Dads of Disney

With Progressive’s new commercial “TV Dad” starring Reginald VelJohnson airing, my mind started to wonder about the contrasts between my real Dad and the TV Dads I grew up with. Parenting is an anomaly to everyone, but Dads are often both transparent and vague in their parenting ways, setting rules only to break them. I remember one night specifically in high school, Dad told me I couldn’t just eat the black olives that we saved for taco leftovers - I had to use them with the rest of the taco. Well, I come to find the next night the olives were missing from the refrigerator, and when I confronted him I received a “Sorry, I didn’t remember that.”

This is just one of the funnier instances, others were much more traumatic and I felt the injustice deeply. In those moments, I often wondered what my TV Dads would have done had I been their TV Child. My TV consisted of the usual children shows, of which I am not ashamed to admit I still watch, but the most present TV Dads were on Disney. While the first show I ever watched on Disney was Jessie, I was also a fan of Good Luck Charlie, Liv and Maddie, and Dog with a Blog. Below I will highlight each Dad and take their best traits to compare to My Dad.

Bob Duncan: The Working Dad

Bob Duncan in Good Luck Charlie is the embodiment of the working dad. With 4 kids, and by the end of the season, another on the way, Bob is the support his family needs. Often times his character never changes out of his work uniform, the blue of the shirt rolled to mid arm, and the hardy denim cinched together by a tight belt all symbolized the classic blue collar man.

Unfortunately for him, his family doesn’t recognize his hard work and laughs at his career as the head exterminator of Bob’s Bugs-be-Gone. The very thing they mock is what keeps the food on the table. This mockery seems to stem from the Mom, Amy, as she compares him regularly to her high school crush, Bob Dittlemore - or some name to that effect. In order to keep her happy for choosing him, the “second place Bob,” Bob defers to her frequently.

While this may seem a weakness to some, by empowering his wife Bob sets a progressive example for his children (and myself the viewer) that sometimes the supportive role lets others believe what they wish if it makes them content. He lets his children mock his work and his wife embarrass him because he knows without him, the support, the family would crumble. It’s a hard burden to bear.

Pete Rooney: The Active Dad

Pete Rooney, Dad of Liv and Maddie, is both a parent and a PE teacher/sports coach. Actually, so is the Mom, who works as the Vice Principal in the school all the children attend. It poses certain situations that, on TV, are humorous but in reality could be quite a nightmare. Pete exudes immaturity, his impulsivity is present in his coaching and his excitedness often overturns the teachable moments. He’s a home man, as his job also ends when the kids get off school, so the family seems tight-nit.

However, Pete can often have a one track mind, focusing intensely on one thing and losing perception on several others. This though leads to an amazing sense of duty and pride. Take for example, Maddie, who is the star of the basketball team. While he may have favorites among his children, his moments with Maddie taught me that a one track mind when it comes to your children highlights bonding.

Because of this one track mind, Pete often a seems absent from certain group activities and he doesn’t interact much with Liv, Joey, and Parker because he’s so focused on Maddie. While this is detrimental in the long run, it creates pleasant memories for Maddie.

Bennett Jennings: The PhD Dad

Bennett Jennings from Dog with a Blog has a PhD in child psychology. He emulates this best with his youngest Chloe whom he practices many of his theories on. His new wife, Ellen, does not support much of his writings and questions the authenticity of his degree but somehow they keep the martial harmony by deciding to agree to disagree over various things.

Bennett is an attentive Dad, different from Pete, in that his curiosity leads him to essentially interfere or ruin parts of his children’s relationships with his outlandish theories. He often seems egotistical so the family rarely asks him questions that may somehow lead to him discussing his work, however his studies have led him to attain an empathetic personality.

The best part of Bennett is that when he brings his head out of the clouds, and tampers his pride, his advice is often very realistic. He doesn’t sugarcoat or use his words as a judgement against his children’s actions. Instead, after overreacting a bit for the TV viewers, he proceeds to let them talk, to speak to him and listens. This is perhaps the best aspect of Bennett, after all those lectures and seminars, he knows how to listen. And listen he does, when he’s not running around the house in a superman costume.

Paul: My Dad

My Dad was often working too much to be as attentive as he should, like Bob Duncan. He too had three children, and then three more to take care of. Then, as a single parent with just me under his care, he became like Pete, a one track mind focused on keep me safe, healthy, and (for the most part) happy. And although he went to college for six months, his blue collar working mind definitely taught me those life lessons some academics, like Bennett, will take years to learn. I’m pretty proud of him. But I’m also like Amy, always comparing him to Father, I’m like Ellen, wondering why I, a college graduate, take notes from him. So I guess if my Dad were a TV Dad, he’d be a Pete Rooney. He focuses on those bonding moments, and so should I.