic traits qwq thank you thank you thank you for teaching people children are not monsters for not knowing any better.
I enjoyed
Happy to see more uploads Pugly!
I dont understand the hate ither. I feel like muffin is my spirit animal
I really enjoyed this episode since it was more psychology based, an interesting perspective as I'm also hoping to work with kids and/or therapies, and service dogs. Love all your videos and hope you do more deep dives like this.❤😅 Stay cool buddy😎
Just remember: She's a Muffin. She's still baking ☺️
Aww I love this so much 🥰
That is legit such a cute way to put it ;A;
Cutest most wholesome comment ever! ❤
A reason I think she is named Muffin, she is still baking (in other words, growing/developing).
A reason I think she is named Muffin, she is still baking (in other words, growing/developing).
It's also important to remember that Bluey is 7 and Bingo is 5. Muffin is 3-4, and Socks is a baby. So Stripe and Trixie are still leaning how to parent.
And stripe being the youngest of his family probably plays a role. When you got older siblings parents tend to be a little hands off since you're also learning social rules and boundaries from your siblings just from play and observation.
@TheCatsMe00w
Plus, the youngest is often babied more.
@@TheCatsMe00w On top of that, he didn’t grow up watching younger siblings get raised and disciplined, so it might be less natural for him.
I was going to mention Stripe being a little too lenient as a parent but then I saw this comment and that makes sense. I don’t have kids yet but I imagine it’s a lot figuring out what works and what doesn’t
Wow I thought bluey was 5 and bingo was 3 and muffin is 2
Muffin is what Caillou SHOULD'VE been.
A catalyst for parents to take responsibility for their actions and be better for the sake of their children. It's honestly amazing how much negativity this character receives because even though she's had her moments, I always knew was never out of malice. I'm glad you finally broke down what makes this character work in the universe that the show is set in.
Muffin is cool y'all are just mean 😭
It's too bad that Caillou is similar to Muffin in actions which may be the reason why she receives so much negativity since so many people hate Caillou. The biggest difference between the two is the parenting that is seen after these actions. Caillou's parents are the "bad" version of parenting as they feed into Caillou's actions allowing him to be a brat with almost no repercussions which can be seen in real life with what we call "spoiled brats". Meanwhile Muffins parents are the "good" version as they can be seen working together and alone to not only take responsibility for Muffins actions, but also strive to become better for her sake.
Muffin’s like the funnier version of Caillou
@@angelface540 I think even kids who could theoretically play with both kids would enjoy playing with Muffin better then Caillou.
Tbh, most people that dislike Muffin are probably people that don't want or like dealing with children. Bluey is not a show just for little kids and families, it is also for traumatized adults that want to re-connect to their inner child
And to those people, having a Muffin is a nightmare.
I do dislike her because I don't want children, and the idea of having a child that is as bratty as her, gives me anxiety and chills down my spine
But I do not think is a bad thing honestly. One thing is expressing the discomfort of children while watching a cartoon. Another is being a as*hole to real children
I think Muffin helps us have more empathy to parents that have a Muffin, instead of making us Hate kids like Muffin
@@angelface540Muffin has never bitten or pinched anyone like Caillou has.
But Socks has. 🤪
I really liked the line, "she doesn't know any better yet, we have to teach her". I hear so many ppl just say that their kid "doesn't know any better" but does nothing to help them learn.
The best way I heard it described is that Bandit’s family is the hyper-idealised family, it’s playtime literally all the time with the parents, the kids learn their lessons with ease and are frequently well behaved etc. whereas Stripe’s family is a more realistic family, the parents have disagreements, the kids are frequently bratty, hard to control and don’t really take away anything meaningful from the lessons.
It’s quite cool that the writers aren’t afraid to step back and show that contrast. Bandit and Chilli are great parents and I think a lot of parents would strive to be like them as best they can, but they are idealised for a reason.
Although I think it's because Muffin and Socks are younger so of course they're gonna fuss more. I also think it could be part of their personality but you know what I mean. Whereas Bluey and Bingo are older and don't feel the need to fuss like the cousins do, that's why they seem to learn more cooperatively and share more easily. I wonder if Bluey and Bingo acted similarly to Muffin and Socks at their age? Maybe a bit less wild but not perfect like how the show idealistically shows them to be.
I've actually seen the theory that Muffin wasn't JUST wanting her performance as a ballerina to be perfect on a personal level but she actually was trying to give Socks a chance to guess correctly, which Socks was clearly struggling to do and is clearly upset about, with her being ecstatic when she correctly identifies her big sister as a ballerina.
Never thought of it that way before. That’s a neat theory. Especially since Muffin does seem to be a good and supportive sister to Socks for her age.
@@silvermoon2134when they we’re having ice pops-
MUFFIN WAS HOLDING IT FOR SOCKS.
That’s literally so sweet.
Exactly. That episode is so misunderstood. A lot of folks hate it because they think Muffin was being spoiled, when in reality, she just wanted to help Socks.
I think it's a little of column A and Column B here. I don't think the writers necessarily intended it that way from Muffin's perspective, or I feel she would have said something about Socks herself, but they certainly wanted to have Socks guess correctly at the end, so I can see how you got there!
seeing how she held the ice block for socks as well i can really see this being true
As someone who worked with a lot of four year olds in a less than stellar environment, I thought Muffin was a good example of how kids that age act. They need understanding and boundaries, not people calling them the devil incarnate.
THIS SO MUCH. Kids aren't acting like Muffin because there's something wrong, that's just how kids that age are. They get so much better as they learn how to communicate their needs and feelings more, and get an understanding of how the world works. They don't push limits as much because they understand that they're there. They don't melt down or scream as often because they can say "I'm really uncomfortable because my shirt itches" or "I'm tired, can we go home now?"
While I do not work with kids or have them, I experienced bullying growing up and I understand how powerful labels can be. Like bullying, insulting a kid for not acting in a way that's socially acceptable or palatable doesn't teach them anything. It only teaches them to hate themselves unconditionally. Teaching kids how to behave, what's ok and not ok, and confronting them in a loving, understanding way makes such a big difference ! (Like what u said hehe)
As long as the boundaries are set in the first place 😊
@@necroculturevulture9628I agree! There’s an importance in not shaming kids for not getting what it’s like to be adults.
I went through experiences where I was treated like an object as a kid, and yet was given more responsibilities like an adult as a child by a bad parent who would use that type of thing to manipulate me. It isn’t healthy, and I wish people talked more about kids just being growing humans. So of course they aren’t going to understand the world at 3 or 4, they are a young, young child.
And yes! I agree boundaries should be set in the first place, but like life itself, there are genuinely harmful parents who don’t actually take that time to set boundaries, or punish without giving a genuine reason for punishment.
I know it’s definitely my own experience that’s speaking from what I’m saying, but being told as a kid that “I’d get it as an adult” doesn’t excuse a punishment that made me confused and frustrated as a kid because I wasn’t told why what I did to get punished in the first place was wrong.
Add in also the fact that I’m also someone who grew up with a father who is very traditional in the sense of old fashioned American gender norms, and being pain hateful, that this rift between me and my father formed super young for those reasons and more.
I like to say that my experience hopefully spreads the awareness that if you end up viewing kids as objects, it can and will fuck them up as they get older. Yes, life is messy and no one is ever perfect.
I can say with confidence that my father could have been a better father. Though as a young adult, I spend less time thinking about what he could’ve done, and what I can do for myself to heal.
Because the concept of bullying or condemning a kid for something they did without explaining did happen to me as a kid. I was blamed for being bullied, my physical abuse from my older sibling was denied of existing. Among that, my father essentially told me through his actions how he felt about queer people, so it makes sense why it took me so long to even think about coming out to him lol.
I want to mention on top of this, the “you want to be treated as an adult?” Came from my father telling me as a kid that I shouldn’t cry, or have meltdowns because “that’s not what adults do.”
I still have much more to unlearn in terms of feeling shame over crying, and the fact that I’m still coping with the fact that the father had will never be what I could get, or should’ve gotten.
And I know people tend to say: you should wait for x person to change. Sometimes people don’t. And that’s what I’ve had to teach myself to not break down over my father’s abuse of me mentally when I was a child.
i don’t get the hate she is literally acting like a 4 year old, and the parenting style also influences a lot on her behavior.
people tend to hate kid characters who actually act their age because, get this, they act their age. i don't really understand it myself, but it's something i've noticed in a lot of media, not just bluey. i think it's because quite a few kids in media are idolised or just don't act like kids so when a character does act their age people dislike it because it's "immature" even tho that's literally just a kid.
tldr: a lot of current media writes kid characters in an idolised way, so when they're written like actually kids, a lot of people find it annoying due to the past media. or at least that's what i've noticed.
