Parents are supposed to be the protectors of children, but these parents are either so damaged themselves that they can't do the job, greedy, or villainous to the point that they never had any interest in doing the job properly or would rather use the child as a means to an end. Sometimes, they're just sadistic assholes. This includes parents who are emotionally, verbally, physically, or mentally abusive, or who neglectfully allow their children to be abused by others if they don't abuse the child themselves; abuse in particular is typically treated as a special kind of evil. Sometimes, the abuse at the hands of their parents becomes a Freudian Excuse for a villain. Other times, the character manages to not grow up broken, bitter, and hateful, and instead a different and better person than the upbringing would incline one to think; they may even pass down their newfound betterment to their own children. Troubling Unchildlike Behavior is often a tell-tale sign that things are not right at home. Abusive Parents are commonplace in fairy tales and Classical Mythology which makes this trope Older Than Feudalism. Note that The Brothers Grimm, when they collected European fairy tales, were uncomfortable with the idea of Abusive Parents and so frequently changed the Abusive Parents in the traditional stories into abusive step-parents. Sometimes, a parent will go as far as to kill the child in question, in which case this is Offing the Offspring. In other cases, the parent's abuse occasionally drives the offspring to snap, become Abusive Offspring in a Cycle of Revenge, and/or finally kill them, thus becoming a Self-Made Orphan. Although other times, the parents end up as a Karma Houdini. Calling the Old Man Out occurs when a fed-up child retaliates with a "Reason You Suck" Speech. If the child gets out of the broken family and forms healthy friendships, but reacts badly when their abusive parents show up again, well, Friends Are Chosen, Family Aren't. Their new friends/family will likely be horrified/infuriated to learn what the parents did, as such actions are evil. If the parents try to get their kids back under their power for whatever reason, expect a Desperate Abuser Apology (though whether or not the kids decide to go back varies due to story). Bear in mind that not everyone agrees on the line between actual abuse and merely heavy-handed parenting (or even normal parenting). Is Moving the Goalposts merely inspiring the child to achieve more, or the most insidious form of abuse to instill mistrust and paranoia in the children? Some include spanking as abuse; others think it's appropriate given certain guidelines. Some believe it's okay to make a kid go without a meal (they won't starve that easily); others disagree. Making a kid miss a friend's birthday sleepover — is that emotional abuse? Raising a kid without exposure to TV? Telling your daughter she's getting fat? A little name-calling? There's a line here somewhere, but not everyone agrees on where it is. If a parent has just dumped the child, for whatever reason, that's Parental Abandonment; if they aren't paying attention, that's Parental Neglect. If the parents refuse to discipline their kids, they are Pushover Parents. Contrast Mama Bear and Papa Wolf (where others abuse the children and the parents abuse the abusers), the more extreme variant of Knight Templar Parent (where the abusive parent is violently overprotective) and Abusive Offspring (where the children are abusive to their parents). Abusive Precursors can be considered this, on a metaphorical level. Black Comedy is often connected in the comedic aspect of it, and a Big, Screwed-Up Family may be involved if it is adult comedy. In keeping with the above note, some may call the show on it and say Dude, Not Funny!. Abusive-type parents are mostly wanted criminals being chased by the law. While they do not have to be the child's actual, technical parents to be part of this trope, they must be closely related and live together, like a Wicked Stepmother or an Evil Uncle taking care of the Parentally Deprived. After all, it's much more disgusting that somebody related to the child could bring themselves to hurt them, rather than a mere foster family. As in Real Life, this trope can make a child Hate Their Parent. The psychological damage of abusive parenting can lead to Conditioned to Be Weak, where the abused child is too scared of their abuser to retaliate so they just follow orders to avoid their wrath. Subtropes include: Affair? Blame the Bastard: Someone who was cheated on vents their anger by abusing the child conceived during the affair. Archnemesis Dad: An evil father. Baby as Payment: A parent gives up their baby in exchange for something else such as money. Breaking the Cycle of Bad Parenting: The abused child in question grows up and starts their own family, vowing not to make the same mistakes their parents did with them and will try to treat their own children better. Child Abuse Is a Special Kind of Evil: Characters who abuse their children (or who abuse children period) are viewed as the scum of the earth. Delusions of Parental Love: The abused child insists that their parents are good people despite their mistreatment. Evil Matriarch: An evil mother. Fostering for Profit: Foster parents spend the money for a foster kid on themselves, and give their charge the bare minimum. Gruesome Grandparent: A grandparent is abusive. Hilariously Abusive Childhood: When this is cranked up to absurd levels and Played for Laughs. Kidnapped by Family: When parents kidnap their kids. Lecherous Stepparent: A sexually-abusive step-parent. Loving Parent, Cruel Parent: One parent is abusive and the other isn't. Maternal Death? Blame the Child!: A parent blames the death of their wife during childbirth on their newborn baby. Offing the Offspring: A parent kills their child. Parental Incest: A sexually abusive parent. Parental Neglect: Cruel apathy to your children. Pimping the Offspring: A parent prostitutes their own (usually underage) child for profit. Protagonists Become Bad Parents: The Protagonist grows up and has kids- but turns out to be bad at parenting. Resentful Guardian: A parent hates raising their child and longs for the days when they were child-free. Royally Bad Parent: Parent(s) within a line of royalty/nobility are abusive to their children. Sinister Serial Adopter: A villainous character "adopts" multiple children, usually for unwholesome and abusive purposes. Step Servant: A child's step-family makes the child their servant. Useless Bystander Parent: The parent allows someone else to abuse their kid. Wicked Stepmother: Evil step-parents. The polar opposite, of course, is Good Parents. Also not to be confused with Teasing Parent, who plays harmless jokes on their kids without intending to hurt them. Unfortunately, Abusive Parents are Truth in Television and a very sensitive topic for many, so No Real Life Examples, Please! It is sufficient to say they DO exist and they are also too common. Note: Please do not use this trope for complaining about parents you don't like.
Abusive Parents has been suggested to play 2 roles. Click below to see other actors suggested for each role, and vote for who you think would play the role best.
