Daddy dish: Actor Sean Astin goes undercover as "Special Agent Oso"

I was on the phone with actor, director and author, Sean Astin, last week. We chatted about parenting, music and of course, his new animated Disney children's television series, "Special Agent Oso." (FYI, "oso" means "bear" in Spanish.)

Sean and I laughed and traded stories about our kids. (Sean and his wife, have three daughters, ages 3, 6 and 12.) At the end of the call, I felt like I wanted to invite his family over for little backyard party so we could drink margaritas and make burgers while our kids run around, giggle, catch bugs and climb trees.

I saved my notes and went about my work. Days later, I tried to find those notes. Guess what? Gone. Poof. Like black magic. I had that awful ache in my stomach as if I'd I walked into AP Chemistry class and forgot to study for a test. And I remembered finding my kids at my desk last week next to my opened laptop. This parenting thing? It can really interfere with work in the most unexpected ways.

Lucky for me, my conversation with Sean was a lively one. And while I can only directly quote him once, here are six things I can share with you:

  • In "Special Agent Oso," the adorable stuffed panda bear works for U.N.I.Q.U.E., the United Network for Investigating Quite Usual Events. It's an international organization of stuffed animals that help kids complete simple task like mailing letters and cleaning their rooms. The show is geared towards preschoolers and I think they'll love it.

  • When Sean first saw the script and character sketches of Special Agent Oso, he instantly felt a connection the cute bear: "I am him; he is me."

  • Regarding Agent Oso and the goofy mistakes he makes in each episode, Sean digs how the show is focused around Oso following three steps to complete each special assignment. Most little kids love structure and the 1-2-3 checklist is a really easy way to teach them chow to follow instructions. Also, we both agreed that it's great for kids to see how Oso learns lessons from his pals and applies this knowledge to his special assignments.

  • On his parenting style, Sean didn't try to resist becoming like his mom, legendary actress Patty Duke. Your parenting styles are largely influences by your mom and/or dad anyway, so why fight it?

  • What does Sean worry about most when it comes to raising his three daughters? Teaching them how to protect themselves in difficult situations. He said there is this fine line between educating them and yet still trying to maintain their innocence. You want to teach them, but you don't want freak them out. He also worries about the unknown -- all of those things parents don't want to think about that lurk in our lives.

  • If you ask Sean to tell you his favorite special agent/spy song, he can start singing them almost immediately. Name a tune? He knows it. But his favorite is the James Bond Theme, especially a few moments in the movie "From Russia With Love." (Dear Sean: Your movie memory far surpasses mine.)


"Special Agent Oso" premieres Saturday, April 4 at 8 a.m on the Disney channel with two back-to-back episodes. And if you are a Sean Astin fan, you have to read his story, "My Thirty Hours at Sundance."

(Also, the following scene from the movie "Rudy" always, always makes me cry.)