@@lightninmoth exactly! it’s rare to see a 4 year old acting exactly like bingo or bluey, and even if they do at the end of the day tantrums are going to happen because surprise, surprise, they are just kids!
@@Nutellacat literally! some of the kids i look after [i'm a babysitter, 2 - 12 age range normally] are angels and are really sweet but in the end they're kids and they're gonna have tantrums [especially toddlers], they're gonna do immature things and not know how to properly regualte things like emotions because, surprise, that's all taught and not automatic. tbh, i think it's a shame that a lot of media idolises kids because it causes things like this, hate towards kids just being kids.
@@lightninmoth wish bluey showed more of the girls having this tantrums, the last time i saw then acting like muffin was bingo on the episode pool when she doesn't want to leave.
@@lightninmoth Preaching to the choir yo. Many children at Muffin's age don't know how to regulate their emotions much less know the basics of manners and other general things such as personal space. Speaking as both a day-care assistant and a college student majoring in child development. It's not like you can expect them to be the perfectly-mannered child as soon as they turn 3 years old. And yes there are a lot of factors in how a child grows up, but the point is children are bound to express emotions but they won't be able to regulate them unless they're taught by both the parents' words and actions.
I’ve literally watched my toddler slowly shift from acting like muffin when she was 2 and acting like bingo now that she’s almost 4. It’s so wild how much they change as they learn so quickly. Muffin is a child, who’s been alone until socks, and her parents give her whatever she wants. My daughter is an only child who doesn’t get whatever she wants lol
People have been fed a diet of children's shows where the main character child is presented as idealised. This shift towards a more accurate representation of a child of a certain age is difficult for some people to comprehend. None of the characters in Bluey are perfect and that's what makes them seem more real.
I have heard of parents skipping Muffin episodes during family viewing because "she acts disrespectful" like she's not acting normal developmentally and those episodes could be used to connect with and teach a child in the same stage
Literally my favorite comment omg, situations that arise like that are definitely best used as learning opportunities as opposed to leading to restrictions. The video wasn’t even out long enough for people to watch it all and you essentially said one of my favorite points towards why I love muffin without (I’m assuming ) you finishing the video. I love your mind lol
It is normal. Kids act like her, except worse
@@nataliemoraes2033 Fr. At least Muffin learns and starts to recognize when her behavior has become unacceptable. Some kids never learn that.
@@rock2946 my niece at the moment has way big tantrums as a 4 yr old than than muffins
@@rock2946that's because muffin has people who will teach her and help her understand. A lot of parents unfortunately do not take that time to teach their kid.
As a daycare teacher, not all toddlers are as high maintenance as muffin. But this is still a very realistic look at age appropriate behaviors, and the way parents often react to having a more high maintenance toddler.
Same here, I also like how Muffin is portrayed in Bluey. And I have a feeling that Socks might be a more chilled out and quiet toddler. But in the end, she is still a toddler who will still act out. Just not in the same way Muffin does.
I saw it in real time
Nephew was high maintenance
Niece wasn't
@@CiderVG I feel this. Some people talk about their kid being a "unicorn" my first is a dragon. She's not like muffin, she shares really well, but as 3y kids go she's emotionally high matinence. (Yesterday she screamed and cried for an hour because I couldn't uncut her mango. She was so sad/mad at me and yelled at me to stop talking when I tried to explain)
My second baby is nearly 1 and she's already more chill than her sister was. Louder, but cranky less often.
Contrasting with Bluey and Bingo who are more polite.
Muffin being a very common very normal level of chaotic for a toddler feels like a reality check for a few people watching that just doesn't register. If you hate her, you might not be ready to love a child of your own who's probably going to have the same kind of moments. It's not all bad, but it's unrealistic to expect a 3 year old to have total self control
Your comment kinda reminds Me of that quote from the only good part of the show Santa inc
"When it comes to kids , you either have it or you don't"
yes!!! but unfortunately i still know so many parents who don't care if they're ready to be parents or not and it's hard to watch the child's childhood be so cruel.
Yup. Not liking Muffin is failing a test of character in my eyes.
@@animangle
I know far more parents who were actively pressured or even threatened into having children. Our society hyper glorifies having children.
Literally the fact that I'm not a big fan of her cemented the idea in my mind that I never want to have children. That is a thought I've had for a long time, but knowing that I even find this annoying had made me understand I definitely wouldn't make a good parent lol
I was never allowed to be a child, specifically bc my parent couldn’t handle a child. Hearing that people. Choose to help children is literally the most heartwarming thing. Thank you 💕
shoutout to those of us who got praised for being so "obedient" and "quiet" when we did so because we were never allowed any other choice, any way to express ourselves
@@cyanthrope gotta toss in a bigger shout out to those of us who know it's the truth and plan on breaking that cycle of toxic obedience with our own kids. It's one of the hardest things I've done so far, the instinct is to parent how I was, but I'm determined to be that change for my own kids.
Fortunately, I was never in this position, but I have friends and partners who were parentified children . In some ways they seemed more mature from being forced to grow up fast. But they were open about how losing their childhood made them feel “behind” or “stuck” in other ways like struggling to have fulfilling relationships, asking for support, expressing emotions in a healthy way, etc.
Some adults don’t get that when you repress a child’s needs, it doesn’t make them more “mature” or prevent them from being like Muffin. the trauma is going to come out one way or another, whether they internalize or externalize it. And they’re not doomed by their circumstances but it takes a lot of work to heal from.
I’m sorry for anyone who was born to emotionally immature parents and am happy you are healing and looking to break toxic cycles.
I think a lot of the "hate" may stem from people's unresolved anger at how they would be punished a lot for acting like Muffin did at her age. Muffin is not a bad kid, but they don't see it that way because *they* got called bad kids for it.
I'm sorry, but a kid like Muffin wouldn't survive in most households. Most parents don't have that level of patience.
@@quartzidot4202 "most parents don't have that level of patience"
then uh. Don't have kids maybe
@@known_questionmark I'm talking about my experience and what I grew up with. That's kinda a rude assumption to say I don't want kids just because I see neglectful patenting. I'm just agreeing with the first comment because I saw kids getting punished if they ever acted like Muffin. I'm saying Muffin represents neglectful parent's biggest fear : an unruly child. I'm just gonna say it. Muffin gets away with shit most if not all kids can't get away with it. She's literally just a kid but I don't tolerate her screaming and shifty behavior.
How can you hate her? She's a 4 year old doing 4 year old things my sisters acted the same way. it's completely normal.
Yeah, I find most cases of people hating a child character weird because THEY’RE A CHILD! The character is gonna be written as a child!
Because these ppl don't have kids and no concept of reality of how kids act.
@@nataliemoraes2033 there's parents who don't like Muffin to the point of not letting their kids watch muffin episodes
@@PrincessNinja007 well here choice. To me it would show kids, "don't act this way"
I mean you can totally hate her if you hate kids, but I don't think they would be the target audience
Once I realized that Muffin was not the trope for an only child I loved her. She’s a great kid. She’s very willing to share, she’s thankful, and she loves her cousins. Just look at how she gets 1300 dollarbucks for the granny mobile then becomes helpful Super Granny. But being a kid is frustrating as hell, and Muffin embodies that.
EXACTLY, I get so annoyed when people are like "damn why is my three year old having a fit he doesn't appreciate how easy he has it" BEING THREE IS SO HARD. Nothing makes sense, no one can understand you, you can't understand them, you have no control over anything, people get annoyed when you ask for clarification ("why do you have to ask WHY all the time?!")...being three sucks. Muffin's four now and already seems well on her way to chilling out. But she's always been a good kid, just a handful. She's a good big sister, a good cousin, she's never mean or rude. She's just extra.
Yeah, the granny mobile is one of my favorite episodes, showing how her 'extra' personality can actually come in handy. Being a stubborn butt sometimes isn't a bad thing if you are standing up for what is 'right' not just being stubborn for stubborn's sake. Kinda showcasing the difference between Muffin (being kind and innocent in her game) vs the cranky old lady being maliciously stubborn and selfish. Muffin feels good doing something good, and wants to continue playing 'hero' which is a good sign that she will continue to use her bull headedness to stick up for others and be sensitive to the injustices in the world. Idk. Muffin IS annoying and I do kinda cringe when I am watching with my kids because I do fear any nuisance is lost on them, BUT she's also kinda funny as in the fact...yup that's how high strung kids act dialed up a bit from inconsistent parenting but YUP.... it's only funny because it's just acting out... not like 'bad' behavior (like seriously concerning) just super ORNERY.
