Ever watched a TV show and can't help but give the on-screen parents a major side-eye? It's a thing. TV parents are often either so overbearing or so inattentive it's absolutely impossible to imagine any real-life parent being anything like them. Questionable parenting choices on TV are even more obvious for those of us who have kids of our own, and while we don't like to judge IRL parents too harshly, we've definitely found ourselves judging TV parents and not feeling bad about it one bit. Having kids of our own definitely lends a new perspective to what we see on TV.
Some television moms and dads are honestly downright cringe-worthy. While we can't believe how controlling some TV parents are portrayed, we're even more disturbed by the on-screen parents who seem to let their teenagers do any and everything they want to. We're looking at you, Riverdale.
And then there are the TV parents who screw up their own lives so badly, and inevitably drag their children into the chaos. So messed up. From neglectful and incompetent TV parents to cold and demeaning TV parents, and those who just make some seriously stupid and avoidable mistakes, we've witnessed so many bad parenting choices on TV it's kind of unbelievable.
Here are 17 of the worst of the worst parents on TV when it comes to raising kids and the poor choices they made to land them on our list of the worst parenting decisions we've ever seen on TV.
Bart Bass on 'Gossip Girl'
Despite what a jerk Chuck Bass was on Gossip Girl, it was hard not to feel bad for him. His dad, Bart Bass, was the absolute worst. He was never there for his son when he was alive and then faked his own death and left his son angry and grieving. Not only that, but he was an absolutely terrible moral example for his son.
Lily van der Woodsen on 'Gossip Girl'
Lily van der Woodsen allowed her children entirely too much freedom, but her most despicable parenting choice? Trying to keep her son Eric hidden away from her social circle while he struggled with his mental health. She hardly ever even went to visit him and made little effort to mask that she felt ashamed of him.
Maricel Park on 'Tiny Pretty Things'
We know her intentions were good, but June's mom, Maricel Park, ignored her daughter's passion for ballet and took pains to squash her goals. Trying to force a child down a particular path — let alone one she's not at all interested in — is unsupportive and unproductive. All that energy could be spent helping her harness her skills, talent, and passion in a more positive way.
Makayla Stroyer on 'Tiny Pretty Things'
Our biggest beef with Neveah's mom on Tiny Pretty Things is that she shamelessly used her daughter's status to help her get out of prison. There's also the issue that she lost her head and didn't put her children's long-term interests first when she killed her boyfriend. Using her kids and then guilting them into helping her was a pretty crappy move.
Lorelai Gilmore on 'Gilmore Girls'
It's pretty much universally accepted that Lorelai Gilmore was not great at the whole parenting thing, isn't it? Yes, she loved Rory more than anything in the world, but leaving your teenage daughter to be the responsible one in the family is just not where it's at. Rory was way too stressed out worrying about her mom.
Lorelai Gilmore on 'Gilmore Girls' (Yes, Again)
Emily Gilmore certainly made some mistakes when it came to Lorelai, but it was totally messed up of Lorelai to allow her parents to pay for Rory's education for years, but then try to keep Rory from spending time with them whenever Lorelai was upset with them. So childish, and not at all a good example for Rory.
Don Draper on 'Mad Men'
We understand that Mad Men was set at a time in history in which parents were a whole lot more hands-off and children were viewed quite differently than they are today, but man the Drapers did some pretty questionable things when it came to their kids. One particular choice was in the first season when Don Draper would have his young children make him a cocktail after work.
Betty Draper on 'Mad Men'
Don had his moments, but Betty Draper was the worst. We felt for her and her shattered ambitions, but she was just so self-centered and her children suffered for it. To name a few of her most questionable parenting moments: she locked her daughter in a closet, she called her daughter fat frequently, she let her smoke cigarettes, and she smacked the living daylights out of her.
Ella Montgomery on 'Pretty Little Liars'
Aria Montgomery dated, fell in love, and eventually married her high school English teacher, and her parents basically didn't do anything about it. Her mom Ella Montgomery, voiced her displeasure, but did nothing concrete to stop Aria from continuing on in the relationship. Like, what?! Totally not good parenting.
Every Parent on 'Pretty Little Liars'
That said, Ella was probably the best mom on Pretty Little Liars. They were all quite awful, starting with the fact that they basically never knew where their kids were and were so wrapped up in their own lives they usually couldn't even sense when their children were in danger.
Aaron Echolls on 'Veronica Mars'
Poor little rich boy, right? No, seriously. Logan Echolls had it the worst. His famous dad not only slept with his son's girlfriend, but then he brutally murdered said girlfriend in order to keep her from telling anyone about it. Not even Gossip Girl's Bart Bass was quite that awful.
Aaron Echolls on 'Veronica Mars' (Again)
Yup, there's more. Years later, when Veronica and Logan were officially a couple, Logan's dad gets out of jail and threatens Veronica in an elevator. So yeah, he slept with and killed one girlfriend and was prepared to do harm to another despite the damage it did to his relationship with his son.
Lady Bridgerton on 'Bridgerton'
One of the most cringe-worthy parenting gaffes we've seen on TV lately was Lady Bridgerton's attempt at a "sex talk" with Daphne. She practically begged her mother for details and Lady Bridgerton couldn't get over her own hang-ups to help her clearly distressed daughter. So sad. Never mind that she hadn't discussed anything at all having to do with her body leading up to her daughter's wedding day.
The Featheringtons on 'Bridgerton'
The Featheringtons made a myriad of mistakes with their children. Lady Featherington, for one, failed to see each of her children for who they were and instead tried to coerce each of her daughters into an impossible mold. Lord Featherington, on the other hand, made irresponsible decisions that cost his family nearly everything.
Wendy Byrde on 'Ozark'
There have been so many horrible parenting decisions on Ozark, but one of the worst by far was when Wendy Byrde decided to tell the kids about the money laundering business. Not only that, but she eventually let Charlotte get involved, putting her safety even more at risk than it already was.
The Byrdes on 'Ozark'
Another truly terrible decision from the Byrdes? Allowing a relative stranger to teach their pre-teen son how to use a gun. One, Jonah spent way too much time with an old man they hardly knew, and two, allowing him access to the guns has emboldened him to be reckless in dangerous situations.
All the Moms on 'Good Girls'
We truly love all of their characters on Good Girls, but Beth, Ruby, and Annie, seriously put their children at risk when they decided to rob the supermarket and then went on to make their lives even more dangerous every step of the way. At a certain point, they no longer had much of a choice, but that one desperate decision in the beginning was beyond questionable.
