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Why Parents Have to Die (In Children’s Books)
By Julie Boleware

The number one complaint I hear from parents is: Why do the parents always have to be dead, or somehow absent, in children’s books? It’s true. Many books and movies made for kids, about kids, depict a situation where the parents are not present in the child’s life. Many parents find this disturbing and inappropriate for young readers.

The answer is actually simple. Children don’t want to read about parents in books. They want to read about kids like themselves, who accomplish great things, go on great adventures, or overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. And, they want to take credit for these accomplishments. Removing parents from the story, allows the character to completely deal with their own problems in their own way. It creates a sense of independence for the character, which is something that all children are reaching for themselves.

You might be thinking: ‘Hold on here. Plenty of adventurous stories have been told with parents in the picture (A to Z Mysteries, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Junie B. Jones…). You are right. Clearly, an author can create a sense of independence for a character without killing off the parents. For many authors removing the parents just gives the character more freedom to take on bigger adventures and creates greater depth to the character. In a way, it’s just easier.

So, there you have it. It’s not about you; it’s about child psychology. The absence of parents in children’s books is simply just a way to clear the scene ”so that the young person is free to take credit for his/her own accomplishments,” (Donelson & Nielson, 2005).

Reference:

Donelson, K. & Nielson, A. (2005). Literature for Today’s Young Adults (7th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.