One of my favorite episodes and favorite Muffin moments of all time! 🩷
My favourite episode 😍
I remember the Pizza Girls episode where Muffin gladly took her cousins for a joyride in her mini car and had no qualms with letting Bluey drive it. Not to mention her trying to keep the car clean by saying that they can't have mud in the car which is pretty responsible for a 3yr
I always thought that the Ballerina thing was because Muffin noticed that her little sister was sad that she wasn't able to get the word ballerina out even though she knew the answer. Yes it wasn't executed in a very good way but I found that episode to be very cute.
Yup, exactly.
Yes! Also I think if Muffin would have been allowed to finish her hat in Faceytalk she would have given the iPad over to socks willingly--Stripes winds up getting into an unnecessary power battle in that instance IMO
@eviescotia it's so dependent on the kid honestly. My oldest at that age, would have been fine with being allowed to finish the hat and would have happily handed it over at that point. My youngest is very much an "if you give a mouse a cookie" personality, and if she's allowed to finish the hat then she will find ways to drag it out ad infinitum and it becomes much worse than if we just set a hard boundary.
My brother and I were "easy children" growing up. No tantrums and no defying our parents. I struggle with empathy when it comes to children that misbehave because I simply never experienced it, since I found it easy to behave I feel frustration as to why other kids can't just be like that too. I have to remember that all kids are different and that the way I behaved stemmed from my environment, fear and a bit of trauma. I was still bad in other ways, like being manipulative and getting my brother in trouble. This video grounded me back to that mentality and it reminded me to extend understanding when it comes to misbehaving kids, thanks!
I honestly don’t wish being an easy child on anybody. I started acting out as a preteen, and was emotionally stunted because I was too scared to be mad as a child. Misbehaving as a kid teaching many lessons.
@@rustedvulture8974 10000% agree
Oof, I feel like I ghost wrote this a few years ago! My dad was in the military and my mom a teacher and both huge in the community so I always had to be good, always “on” and on my best behavior all the time or…else. And man did it make me suppress my emotions until it exploded again and again in ways that weren’t healthy, especially as a teen and young adult. Took a lot of therapy to understand that my frustration with kids allowed to misbehave and not be “on” all the time was due to how I was raised, and I didn’t have to keep that mindset. And now I’m fairly easy going, more than most when kids misbehave (not full out being terrible, but just a bit “bratty” and childlike like muffin), because oh my god your parents are actually letting you exist as just you for a bit without resorting to the worst. It’s a magical thing for me to see even because I’m not used to it, and one mom even asked why I was tearing up as her kid climbed all over me and I was just like “you’re letting him exist as he is without hurting people, I appreciate that.”
@@23faithstar so glad ur doing better now, hopefully I can reach a place like that too when I'm older :>
@@rustedvulture8974this sounds so much like my mom! My grandma complains about her being a good kid and a difficult teenager, but my mom was just finally expressing her feelings for the first time.
Sadly even though most of my family values open communication, we’ve had to learn to hide the truth from my grandma because she flies off the handle and is too unaware and too stubborn to want to change.
My kiddos are neurodivergent, and actually, they find Muffin particularly helpful. They can look at Muffin and see she behaves in a way that often isn't ideal, and see that those around her understand she doesn't do it to be unkind. She just doesn't know yet. It not only helps them when handling themselves, but when handling each other. They'll talk about parallels to the show to behaviour in each other and it helps them process it and access more compassionate approaches.
I won't lie. Muffin was not my favourite in early days. But 1) She is definitely the one you get to watch grow and mature the best and 2) she helps kids see and understand kids sometimes aren't obedient and nice, and that's okay. It can be handled and forgiven.
I freaking loved reading this omg, your children are so precious and I love how they use the show in such a positive way 🥰
I have run into people who say they skip the Muffin episodes/dislike her/etc and yeah, she can be over the top and mean and bratty but she's a child. A literal toddler. I have never wanted children but even I can understand that this is just what children go through. Maybe it's because I went through watching my nephew go through all of these stages, I don't know, but it feels incredibly cruel to place so much on a 3-4 year old and to say that you hate them.
Agreed but I don’t think it’s cruel to place blame and hate on Caillou though😂
@@MagulousmousHelps that Muffin’s parents are written to actually have spines and get upset when Muffin misbehaves
Skipping episodes isn't bad. Blindly hating a kid is.
In real life yes children act like that but animation a lot of people expect to be better than life so their anger likely stems from the difference from norms
i like her chaotic nature and she’s very silly imo i think the only one that bothered me is when her dad told her she was the most special kid in the world. i wasn’t annoyed with her but i was with her dad i understand why he said it and i understand why she behaved the way she did i just think we as parents need to watch what we say to our children.
Muffin is one of my favorite characters because she feels so "real". My husband and I always joke that if kids always acted like Bluey and Bingo, we would want to become parents. But we're happily the support crew to our friends and family who have kids. :-) My favorite part of FaceyTalk is Socks drawing her scene when the Muffin drama is unfolding. All the screaming, chasing and arguing is so normal for Socks, that she is able to tune it out and draws. This hits home with me because I love to draw and when I was little, a lot of chaos was happening in our family and I drew to escape.
I also just kinda love how Socks is able to vibe out. She's one of my favorite characters. Although. It also kinda brings Stripe calling Muffin the most Special into a kinda harsh light though if you actually dig deeper into that more in my opinion. It's sad. I feel like the writers kinda forgot about Socks there...
Bluey and bingo probably were more like muffin or socks when they were younger but just cant remember anymore. They grew out of it and muffin and socks will too. (Not that we get to see that since bluey characters will never age up)
Muffin is such a delight, she’s a little hellion but in a way that’s still fun to watch and true to some kids I’ve been around. A little bit rowdy and immature compared to her cousins, but still developmentally appropriate. She’s still learning about boundaries and manners. She’s one of my favorite characters in the show, especially because it shows how the creators are committed to showing a lot of different kinds of kids and not just a “perfectly behaved little cherub”.
@@WolfspiratWe might. Bluey and Bingo both age up a year during the show and even Socks gets a new design because she got older too. They probably won't age up a ton, but even if they were to, I think this show could pull it off with how well they showcase other characters.
@@silversugar2140I don't think the writers forgot, I think stripe forgot lol. No, but I actually think it would be fitting for stripe to hear the question "am I special?" Out of the context of how he just defined it. Instead, taking it as a question of "am I allowed to make mistakes like that?", or "will you be just as forgiving to me if I make mistakes like how you did?". Another way to think about it is that Stripe was using emotional context of the situation, and muffin was using surface literal content
In "Camping," there is a brief flash-forward to a teenage Bluey. Muffin, off-screen, shouts "Bluey, that book's mine!" and Bluey says, "I know it's yours, I'm just borrowing it."
And I love how the characterization is so consistent, because teenage Bluey becoming a big reader is very true to Bluey, and Muffin still being somewhat materialistic and whiny is very true to Muffin. Muffin is just the way Muffin is, it's not just her age.
But the fact Teenage!Muffin does not object further shows that Stripe and Trixie have successfully taught her lessons about sharing, and Bluey has developed a relationship with her cousin that comfortably tests their boundaries.
I don't think it's showing materialism, it's just Muffin being annoyed that Bluey took her book without asking first. Sharing is well and good but it's not sharing if someone just takes it without asking.
I agree with your comment muffin comment is pretty normal not matirelestic or whiny @@tinkerhell-kj3mv
As the parent of a 2 year old, seeing muffin is a breath of fresh air. She showcases alot of the challenges a younger child brings, but we also get a glimpse of the sweet kid she is at heart. It's also refreshing to hear your take on this, it's important to remember who kids are as people, and where they are developmentally
She does say things like please and thank you sometimes, so she is growing and learning well.
She is the perfect example of what happens to people without boundaries.
As a mom to three, one who is the same age as Muffin, I can understand her in a way that I'm not sure most do. Even just today, we had to go to a place where there was nothing to do for her, even though I tried to keep her entertained with, of course, Bluey and a drawing pad, but eventually, it just stopped working. I decided to go home because it wouldn't have been fair to her to stay there. She was tired, cranky and just plain bored. Why subject her to that (and everyone else to the meltdown) when I could just try again the next day or wait until someone could watch her?
Hey some days there’s just not much you can do, I will say I applaud you for doing everything you can for your little one, I’ve seen too many parents that frankly don’t really give the necessary support and it sounds like you are an extremely understanding and kind mother 💙💙💙
I have so many memories of being dragged to and forced to stay at empty boring department stores.
I remember when my grandma had a stroke, my mom taking us to the ICU where she was and just having to sit and stare at the walls. There was a waiting room, but there was only one TV and it was on CNN.
Thanks, I do try.
