Best Book Parents

[Wiendish Fitch]

So we don't get bogged down in negativity, let's talk about good book parents!

My vote goes to the Quimbys in the Ramona books. Stern yet loving, good senses of humor but never tolerated guff, and so very, very human. Probably their best moment is from Ramona the Brave (carried over from the "worst" thread).

 Ramona has a snotty classmate named Susan to deal with. At one point, Ramona and her classmates are making paper bag owls for an art project, and the teacher will select the ones to display. Ramona is happily making an owl she feels confident that will win, until she discovers that Susan is copying exactly what she's doing. The teacher chooses Susan's owl to display and even makes an example of her "creativity", and Ramona is rightly pissed off at this. In a blind fury, she rips Susan's owl off the display and crumples it up in front of everyone. Needless to say, she's in big trouble. After a parent/teacher conference, her parents talk to her and a contrite Ramona explains what happened and, to their credit, Mr. and Mrs. Quimby listen, believe her, and empathize (Mrs. Quimby says she feels sorry that Susan has so little imagination and talent she has to copy others).

BUT.

They tell Ramona the teacher expects her to apologize to Susan in front of everyone, and that they agree. They gently, but firmly, inform her that while her feelings were justified, her actions weren't. And the frustrating thing? They're absolutely right. It doesn't matter how understandable Ramona's anger was, she still had no right to destroy Susan's property like that. So a chastened Ramona apologizes, and is wiser and better for it.

Well done, Quimbys. Well done, Beverly Cleary. A+. 

[DearEvette]

Having just done a re-read of the Fox and O'Hare series by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg,  I have to shout out Jake O'hare as one of my favorite book dads.  Kate is an FBI agent who does covert missions (i.e. long cons) with a world renowned thief.  When she gets in tight spots, she does not call her FBI handler, she calls her ex-military dad, Jake, who thinks a rocket launcher, grenades and a silver garotte are essentials when sending his daughter a care package.

Also this conversation:

"How many ways could you kill a man with eyebrow tweezers?'

"Sixteen" Jake said.

Kate looked at him in surprise.  She'd thought her sister was just being a smart-ass, a quality they both shared.  "Really?"

"Yeah," He said.

"Will you teach me?"

"Wouldn't be much of a father if I didn't."  He said.

[GreekGeek]

Weird that fathers come to mind more than mothers. The only example of the latter that I can think of offhand is Marmee from Little Women. As for dads, I thought of Gerald O'Hara in Gone With the Wind. He seemed to appreciate Scarlett's more unconventional attitudes and behavior the most, and was the least concerned about molding her into a proper Southern lady--maybe because he was an outsider to that society himself. Rhett was a pretty good dad and stepdad too, very hands-on for his time, in contrast to Scarlett.

Edgar Linton in Wuthering Heights was a beacon of sanity and decency in a book full of cruelty and other destructive passions. He was kind and fair to everyone, including his daughter.

[Wiendish Fitch]

41 minutes ago, GreekGeek said:

 

Edgar Linton in Wuthering Heights was a beacon of sanity and decency in a book full of cruelty and other destructive passions. He was kind and fair to everyone, including his daughter.

That's a fair point. People just love to crap on Edgar for being a "milksop", but he did genuinely love his daughter, and he most certainly did not deserve the horrid treatment dished out by Cathy Sr. and Heathcliff.

[Spartan Girl]

Fabulous idea for a thread!

The Weasleys in Harry Potter and the Crachits from A Christmas Carol were both families that loved their children and did the best they could despite money problems.

2 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

That's a fair point. People just love to crap on Edgar for being a "milksop", but he did genuinely love his daughter, and he most certainly did not deserve the horrid treatment dished out by Cathy Sr. and Heathcliff.

Well apparently that's what you get for being a third wheel in a love triangle with two passionately toxic assholes[/sarcasm].

[Wiendish Fitch]

15 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

the Crachits from A Christmas Carol were both families that loved their children and did the best they could despite money problems.

 

Bonus? The kids never whined or bitched about their dad working too much, even on Christmas Eve, not like kids in family movies nowadays (sorry, but that trope pisses me off to no end).

Re: Edgar Linton:

16 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Well apparently that's what you get for being a third wheel in a love triangle with two passionately toxic assholes[/sarcasm].

