I love to see really realistic family dynamics in YA. All too often the parents are conveniently MIA for one reason or another, so when I read a book that manages to work them into a story well, it's always something I notice and appreciate.--Reading with Tequila
Parents need to be present but not take up too much page time. It has to be believable but I don't want too much of a YA novel dwelling on the parents.-- The Book Vixen
Most YA books- the parents are off in lala land or DRUNK- I love it when a YA book has parents portrayed as functioning people with brains.--Tina Book Reviews
They are always absent! I never had half the unsupervised time they do.--So Rather Reading
I can live without parents being present in a book but I do think including them adds more credibility to a story. Worse than not including the parents is having them around yet they ignore everything that is going on regarding their children.--FWIW
I’m 50/50 on this one. I think that more and more YA books have absent parents. I can’t say if that’s good OR bad, it’s just something I’ve noticed more and more. Maybe it’s because I’m not a parent that I’m on the fence here. I can see the need to have parents around, but sometimes feel it doesn’t or wouldn’t fit in the stories being told. But again, maybe this is because I’m not a parent?-- Bound by Books
This is a topic near and dear to my heart. I do see in most young adult novels that the parents are absent or busy working so that have no clue what happening in their child life. I do understand the parents are also used as plot devices to move the story along . As a parent I want too active parents in books, but I know that's not always the case with other families or with books. I answered a question on Face book --about what TV show portray teenagers correctly ?? I said Friday Night Lights, and Good Luck Charlie.
Stay Tuned for next week Questions
OMG yes! I always find a good relationship with the parents refreshing.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the reasons I do not enjoy YA so when they are present it is something I notice and usually point out in my review.
ReplyDeleteParents should be more in the story. That way the book would stand out from the rest. Some of the parents are working and don't have the time to spend or ask the character how they're doing; they do it when something big has happened to the character and now they want to make it all better and talk things out. And yeah, I get that you work but that doesn't mean you should neglect your child. Others have some sort of addiction and can't function to their full potential and may even be super harsh on the character. Another case is the divorced/separated parents and it's mostly a single mother who doesn't really have the time to sit down and chat because she's tired. And others are dead. I'm basing this is the contemporary books I've read and yes, there's also the case of the parents that are there, fully supporting their child. The thing is that parents not spending time with their kids is a real thing, not just in books. I love it when the author gives the parent some back bone. I understand why sometimes the parent can't be much in the story, but it's nice when they are. Something refreshing and different.
ReplyDeleteThough there are a few actual situations where parents not being present feel acceptable to me, I feel like the majority of the time, the parents are written out of the story as a convenience factor. Like The Book Vixen said, I think they should be present and realistic, but they don't have to be a giant part of the plot.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably because I'm not a parent and I always liked to get away with things I shouldn't have been doing when I was younger, but I like books where parents aren't present or aware of what their kids are doing, because then they get up to all kinds of shenanigans that are really fun to read about!! :D
ReplyDeleteHowever, normal parents in a YA book definitely do add credibility to the story, because - really - there aren't a lot of real-life parents who completely ignore their kids' lives, you know??