And this is it right here. Your three year old shouldn't be expected to act like an adult or even an older child. You saw that she was at the end of her rope and removed her from the situation before it escalated, because her not losing her marbles was rightly more important to you than trying to impart some kind of "lesson" or forcing her to "act right or else." Your kid is lucky to have a mom who gets that being three is actually pretty hard
I'm surprised to hear that Muffin is hated. We've all been her at some point in our lives and while it's annoying, it's not malicious.
And while most of us want to be Chilli or Bandit, we're more often than not Trixie or Stripe. I'm surprised how little compassion people seem to have for them. Maybe it's because Muffin's family breaks the illusion so many adults tune into Bluey to see.
Muffin's family isn't a bad family. They're doing their best, and their best is realistic to many watching.
As a 22M fan of the show, I never got the Muffin hate. I think I saw a bit of toddler me in Muffin… totally chaotic, impulsive, and behind in social skills, yet completely natural. Plus I just think her character is incredibly entertaining and can be used for humorous moments quite well
People who hate kids always forget we were kids once we were naive and stupid and stubborn and chaotic! It’s sad to see such hate be brought into a child for just being a kid especially since most of their behavior comes from their parents which they have no control over.
Fr, Muffin is their first kid and they're clearly still navigating things. + having differences in how you raise kids vs raising them poorly is not the same
Without Muffin, we don't have "MuFFin NoO!!!"
That was a good scene about thinking through the consequences of what we consider "cute."
We don't hate Muffin, we just know our children are gonna imitate the wild behavior. ❤ I can't wait to share Muffin with my daughter when she's a bit older lol
I think part of the reason muffin screams so much (apart from being a 4 year old) is that, in the episode where they have a call, stripe tells muffin hes gonna turn off the call and when everyone screams Stripe backs down. Basically, he is teaching them that if they scream hard enough they will get what they want
I didn't even realize there was a reason to dislike muffin until a few of my friends said they didn't like her. she's just 3, and can't be expected to behave as maturely as the older kids. genuinely everyone should read up on child psychology, even if you don't have kids or plan on having kids. it's so important to understand them and give them the benefit of the doubt because they are still learning
As an autistic person, i identify with Muffin quite a bit. Especially when looking back on my own childhood. Learning a new social rule (you're the most special) and misapplying it in inappropriate situations (i can do what i want cuz dad said I'm special); Meltdowns/tantrums; and stimming behavior (sucking her thumb). To be clear, I'm not diagnosing her with autism. But of the characters in Bluey, she most accurately exhibits autistic behaviors.
Even though they’re fictional characters they’re still based off of children and it’s definitely concerning when people do judge children like they can parent their own actions. Seeing adult Bluey fans go after Muffin and especially Judo is so sad to me because I grew up with kids just like them and they actually struggled a lot.
I swear adults are children's first bullies all because they're reacting like kids :(
Exactly this, i and millions of others used to act the same exact way as her at that age, the adults around me would tell me im a bad kid and that sort of thing but would never explain to me why what im doing is bad. I also am autistic and while my teachers and basically every adult around me familiar with autism said i was probably autistic, my mom would tell me theyre wrong that i was just "smarter than the other kids" which ended up in me having the whole gifted kid crash. It ended up in me developing clinical depression at age 8 and being prescribed ssris at 11. The adults around me blamed it on me and chemical imbalance instead of their way of parenting, they would never listen because of my behavior. Its an awful way of treating kids, i know my parents mostly meant no harm with it (my mom would say really fucked up jokes about hurting/killing me for being annoying on the phone thinking i couldnt hear her, i did) and still dont wanna accept that they still hurt me depsite not wishing to cause harm. Im still recovering, not only mentally but physically too. It spiraled into me trying benzos and opioid at 13, im stilk trying to get away from that. In short: kids are assholes, but its not their faults. Theu dont know what theyre doing, they dont have the experience to know. You have to be patient, be kind but be firm. You need a balance, dont just yell and scream. Explain whats wrong with their behavior, how it affects things, and how itll affect them. Kids arent just husks for you to imprint yourself on, theyre people. Ones that are new to the world. Sorry for the rant i just felt like sharing my personal experience with these sorta people
Parents who are good at parenting get annoyed with parents who are bad at parenting, and the brats they raise. How is this surprising? Even Chile gives him an annoyed glance. What is so confusing about this to people?
@@CovenoftheOpenMind I wouldn't say Stripe and Trixie are bad parents. They're new to it since Muffin is their first pup and they have different parenting styles, not just compared to Chili and Bandit. I'm certain that there's going to be a core difference of how Muffin behaves and how Socks will behave when she is older.
Also, Bluey and Bingo ain't perfect either. There was a time where Bluey was quite mean towards Socks in one of the Christmas episodes.
Seriously, we are taking about a toddler. That's the whole point. Most of them outgrow this stage, and not without parents' help. You have to experience it to know what I mean- to raise a child, or at least observe a child being raised. If you have already, then sorry, you probably didn't gain much from your observations
The fact that in faceytalk while stripe and Trixie where chasing muffy rock socks was just happily drawing 🤣
she's so used to the chaos.
Yea
I think Socks is going to be the Bingo of that family, just totally chill and well-behaved most of the time, while Muffin will be the Bluey. She's so cute.
My family thinks Muffin is so funny and that she is a pretty realistic 3/4 year old. I definitely think that is a super challenging and fun age.
Ever since someone pointed out that in Baby Race, the friend looks at the audience when telling Chili, “You’re doing great.” I always pay extra attention when i see this choice made again. Bluey is an amazing show because it’s not just a great show with humor for parents, it’s an amazing show FOR parents with humor for kids. Nothing hits you like a parenting lesson from this damn show ❤
I'm not taking advice from a cartoon dog...
@@summonbiggerfishyou do realize that real, adult human beings created and wrote the characters right? There's a ton of great content in this show for both parents and children.
@@Liannabelle8 I was just quoting Bandit, from the show. It's the inner monologue I have every time I learn something from the show.
I love this, everybody wants to talk about terrible twos but nobody wants to talk about all of the things toddlers are experiencing
omg some ppl are CRAZY 🙄 yeah she can be a bit bratty, but guess what? kids can and WILL be absolute shits and terrors bc they are kids. ppl cant see how shes learning and growing as a kid
I’ve always liked her and I’ve always thought of her as bratty but in a likable way if that makes sense. She still is a good kid despite this behavior at times.
Most people expect kids to act like adults.
@@jusminejustice2794 True.
Ppl have this idea that someone is inherently either good or bad. People are just inherently who they are, with good and bad things further shaped by their experiences.
I think that shows how unforgiving we can be as adults. We forget what it was like to be a kid and not knowing the “rules”. Also maybe some people just didn’t get that patience as kids. It’s a self awareness thing.
Honestly this feels pretty common with a lot of medias where people become angry when an infant, toddler, child, or teenager behave like what they are. Or even if they behave nasty when they should know better they forget the history of the character that makes them behave that way and give them no chance to grow
you should have seen how people felt about Flurry Heart from MLP
@@shaobues I already know I grew up in that fandom lmfao
Yeah to be honest, shows like Cailou and Arthur emphasized the “spoiled brat” characterization so much that people just hate those type of people, even if they might be like that themselves without them knowing it. Muffin is basically a correction to the wrong lessons learned from those older shows.
Good point. I've seen people compare Muffin to DW and I don't get it - DW is fully just an asshole, where Muffin is never mean, just chaotic. But I can see how if you only see a kid who isn't totally tractable and obedient as the "bratty one" you don't stop to consider where the behavior is coming from.
DW is nowhere near the level of asshole as Caillou. DW actually learns lessons and shares with friends, eventually. Caillou is just a little shit.
@@tinkerhell-kj3mv
As a Muffin, disliker (not hater) Muffin will always be better than DW, DW was a little sociopath who seemed to only thrive on tormenting her brother while facing. Absolutely no negative consequences. Muffin is only a minor annoyance who will most likely grow up and be very wholesome and sweet.
The episode with Nana is when i started to like Muffin. When Nana said the only rule is that everyone gets what they want i thought it was beautiful and such unconditional love. Not everyone is the same for whatever reason and we all deserve unconditional love. When we have those people who are less tolerable they're just doing their best and we can still show them love and grace. 💜
I'd love to see an episode where Stripe gets frustrated and tries to be super strict, and after it backfires he goes to Bandit and Bandit coaches him gently and gives him some brotherly guidance on balancing in parenting.