Oh, good point. Yeesh, Wuthering Heights kind of set the precedent for most romantic comedies, didn't it?

[Spartan Girl]

Laila's dad in A Thousand Splendid Sons was another example of a good parent. Unlike her mother, he didn't let his grief over losing his sons get in the way of the daughter that was still alive. He didn't fall into the trope of an Afghan father who only wants to marry his daughter off.

And Laila herself was smart enough to avoid her mother's flaw of playing favorites when she grew up to have her own kids, despite them having different fathers.

[Spartan Girl]

Starr's parents in The Hate U Give should definitely get a mention in this thread, they were awesome. Maverick had plenty of faults and a gang record but he got out of that life and did right by his kids, including Seven, whom he fathered with another woman. And despite that, Starr's mom took him in and treated him like her own. Starr's Uncle Carlos was also great, since he stepped up and helped raise Starr and Seven when Maverick was in jail, and remained close and supportive with the family, even during the fallout from Khalil's shooting -- which wasn't an easy position to be in since he was a cop.

Edited December 26, 2019 by Spartan Girl

[SnarkySheep]

Myron and Katherine Krupnik in the Anastasia Krupnik series by Lois Lowry

Mr. and Mrs. Ray in the Betsy series by Maud Hart Lovelace

(Substitute parent) Gram in the Tillerman series by Cynthia Voigt

[Spartan Girl]

Faye in Concrete Rose (the prequel to The Hate U Give) was a great mom. A good balance of support and tough love.

[susannah]

On 12/24/2018 at 2:20 PM, Wiendish Fitch said:

So we don't get bogged down in negativity, let's talk about good book parents!

My vote goes to the Quimbys in the Ramona books. Stern yet loving, good senses of humor but never tolerated guff, and so very, very human. Probably their best moment is from Ramona the Brave (carried over from the "worst" thread).

 Ramona has a snotty classmate named Susan to deal with. At one point, Ramona and her classmates are making paper bag owls for an art project, and the teacher will select the ones to display. Ramona is happily making an owl she feels confident that will win, until she discovers that Susan is copying exactly what she's doing. The teacher chooses Susan's owl to display and even makes an example of her "creativity", and Ramona is rightly pissed off at this. In a blind fury, she rips Susan's owl off the display and crumples it up in front of everyone. Needless to say, she's in big trouble. After a parent/teacher conference, her parents talk to her and a contrite Ramona explains what happened and, to their credit, Mr. and Mrs. Quimby listen, believe her, and empathize (Mrs. Quimby says she feels sorry that Susan has so little imagination and talent she has to copy others).

BUT.

They tell Ramona the teacher expects her to apologize to Susan in front of everyone, and that they agree. They gently, but firmly, inform her that while her feelings were justified, her actions weren't. And the frustrating thing? They're absolutely right. It doesn't matter how understandable Ramona's anger was, she still had no right to destroy Susan's property like that. So a chastened Ramona apologizes, and is wiser and better for it.

Well done, Quimbys. Well done, Beverly Cleary. A+. 

I would have to disagree. I read one of the Ramona books not long ago, in which first Mrs Quimby was baking a birthday cake for Beezus. Ramona ruined it by sticking one of her dolls in it. Mrs Q did nothing. Mrs Q makes another cake for Beezus, which Ramona ruins again. Mrs Q did nothing. Mrs Q has to make a THIRD cake for Beezus. No consequence for Ramona. Secondly, there was a big box of apples in the basement. Ramona goes down and takes a bite out of each one, after which Mrs Q has to stay up all night making applesauce so they don't all spoil. No consequence for Ramona. Thirdly, Ramona tells her mother that she invited all the neighborhood kids for a party, whom Mrs Q and Beezus have to feed and entertain. No consequence for Ramona. All Mrs Q said was "she's five," like that is a decent reason for zero discipline. Big parenting fail.

[WinnieWinkle]

On 4/13/2020 at 10:42 PM, SnarkySheep said:

Myron and Katherine Krupnik in the Anastasia Krupnik series by Lois Lowry

Mr. and Mrs. Ray in the Betsy series by Maud Hart Lovelace

Agreed!  Also agree with others about Ramona's parents, but most of the parents we meet in Beverly Cleary's world are good parents.  Regular people living normal lives trying to stretch a paycheque.  Always there for their kids when needed but otherwise as Ramona once said "you mind your own business".