Who Is Your Fictional Parenting Role Model?
Earlier this week, we talked about how our own parents have helped shape – in both good and bad ways – the way we raise our own children. But the truth is, it’s not just our own upbringing that affects us; no, we are also influenced by the fictional upbringing of some of our favorite TV and movie characters.
Perhaps if you grew up in the late 1950s and early 60s, you are thinking of June Cleaver right now. Of course, she is the obvious choice for “the mother I would like to have or would like to be.” Justwatch how she handled this moment with Beaver, who thinks girls are easy because “they don’t have to be smart. They don’t have to look for work or anything like that – all they have to do is get married. ” She manages to be progressive for her time and calm down Beaver, who is worried about the upcoming “intelligence test” at school:
More recently,Jack Pearson’sThis Is Us has garnered attention for his stellar upbringing; any flaws he had were completely overshadowed by his ability to always know what is best to say when one of his children is struggling.
It should be noted, however, that not everything we learn about parenting has to come from the characters who are actually parents themselves. I have argued in the past about raising children like a Starfleet office; Jean-Luc may not have had children of his own, but Captain Picard was the father of all of us.
Likewise, the Mandalorian , while not technically the father of the world’s most beloved child, taught us a lot about the challenges of being a working single parent.
And just like in real life, we can learn from good examples (does anyone else miss Parenthood ?), Bad examples ( Pedigree and Inheritance , I’m looking at you) and charmingly dysfunctional examples ( Shitt’s Creek ).
Who is your fictional parenting role model? Uncle Phil ? Peggy Bundy ? Homer Simpson ? What have you tried to emulate – or avoid entirely – thanks to your favorite TV families?