I love Muffin's chaotic energy! Like Chili says, different families have different rules and as a result, different children. It may be that people feel negatively towards Muffin by comparing her to Bingo but no child is perfect and I'm happy to see that Muffin may be a handful but she's never mean-spirited
People think there's something wrong with a kid not being totally sweet and tractable constantly...which, I totally get that kids like Bingo are easier to get along with, but Bingo is also the kind of kid who's likely to get picked on or taken advantage of because she doesn't want to make waves. No one's going to push Muffin around. Source: am a former Bingo
@@tinkerhell-kj3mv Right and you can even see that in the adults! Everyone except muffin struggled to tell that grouchy old woman off whereas muffin got her to pay up 💀
@@tinkerhell-kj3mv You're so right. My toddler is a bingo, so was I, and that's a massive worry of mine. My sister was a feisty muffin kid and she handled herself so well during school and onwards. I was bullied, shy and submissive so was often taken advantage of. I'm still learning to draw my own boundaries with other adults and working to appear confident and assertive for my little girl. Every kid has their strengths and weaknesses, and even the "bingos" of the world have their muffin moments. All the muffin hate just breaks my heart, they're truly fabulous kids and really keep you on your toes.
@@CandyFlossFluff This is such an awesome way of putting it. I'll make sure to tell this to people next time they become Muffin haters. I was a Bingo myself, and while I wasn't disliked, people took severe advantage of me. I even went as far as to give what little money I had each day at school to the popular kids because I wanted them to like me. It took me literally years to realize I was being used. I was THAT naive. Even if Muffin is bratty and rubs everyone the wrong way, she's not someone to take anyone's crud, and I wish people would understand that. Just because a kid, especially a toddler, is spoiled and bratty, doesn't mean they're bad.
Muffin was me when I was younger. I always saw her as a neurodivergent child due to her chaotic nature and simple wants covered by adverse emotions. It was difficult for me to communicate what I wanted because I didn’t always know how to say it. It led me to being frustrated and not being able to control my temper tantrums. I was also so anxious at this age because I didn’t understand what was going on because my communication skills weren’t the best and I couldn’t really read people or situations either. I basically had no self awareness. I eventually got to a stage where I could learn these skills through people teaching me rather than instinctively learning or having. I feel like Muffin is the same in that regard. She will learn by people telling her how her actions affect people but she will still be a chaotic queen when she grows up. ✨
One of the hardest things about being a neurodivergent kid (IMO) is that people think you're trying to be manipulative when you have a fit but you're really just...so past your limit your brain won't allow you to do anything else.
I've seen people posit that Bluey and Muffin have ADHD and Bingo has autism, I can actually see all three of those being true though of course they're all very different kids.
Thanks for saying that. Most people blatantly don't even try to understand us. They also think we'll "grow out of it" (LOL) bc everything they've heard is from parents complaining. Neurodivergent adults exist (and that's all we're trying to do). ❤
That’s so weird because I always interpreted Muffin as an average toddler and Bluey as neurodivergent
Maybe that's the reason I dislike her so much she reminds me of me and I hate my inner child.
I know a Muffin in my life, but she's 8. She's my little cousin and her parents never corrected her behavior when she was Muffin's age. Of course that behavior is normal for a 3-4 year old, but not someone twice the age. My little cousin's parents never made her have punishments or explained that her behavior was wrong. She is struggling with not being the family baby anymore, and my family is seeing that her behavior isn't "cute" anymore. Hope she grows out of it, and Muffin is a pretty good example of a little kid, and what can happen if you don't set up boundaries or punishments for kids
I know a Muffin that's 21, in a group home and male. Random screams included (attention hog). Needless to say they are struggling to find staff to pick up shifts.
The thing is Muffin's behavior is developmentally appropriate for a three year old; she doesn't need more punishments, she just needs to get older. When she's a little older it'll be time for her parents to say "okay this is how we handle feeling upset/bored/angry/disappointed" etc. There's no reason to think Trixie and Stripe will neglect that aspect of Muffin's development. They largely deal with her appropriately, because she's three. The problem comes when, like your cousin, four, five, six all pass by and no one's taken the time to teach them these things.
@@101jirhe's probably mentally disabled, u can't really act like that's something he can control or change
@@tinkerhell-kj3mvhowever something you have to understand is that understanding is a different thing
Yes a kid at that age will behave like this that’s totally normal but if you have this mentality that they will grow out of it constantly without trying to ever learn them when they are young they won’t learn when they are older you can absolutely explain to a toddler why their behavior is wrong what they should and shouldn’t do try and help them find ways to regulate their emotions the only thing you shouldn’t do is always focus on the bad behavior you need balance of explaining to the kid what is wrong and right while also not making them feel like a villain for their behavior who never does anything good this is a hard one to balance in general but saying they will grow out of it and doing nothing to help them when they are young out of a belief that they are too young to understand is one of the reasons why this behavior continues and then as they grow older people will hold them accountable for behavior that has never been explained to them as wrong
@@tinkerhell-kj3mvI have a young sister who is soon at Muffin’s age I do have to constantly explain to her what she can’t and can do she gets upset of course but that’s the thing I still have to remind her of it because one day she will get to a point where I can explain more why we don’t do that but right now she needs the boundaries set and also the thing with kids if they learn the boundaries they will know them and then there is a matter of asking yourself what behavior should be corrected and what is okay to leave be because pointing out everything at a constant doesn’t work and you have to put in a lot of perspective into what the child is doing and why like if the child is doing it
For example my grandma scolded my sister for ruining her books but I thought of her scolding as harsh because my sister ruined the children’s books that my sister owned so it was her own and it’s normal for children to pick something apart and while you can certainly correct it the reaction my grandma had to it was over the top since the context was that my sister ruined her own books not something library owned or something owned by others so acting like she committed a crime was ridiculous even though I did agree that the behavior could have been addressed it just wasn’t a appropriate emotional reaction at the same time
This information abt muffin gives me so much understanding why my cousin also acts like this.
I always thought she was just a brat and sometimes a princess but whith the help of this video, it had help me to understand that she is at a state same as muffin and that state i have NEVER been to as a kid.
Thank SO much for helping me understand my 4 year old cousin.
This REALLY helps alot 😊
As soon as a saw muffin I knew. I used to work in a daycare and she a good representative of kids in that age range. I think parents want their kids to be like Bluey or Bingo forgetting they have to deal with the muffin stage 😂
people treat Muffin's character like she's just a tiny fully formed adult, able to fully reason and understand her actions and their consequences. but she's 4 years old, and the entire point of her character is to showcase the product of lazy, hands-off parenting: an uncontrollable wild-child. she's designed to be a foil to the Heeler kids and every other character which is more well-behaved; *she's the example of how not to act*
I feel like most adults expect children to act like fully formed adults, which is part of the problem. They're young and new in the world. How would they know how to act properly unless u take the time and patience to teach them?
YES. I still don't personally care for Muffin all that much, but so much of her behavior comes down to parenting. While Stripe & Trixie are likable enough as standalone characters, when we see them parenting, all I can think is "that's how to end up with a Muffin." Every kid is going to have their tantrum moments, but the "do as I say, not as I do" mentality from both parents is not helping her self-regulation. Definitely the foil character, great for opening up discussions about how Muffin's actions make others feel.
To be fair, Bluey's parents are perfect. Comparing anyone's parenting style to them is going to make them look 'lazy and hands-off'.
@@Jaytaxman did you not realize thats the entire point of their characters? to be good role models for parents and kids watching.
Now, after watching the episode fully, I can say that Stripe and Trixie are pretty good parents. They recognize they can't be like Bandit and Chile, but they are taking steps to be better for themselves and their kids. If they actively resisted the lessons they learned in the series, or let their pride govern their parenting, then they'd be bad parents.
I love muffin :) she reminds me of my own son. He’s hyperactive, has a hard time listening or understanding sometimes, and has an aggressive streak. But it’s clear he’s not intending to be malicious, he just has too much energy and it needs to come out somehow. He also has a very kind heart and just wants to connect with people, something he’s unfortunately going to struggle with his whole life due to having ADHD.
Muffin is just a toddler, admittedly a more difficult and willful one, but a toddler nonetheless. Every child is different, that doesn’t make them bad.
Aggressive streak ❤️
"I don't know. I just can't :(" SOBS AGGRESSIVELY
:(
Personally, I think Muffin's psychology and everything is 100% accurate to someone that age. I've heard my mom say several times when she watches Bluey with me that she remembers those days, especially with how one of my older sisters acted at that age. Quite similar to Muffin. Thanks for making this video. It was an amazing find. I look forward to watching more. 💕
I generally feel 3 yr olds are just demons given flesh, but I recognize that I have some real inner child trauma because I was never, never, EVER "allowed" to behave in those ways. I got frustrated with kids who acted out when I was their age, and I feel the same frustration now. Absolutely none of that is Muffin's, or any child's, fault. It's something in myself that I have to process.
