Best Book Parents

[Spartan Girl]

Time to start a thread for the better book parents! I guess I'll start things off with the Weasleys in Harry Potter who were good parents to their own kids and also treated Harry like their own.

[raezen]

Thanks Spartan Girl!

I nominate Treadway and Jacinta from the book Annabel by Kathleen Winter because even though they make choices that I wouldn't necessarily agree with they were always trying to do the best they could raising an intersexed child in a community of 217 in Labrador, Canada in the 1970's and early 80's. And they also loved Wayne /Annabel.

Edited December 6, 2015 by raezen

[Blergh]

Spartan Girl,

   Thanks for starting this topic! It's good to have a positive topic to help counterbalance when cynicism seems on the verge of overwhelming.

 

From 'classic' literature, I'd like to nominate Mr. and, especially 'Marmee' March of "Little Women" for best parents. True, they often DID stress self-sacrifice more than might have been for their daughters' benefits. However; they ALWAYS encouraged their daughters to make the most of their lives regardless of whether they opted to get married or were determined to make their own ways in the world  following a dream. Back in the late 1860's, this was a VERY enlightened approach re parenting!

[Danny Franks]

Atticus Finch, of course. Ignoring the alternate take on him in Go Set a Watchman. He's kind, tolerant, inspirational, he sets a good example for his children and doesn't attempt to force them into roles or stereotypes that they don't want to be forced into. He encourages them to think for themselves and form an independent understanding of the world, and of their roles in it, all while constantly reinforcing what he believes to be morally right and just. And he does all that as a single parent.

 

There's the argument that he gives Scout and Jem too much leeway, and lets them get away with behaviour that he shouldn't, but it seems more like he's letting them find things out for themselves and make their own mistakes. If they do something wrong, he does make sure they know it was wrong, which is all you can really ask.

[Blergh]

Agree Danny Franks! I ,for one,   like to think the latter published work was just a flawed prototype - not just of Atticus but of every character within the classic "TKAM" and the book itself. As for the FINAL Atticus, he was great at encouraging the kids to think for themselves and learn to stand up for themselves even in the face of incredible opposition!

   The ONLY downside of Atticus  in the book is him foisting that pill Aunt Alexandra on Scout for the rest of her childhood knowing how little they respected or liked each other. Even that, though, was with the good intention of giving her a familial female role model (albeit flawed).

[Prairie Rose]

Even though they weren't biological parents, siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert were truly that in every sense that counted to young orphan Anne Shirley.