With Mother’s Day just around the corner in the UK, it’s time to talk about mothers, and parents in general, in young adult fiction. If you enjoy this safer kind of storytelling, you’ve probably noticed that parents in YA fiction are not quite like the ones we grew up with.
Of course, they’re not; it’s fiction.
I hear you. But there’s more to it. It’s something deeply ingrained in the storytelling culture. You can’t have a good story with parents sticking around.
And perhaps, for a lot of readers and daydreamers, the lack of parental involvement is exactly what makes YA so special and enjoyable.
Where Are the Parents in YA Fiction?
Regardless of your opinions on J.K. Rowling, chances are you probably read or watched Harry Potter. Ultimately, there’s no denying that Harry’s life has been a source of entertainment and inspiration for an entire generation of teens… and it has continued long after the series ended.
Have you noticed much parental involvement?
Harry’s parents are dead.
Even Hermione, later in the story, erases herself from her parents’ memory.
As for Ron, while he does still have his parents, both are pretty busy between managing a literal army of red-haired children, working at the Ministry of Magic, and running a household. So, however much his parents appear in the plot, they never stand in his way.
Skulduggery Pleasant, Derek Landy’s masterpiece, is aimed at the early range of YA readers, probably around 10 to 14. Valkyrie Cain does have her parents well and alive, but they gradually fade into the background as the series progresses. They are completely oblivious to her secret magical life, too, which essentially means that she is free to do pretty much as she pleases to move the plot along.
Lyra in His Dark Materials is raised by scholars. Philip Pullman made her practically an orphan. Even though her parents are alive, they are emotionally distant. When we meet them, we are rather glad, as readers, that they made the decision to distance themselves.
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer is also working through life without parental guidance, which means he can freely indulge in creating a criminal-genius empire. Even when his father returns in the second book, his presence doesn’t restore the parent-child dynamic. In fact, he stays pretty much in the background, acting as a moral compass that Artemis can ignore.
Sephy and Callum in Noughts & Crosses, by Malorie Blackman, are left to make life-changing decisions without much parental support, despite their parents being alive. They are not involved for a variety of complex reasons in the life of those teens.
Nathaniel, in the Bartimaeus Trilogy (admittedly, the trilogy counts more than 3 books, but Nathaniel’s story covers only 3) by Jonathan Stroud, is sold as a child by his parents to the wealthy Underwood couple. He does receive some level of affection from Mrs Underwood, but it isn’t enough to protect him from the harsh treatment and neglect he gets from his master.
The list could carry on for a long time, but essentially, you get the point: parents in YA fiction tend to be absent, if not physically, then emotionally. There is little to no involvement at all on their end. If anything, the Weasleys are probably some of the most involved, supportive, and actively engaged parents we’ll ever get to meet, and yet, the boarding school plot line means they can safely remain absent from most of the story.
Why Don’t We Want Parents in YA Fiction?
We’ve all been teenagers. So, there is definitely one sentiment we can all agree on: sometimes, as kids, we don’t want parents around. So, of course, YA writers also remember the feeling and carefully keep parents away from the plot.
Why, though?
Are all parents, bad parents?
Of course not. There has been some positive parental guidance and support in YA fiction.
I’ve mentioned Ron’s parents before.
Similarly, Artemis’s dad could also be described as a positive moral presence.
To some extent, Mrs Underwood and also his tutor, Miss Lutyens, are warm, kind and encouraging adult presences in Nathaniel’s life… which is why they get removed very early in the story.
Ultimately, not all parents in YA fiction or other parental figures are harmful.
But it doesn’t matter because the point of YA fiction is that we don’t want parents around.
Parents connect the protagonist to reason, stability, safety, and, more importantly, the absence of adventure.
Sure, I’d love to go save the world and defeat the evil Lord Moldevort, but unfortunately, Mom says dinner is at 7 PM so I can’t. Next time, maybe?
I would totally be up for fighting the forces of evil, but Dad wants me to clean my bedroom tonight.
Sorry, I missed your call about the end of the world; I was visiting my nan with Mom and Dad.
Are Parents Also Absent in The Dead Shadow?
Yes and no. We couldn’t exactly go against the unwritten rule of parents in YA fictions.
Rhode, our main protagonist, has parents who are well and alive. However, since the death of her older brother, she has become a glass child who goes unnoticed.
She does find a father-like figure in Alexis, who takes her under his protection.
Besides, it is worth mentioning that Alexis has a daughter of his own, Helena, who is socially and emotionally stuck at the same age as Rhode. While she treats Rhode like the sibling she never had, Helena was Rhode’s age over 20 years ago.
Additionally, Rhode is old enough in the world of Phaedrus to be trusted with responsibilities. If she were a magician, she would already have finished school and entered adulthood. So, the dynamics between parental figures and children are a little different.
As such, the Shaman shows respect to Rhode by treating her as an equal and including her in decisions like he would with any other adult.
Anyway, perhaps one of the appeals of YA fiction is the fact that, for once, we are free to dream of a world without worrying about parental expectations. We, as readers, don’t necessarily want parents in YA fiction.
YA protagonists may face dangers we would never dream of. But they certainly don’t know what it’s like to grow up with the constant nagging of parents who are dead set on stopping you from saving the world!