I used to feel that same frustration, and to be honest sometimes it’s still there, but working through my own trauma and experiencing the teachings of little shows like this helps make the world a lot less frustrating and more enjoyable for sure 💚
I absolutely love how Bluey teaches that KIDS CAN BE IMMATURE and it’s absolutely normal. The problem with this generation is forcing kids to mature too fast. I hate seeing it because kids will be kids, and we shouldn’t get mad at them for that.. Muffin and Socks are my favorite characters, and i absolutely love them because they show normal child behavior. This is why Bluey is such an amazing show:
Yes! Kids are often maturing too fast due to being hit for simply being children. And this hitting is normalized as “spankings”, which have been outed as being harmful to childrens mental development! Im certain that alot of people who dislike muffin for being a child would hit their children for being children
We need more kid characters acting like real kids , because kids aren't pure beings that instantly know right from wrong , that's taught by experience and from parents or other parental figures
I worked with a looooot of "Muffins" when I worked at different daycares, and I can totally understand people being frustrated with Muffin. I do too sometimes! But she's doing the best with what she's got. Not enough people really truly understand that a 3 year old has only been ALIVE for 3 years, and they've had a LOT to learn in that time. I think Muffin is a classic 3 year old, who has moments where she is "misbehaving" and other moments where shes thoughtful, like you pointed out! Plus, as seen in the clips you used, Bluey and Bingo have their moments of tantrums or misbehavior too, we just get more time with them to understand their behavior better than we do Muffin and Socks.
Muffin has always been my favorite because she’s so strong willed. Headstrong kids can grow up into incredible leaders.
I remember having some friends who were like muffin. I see them today and they are so confident and assertive in the best way. It makes me proud of them, and love muffin.
I found her hilarious but never hated her. She is exactly what you’d expect out of a 4 yr old. Overly mature child protagonists really spoil peoples’ perception of children . My favorite thing about Muffin was when her father explained that while she’s special to him, she’s not like that to everyone. She understood. No tantrum, no anger, she understood perfectly
We need Muffins in Congress and at the U.N. right now.
I have a niece (8) and a nephew (2). The boy is at the stage everything in his hand is his and yells "MIIIINNMEE." He is the sweetest boy and is ready to help when he sees someone doing a task. His sister gets annoyed that he acts bratty sometimes and no one reprimands hims. We have to remind her he's learning.
yes that is how muffin is....one minute a "brat" but the other time is sweet. They didnt make her an angelic pickles where she is 99 percent a spoiled brat but more realistic as a kid
I work at a preschool and I knew a kid just like Muffin. He either acted how I expected or in a completely unexpected way and to be honest I didn't like him for a time. But that was because I was new and it took me a while to realize he's still growing, he was only 3! So we grew together, I learned to understand that it'll take a while for him to learn social skills and more complex emotions and he learned said skills and emotions with a little help from me here and there.
Now when I look back I'm proud to say that he's one of my most well remembered kids
I like to compare Muffin Heeler to Manny Heffley. They are both ownwy thwee, but one has parents that attempt to set her straight, and when she is given the guidance, she at least tries to make attempts to fix her behavior, and she at least has friends, meanwhile the other is an unsympathetic manipulator that is aware of his age behavior and consistently uses it as an excuse to justify his actions, parents that are blisfully ignorant to his manipulations, never punishes him, and even enables his behavior which leads him to think what he's doing is right, he has no friends and refuses to empathize to with anyone including his family, and is even consciously allowed them to starve to death just to secure his own survival. Muffin is a normal kid of her own age, Manny is the second coming of Hitler.
how can you say all that for our kind overlord? he is owwy thwee.
hey i just realized they have the same initials haha
I know they’re fictional, but characterizing any three-year-old as a “manipulator” doesn’t sit right with me. They’re toddlers.
Muffin is also portrayed through a neutral lens. We see her actions as a 3rd party neutral observer. We only see Manny's actions through Greg's perspective, and what kid likes dealing with their toddler sibling? Also Greg is a sociopath who lacks empathy so he doesn't understand that Manny is a developing baby and wants to manipulate the reader into thinking Manny is worse than he is. Greg is an unreliable narrator.
@pinkdarkboy7127 Thank you! People forget that Greg is an unreliable narrator and that he tends to make the people around sound worse than they actually are. He does the same thing with Rodrick. Not saying that Manny is a saint or that he has no flaws, but Greg is notorious for framing everyone else a bad light, except for himself, and maybe Holly too.
When I first saw Muffin in a video clip, my thoughts were: Yeah, I'd get a migraine... but I don't hold anything against her for it, because I understood almost immediately that she was likely in the phase where she was learning to assert herself as well as communicate. It's been hard to explain the entire time, but one way I've seen it: I was kind of like Muffin in kindergarten XD (roast me all you want, everyone, but:); my point is that I remember what it's like *being a kid,* especially developing communcation.
Exactly. Muffin will yell less when she's better able to make herself understood. She'll learn to deal with feelings better when she's able to understand them. This is a person so young she only just learned how a toilet works. EVERYTHING is new and bewildering to her.
I'll admit it, I'm a past Muffin-hater. When I first watched Bluey, I didn't *hate* Muffin like some people did, but I certainly didn't like her. I thought of her as a bratty kid who threw temper tantrums and was never properly disciplined by rich, spineless parents (Stripe mainly). The episode 'Library' and 'Charades' were certainly the episodes where my disdain for her was strongest. As someone who had bratty siblings even out of their toddler years, I pushed my own personal frustrations with bratty kids onto Muffin and hated that she got away with everything with little to no repercussions. Then I read a review of 'Library' where someone simply said 'Sure, what she does can be annoying... but she's 3. Do you expect her to properly regulate her impulses and emotions so soon?'
Then my perspective changed: of *course* she reacted the way she did in 'Library'! Children *need* rules and boundaries so they don't become a danger to themselves or others, so when you basically say 'You know rules? You don't have to listen to them' to a kid who probably didn't even know impulse control was a thing, of course they'll do anything they can think of, because they can and so why shouldn't they? She had no malicious intent when doing it, she was just doing what she wanted when she wanted because she could. That's why she was so happy when she wasn't special: now she could play the game because she *had* to follow the rules, so she *couldn't* do whatever she wanted anymore, and that made it fun for everyone!
That made me think about 'Charades' too; of course she loses her temper and is so insistent on what she wants. She's 3; she can't just say 'Excuse me Grandmother, but would you be so awfully kind as to lend me a ballerina costume so I can be a proper ballerina?' or word it in any way similar. They're malleable and volatile, hardly able to control their emotional state, so she just wanted things to go her way is all. Besides, I saw someone mention she might've wanted it to be perfect just so Socks could perfectly guess she was a ballerina, and that sounds super cute, so I'll head-canon that!
I don't love Muffin by any means, but I certainly don't dislike her anymore! She's funny and sweet and a realistic depiction of children rather than being sugar-coated, so I truly am glad I was given a proper perspective of her so I stopped thinking of her as a brat. It's never that black and white. :)
EXACTLY ALL OF THIS. She's three. Three year olds are, frankly, often really annoying. They're supposed to be. They're doing their best and will figure out how to be a human being with time. Muffin is a handful even for a three year old, but hey, Bluey is also a handful and she's a pretty great kid.
I honestly like that Bluey includes characters like Muffin.
The portrayal of kids in this show is so down to earth. I don't have kids myself, but I have nephews in the same age group.
Let me tell you, this is the most relatable thing I've ever seen on television.
When I think of child characters in other shows, they're never this grounded or realistic. Either made too pure and innocent, or too unlikable and bratty.
And every god damn time, I get teary eyes from the wholesomeness and Ninjas cutting onions again....I'm not crying, you are!
I love this show.
honestly, muffin is my reality check as a parent. muffin is my reminder my 3 year old is a normal kid, growing and learning. sripes and trixie are the parents i relate to most, cause they're trying to figure out this parenting thing
Muffin honestly reminds me of my cousins when I was growing up with them. In fact,
Strip's family shows strong similarities with my cousin's its almost uncanny.
they have such huge "cousins whose parents are slightly richer and laxer than yours" energy it's so real
Personally I think Muffin is an agent of pure chaos. She does what she wants to do and It’s not good or bad, it’s just MUFFIN.
I mean, comparing her to Bingo is kind of unfair, cause Bingo maybe closer to her age, but Bingo IS the YOUNGER sibling. Meanwhile Muffins the OLDER sibling. It would make more sense to look at Bluey when SHE was younger since Muffin just had Stripes and Trixie keeping her in check while Bingo has Bandit Chili AND Bluey keeping tabs on her. There’s a lot that an older sibling can do to keep a younger sibling from getting TOO crazy. On Stripes and Trixie part, they’re still sort of trying to figure out the whole parent thing, so I don’t think it’s unfair.
Now that I think of it, it would be interesting to see how Socks is later since SHE would be more the equivalent of Bingo.
Such good points here.
Bingo is also more than a year older than Muffin, which is a pretty big deal when you're three and four/five.
I was mentioning this in another comment but Stripes being the younger sibling probably plays a role in his lax parenting because when he was growing up he had his parents and brothers vs its now just him.
It's also parenting style
When I started watching Bluey, I was someone who disliked Muffin, or thought she was kinda annoying (coming from an 23 year old, childless adult, so I have no experience with kids) but after rewatching all the episodes that focus on her and actually taking the time to understand her character, I LOVE her!
She has become one of my favourite characters, and some episodes like Muffin Cone are episodes I keep rewatching because they are so good!
Bluey is a comfort show of mine, and I guess sometimes Muffin was too much for me, but I can appreciate her character now :)
Amazing video as always!!!
Muffin is pretty extra, with all the loudness and chaos. She's a normal three year old and a good kid but normal three year olds are also really exhausting. I get why people might not like her character in that respect.
I love Bluey. I read two parenting books and helllaaa articles and I love that I can see the psychology and advice within their dialogue. I leave feeling wiser than what I came and my daughter lights up when we watch the show… I really appreciate your insight. I have a “Muffin”of my own but I understand she’s truly acting as a toddler. Is it exhausting? Yes! And it’s videos like this that keep me afloat . I played this after a trying moment with my daughter during bedtime and I cried and felt so much encouragement as I played this… thank you !!
This comment literally made my night you have no idea! I’m so happy you got the encouragement you needed after that moment, know that you’re a great mother and not to ever give up 💙
@@Pugly awww you made my night so I’m so glad I could be a light to you as well ; thank you for the kind words and advice ! 🤗
As the dad of my own Muffin in the making (2y 8m), I can't express how much I needed this video and didn't know it.
When you said it can be normal for a parent to feel like they're doing something wrong, it broke me. I needed to hear that so badly. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I honestly never understood the hate towards Muffin! It’s like you said in this video - she is a toddler and acts like it! She is still learning the world, how to act in it and how to process her own emotions and actions. Plus, throughout the series, we can see hints of her more caring side, like when she held up the ice pop for Socks or helped make a video for Bingo when she was in the hospital.
I personally love Muffin and think she is hilarious! Faceytalk is one of my favorite episodes and I always get a kick out of watching it!
Muffin is just a toddler learning how to exist in the world. What is wrong with that?
Agreed on all counts. Muffin is really neat.
As a former chaotic child, I completely understand Muffin. As a parent, I feel she needs more discipline than just a timeout.
And the thing is, Trixie was even giving Stripe a hard time about putting Muffin in time-out in one of the episodes. I think it was during one of the facey talk episodes.
@@jettthewolf887Yes, I loved how it showed healthy communication between parents and how both parents need to agree on a method of discipline
Also a former chaotic child and agreeing with proper discipline needed but also cautious about certain forms of discipline due to personal experience with alarming kinds of acting out bubbling up at a later age
@@cheezbiscuit4140 Seconding this here as a former chaotic child.
I don't think Muffin needs more discipline. She needs parents who genuinely listen to her instead. She just wanted to draw her cowboy hat. She just didn't understand what the word "special" means. Etc. "Okay, finish your cowboy hat and then Socks get the tablet for as long as you had it" would've avoided the entire crazy episode of Faceytalk. Instead of saying "Muffin, you're special", Stripe could've just said "You need to follow rules. I made a mistake." Muffin is still at an age where she can't communicate all that well; she needs her parents to look at what she's trying to express instead of just controlling the behavior.
Also, she's three, she'll soon be at a point where using her words is the norm.
I never considered before that Library and Muffin cone are exploring the balance between overly permissive parenting and overly strict parenting. I love these episodes as they show that while Stripe and Trixie are far from perfect, they are continually learning and growing along with Muffin.
I’m glad this popped up in my feed. I’ve been struggling with my oldest who is nearing three and an infant and my husband always joked my oldest was our muffin but it’s nice to kno WHY. Like I know he doesn’t have impulse control yet and is learning but it is always nice for a reassurance that I’m not completely messing up royally
Thank you for making this video. Many people just hate children and hate children in media, Muffen's behavior often embodies the things such people will point to as to why children are all terrible and it just really pisses me off.
I've worked child care my entire life. Children don't act badly for no reason, even if it's a curve ball you didn't expect, there is something going on in their inner life.
Teens and Adults need more social awareness and empathy. Yeah, maybe the child at a restaurant is throwing a tantrum and acting up, but it sucks to have 0 control or power over anything other then yourself; not your schedule, where you go, who you get to be with, what you do, eat, ect. Children only have as much choice as the Adults around them permit. That's a very frustrating existence if you're around adults who have little to no respect or empathy for you.
The exstreams of controlling adults or permissive can both be symptoms of lack of respect, checking out because you don't want to deal with what is going on. In Stripes case, he does care which is why he does course correct, he's probably just conflict avoidant and need to work on himself to have an even healthier relationship with his wife and daughters. Trixy does care too, but she seems to have trust issues and that results in being overly controlling. So good on the show for demonstrating PARENTS needing to grow and work on themselves to better their relationships and be better parents.
I thought you might include Grandma's role in the family dynamic since you used some clips from "Charades" but you didn't go there, so a video about Grandparents different parenting vs grand-parenting styles would be great!
I love Muffin, but she honestly reinforces why I choose to be childfree. She's a lot of work because , like you said, toddlers are like that. And I know I can't handle that for long periods.
I already have difficulty with my nephew, who's in his toddler "no" and picky eater phases.
I'm genuinely curious, is it also impossible for you to handle other stressful responsibilities? Like pets, or doing jobs, taking care of yourself ect. Or is it just toddlers?
@@bb-mf6qhgood question.
@@bb-mf6qh
I won't lie, in general, stressful situations are difficult for me. In the worst cases, it can induce an anxiety attack.
For me, stress from toddlers induces a similar stress as when I worked in food service (even had to take more meds when I worked). Specifically, their poor emotional regulation abilites (understandable because they're basically learning to human). I do have difficulty taking care of myself, but that's due to other mental health issues (another reason I choose to be child-free because I don't want a child growing up in that environment).
Ironcially, animals are easy for me. Probably because I've grown up surrounded by animals. But to me they're much easier to understand and less complex than people.
Not wanting kids yourself is perfectly valid.
@@bb-mf6qh At least you can have a break from other stressful life things and you can change your mind about them (although hopefully not about the pets)
Its safe to say that people who hate kid and even teen characters who act their age aren't fit or ready to be parents
I think it would be really interesting to see an episode that shows what Bluey was like at Muffin's age. I can imagine her having similar characteristics as they are both quite loud and were both the older sibling, having to deal with a new sibling around that toddler age. It would also show how Chilli and Bandit developed their parenting style to the one we say today, again showing they were probably a little bit like Trixie and Stripe to some extent
This video is so good, and perfectly explains what Muffin's role in the show is sorta supposed to be (other than being an adorable goof ball)
I wish we could show her episodes when my niece is around, the lessons in her episodes are so perfect, not only for my niece, but for my niece's mother too (who seems to hate the show for no reason other than how much my niece loves it?). Unfortunately, my niece is at that age where she copies anything she sees (much like Muffin!), and due to some poor parenting and how 4 year olds work, she's taking on the more rude and bratty side of most of the characters, especially Muffin, and isn't learning the lesson that's taught at the end. It's such a massive bummer, but I know it'll just take time, and I really do hope that my niece's mom comes around to the show, the lessons could really help her with understanding how kids my niece's age work, and how to help her grow into a proper kid!
I hate to admit that I’m still not a fan of Muffin, but after watching this video, I kind of feel bad for hating her too much.
Sure there are times when Muffin can be a brat, but she also had her good moments like in Ganny Mobile. So Muffin does server a good purpose to be in Bluey.
She acts like a kid irl. But a tamer version
It's fine if people aren't a fan. Just hating on her however is honestly too much. She's a kid and well, if given the right amount of time and guidance, will grow out of it
There seems to be an interesting duality regarding the view on children, in some people. On one hand they are supposed to be mature enough to basically have the self control of an adult (or some cases even more), but are on the other hand not seen as mature enough to be given any agency of their own or to be taken seriously.
You nailed it.
This is a great comment. It really helps me understand why everyone hates Muffin-haters. We give our kids agency, and we expect them to regulate their emotions, or try to, and we help them do so when they struggle. Our kids have their moments, but they're nothing like Muffin. I think Muffin is extremely annoying, and so are parents like her parents.
@@CovenoftheOpenMindLike with every and all analysis of characters in works of fiction, you have to keep in mind it is a purposefully created work, that will more often than not use shortcuts to get the point across. Like showcasing a completely normal behaviour in kids with the help of a singular character that basically just does that, in order to teach the audience a lesson, in the case of Bluey. Like you don't actually hate the character, but the characteristic, wich in this work is pretty much the sole defining trait of that character, because it was created that way. Like there isn't actually much of a character to begin with. Though the creators of the show seem to move away from that a little, granting Muffin some growth and depth. And until then people just fill the gaps with their own experiences and prejudices about characters that showcase certain traits. Sometimes leading to favourable or unfavourable results, leading to people that like or dislike her, without there actually being a proper basis for either.
I’ve never seen a more accurate depiction of toddlerhood than muffin. She’s actually one of my favorite characters.
Yeah, these kids act too perfect for 4 to 5 year olds. It's to a point where my ex assumes all children are like this. And this is not real life. Muffin is a relief because most kids have tantrums and throw fits.
Muffin is loud, spoiled, and unhinged. But the show does it in such a real and likeable way.
Growing up with all of my nieces and nephews, i have seen my fair share of Muffins that have been done the worst ways.
She's definitely a cutie that learns from her mistakes rather than just being a poop about it.
Shes little enough to take things at face value but also can understand what wrong and right is.
She's hilarious and cute when need be, we all need that crazy little cousin
I can relate to Muffin since I was a bit of an angry child and also had a bad habit of sucking my thumb. Kids have a habit of acting like brats because they don't know how to control their emotions yet. In my case, I was a bit developmentally delayed. My parents also had differences with how they handled me. My mom was much softer than my dad.
As a dad of 2 very young children, Bluey gets it right. I'm honestly shocked people hate Muffin like they do, this is just kinda how kids act.
Muffin is there to present a dichotomy between Bluey and Bingo's behaviors, opposed to 'bad' behaviors. You're not meant to like Muffin's actions. She's a developing child who hasn't been taught to manage her emotions properly.
Not necessarily due to neglect or anything, but because she has parents who aren't perfect. Even then, Muffin is at a stage where children are developing more nuanced and varied emotions. Sort of a "first puberty." Combine that with a child's body, as opposed to a toddler's, (as in more capable of dextrous and complex tasks) and it's a recipe for disaster to unprepared parents.
I feel like even the most well behaved kids have their Muffin moments, because they’re little and don’t know how to regulate their emotions yet
"Why can't you just stop sucking your thumb?"
"...I don't know. I just can't..."
This part made me so sad... :'(
I REALLY like Bluey's take on not only showing different parenting styles, but showing how you have to adjust it to match the personalities of your children. It helps parents feel seen, but it's also tends to be where the show gets a lot of criticism, because there's no "perfect" way to parent that works for every kid.
Muffin shows this very well, and she's one of my favorite characters because she reminds me of many younger family members who were that obstinate as toddlers. And I will go to bat for Stripes and Trixie as I have known families where there are kids more like Muffin and some more like Bingo that live under the same roof with the same parenting, they're just different and need different things. Episodes like "Mini Bluey" show this very well, as your kids can not only be very different from one another, and their age can have a lot to do with what challenges you face in parenting at the time. Both Muffin and Bluey are both strong spirited in their own ways, which makes parenting hard in the meanwhile, but when done well, their struggles as children will become more positive as they grow up. While "easy" children like Bingo tend to need more guidance through their teenage years as they get older.
Muffin is a great, well written character I honestly can't stand, but watching this made me realize why: I have twin toddlers that often act like her, and they drive me absolutely bonkers. So, thank you for showing me the commonality, and also I may have some things to work on.
On the contrary I love Muffin, she's a little menace but she's not mean and hee little gremlin of a personality is adorable and that's what toddler should be sometime
I always saw Muffin as the girl who eventually becomes the popular girl in school. Similar to Charlotte from “Princess and the Frog”but more chaotic.
Muffin is like my favorite character, shes just learning the world around her. My fav scene ever is her understanding she isnt special, but not because shes not SPECIAL. shes special to her family, shes their kid. But she understood shes not a special kid and isnt above rules and others have feelings too. I love itso much
the fact that people hate muffin breaks my heart, as my son is autistic and at 11 can behave like muffin due to varying stimuli.
I work at a daycare/preschool that have parents a lot like stripe, I have had a lot of kids from 10 weeks old and seen them every Monday through Friday from 6:45 am to 6:30pm and now a lot of them are 4-5 years old. (Ofcourse I don’t see them ALL the time) They act a lot like stripe and I noticed that their parents get intimidated by their children, the kids scream and cry so the moment that begins the first things the parents do it offer candy, toys or tablet time in return for good behavior. Or they stand silently and don’t know what to say. Since I’m just their teacher I can’t parent them and most of the parents don’t like discipline (and I don’t mean spankings, I mean time out or consequences) I have to for example.
A four year old girl throws a small chair at her friend because they didn’t give her their toy from home, as a result the four year old should (in my opinion) be spoken to, told what they did wrong and why they shouldn’t do it. And time to think in time out. We can’t do that, all we can do is say “don’t throw or hit your friends” with no consequences. After years of being with (some) of them they listen to me and are rather well behaved, they often call me mom (don’t worry I try and correct that because I am not their mother and the parents get very very angry when they say “bye mommy”) but with their parents they immediately revert to behavior that is normal for a small child but amplified to a greater degree because these parents don’t really spend any time with their kids or know how to parent.
This turned into a rant and off track with the video but, the point it. Muffins behavior is normal as long as it’s handled with understanding, care and correction if needed.
I feel like muffin and her family are necessary to show 1. Different family dynamics and 2. To help all of the parents who feel like they can’t live up to the Chili and Bandit expectation of parenting to realize that continuing to do your best and “focus on your own race” is the only expectation. Good parenting shows itself in many different ways and takes different amounts of time to get there.
As someone who has a 4 year old little sister, there’s nothing that’s wrong with muffin. People tend to forget that children at the age of 3-4 are basically still babies and are literally toddlers-
People forget Muffin is their first kid, of course they're still learning as they go
As the oldest of my mom's four kids by a somewhat fat margin (17/11/8/5, with me of course being the 17 year old), I can confirm that Muffin is only barely more spontaneous than any usual 3 or 4 year old. My siblings are the world to me, but sometimes I miss having all the attention, and being so low mantinence compared to them, I sometimes feel kinda sidelined, but that's besides the point... my youngest sibling, a 5 year old girl, reminds me SO much of Muffin, the Bluey crew really sold it with how they handled her characterization. Her parents having that argument about parenting was also VERY real, albeit way more civil than any argument my sister's dad ever had with our mom, but again, that's besides the point. This was a great analysis overall, kudos!
Edit: Grammar.
Ooooof, I wasn't expecting to get hit in the feels but that thumb sucking thing got me bad. I'm an autistic adult and the one stim my parents absolutely could not break me of was thumb sucking. When I got to be about six, they got EXTREME with it to the extent shown here and then beyond, and when gloves and mouth devices failed to stop me, my parents even tried dousing the gloves in those extra hot hot sauces to make it HURT. For the record, I'm in my 30s, have a full time job, and yeah, I still do it when I'm on my own vegging out and not paying attention, and it's literally not hurting anyone. Parents care about all the wrong things sometimes, and it's normally because of a larger community pressuring them.
I see Muffin the same way you do - maybe annoying, but not maliciuos - too young to know better. This gets me thinking, what kind of pitfalls Bandit and Chilli fell into years ago, that we don't get to see!
Wow, this is the first time I watch an episode before watching your analysis.
To anyone here in the comments who sucks their thumb - don't feel like you have to stop. I suck my thumb too. it's a stim, and if you do it for comfort, that's totally okay. I've been doing it since BEFORE I was born and I doubt I'll ever stop.
you can if you want to. if you feel like it's something you need to overcome, that's fine too. Just don't feel like it makes you immature or weird. stimming is natural and u can do it however u please :)
I love the fact that you review fan art, it really boost’s someone confidence
You’re so sweet for saying that, I know how much effort it takes to make art so i like to take the time to appreciate all of their hard work. It’s really a blessing that i have individuals in the community that want to even send me art, it’s the least I can do 🥰
Muffin is kind of a mood. The episode where she never had a nap reminded me of Final's Week at College.
Then again, she's kind of the Scrappy Doo of Bluey. A character you kind of like or dislike depending on perspective.
Personally, I prefer her over Caillou. She's a bit less unhinged than Caillou.
My husband and I love watching bluey with our kids. We see so much of our kids in the characters. Muffin is one of our favorites because two of our kids have acted like her at one point or another.