History Main / PermissiveParents

* ''Series/{{MADtv}}'': Parodied in a sketch subverting the typical sex education ad. Music/AvrilLavigne plays a teenage girl who tries to save herself for marriage, but it turns out her parents are actually very disappointed in her for doing so. They did the same but now feel that they wasted their life, so they encourage her to [[SpoofAesop bring over 3 or 4 boys a night, do cocaine, and never use condoms]].

In film and TV, the words "fun parent" are usually oxymoronic. After all, most parents ''are'' overbearing to some degree. It's their job. They're the ones who decide what is and isn't okay for a kid to do, so usually, they appear [[MeddlingParents too controlling]], [[OverprotectiveDad overprotective]] or [[MyBelovedSmother smothering]]. In some cases, however, the parent is the complete inverse of these tropes.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'': In the second movie, the kids find a seemingly abandoned egg and decide to take care of it, even after it's revealed to be a sharptooth's offspring. At first, they believe that being a good parent means letting the child do whatever they want, but after the egg hatches, they realize that being a permissive parent is easier said than done.

Compare with OpenMindedParent, HippieParents, ParentalNeglect. Contrast ThinkOfTheChildren and MoralGuardians.

Compare with OpenMindedParent, HippieParents, ParentalNeglect. Contrasted by ThinkOfTheChildren and MoralGuardians.

* In the Creator/RoaldDahl book ''The Magic Finger'', Mr. Gregg allows his sons (who are eight and eleven years old) to hunt with him. After they [[BalefulPolymorph turn into birds]], however, they give up their hunting ways.

* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': While wild partying isn't really on the table, Mrs. Dunkel's reaction to Elliot having a girl over is to make sure they're [[GenderBender both girls if they decide to have sex]] just to be on the safe side, and both parents' reaction to Elliot breaking into a government warehouse is... that he doesn't get dessert.

-> ''You know what I got for Christmas this year?''
-> ''It was a banner fuckin' year at the old Bender family!''
-> ''I got a carton of cigarettes. The old man grabbed me and said:''
-> "Hey! Smoke up Johnny!"

Compare with OpenMindedParent, HippieParents, ParentalNeglect. Contrasted by AdultFear, ThinkOfTheChildren, MoralGuardians.

In film and TV, the words "fun parent" are usually oxymoronic. After all, most parents ''are'' overbearing to some degree. It's their job. They're the ones who decide what is and isn't okay for a kid to do, so usually, they appear [[MeddlingParents too controlling]], [[OverprotectiveDad overprotective]] or [[MyBelovedSmother smothering]]. In some cases however, the parent is the complete inverse of these tropes.

Usually, only one of the parents is allowing the behaviour, and behind the other parent's back. Typically the fun DisneylandDad tries to give their child experiences they had at that age like letting their sons drink beers or smoke, in contrast to the concerned [[MyBelovedSmother mother]] who tries to implement values and boundaries. It can also vary depending on the gender of the child. Often, the son is allowed certain privileges, perhaps because boys are viewed as more rebellious than girls. Another usage of the trope is when the parents aren't involved, but rather a relative like a CoolUncle or aunt. Generally, the trope supports the conception that NaughtyIsGood, and that teens [[IncorruptiblePurePureness devoid of rebelliousness]] have less fun in their journey to adulthood. The parent might not always agree with these ethics however. They could be ''trying'' to be laid-back, or they could be a [[PushoverParents pushover]] who is too scared to say no. A sister trope to this is the RadishCure, where a parent encourages their child to do something inappropriate (such as smoke) to punish them. This is occasionally subverted so that the parents are actually permissive rather than punishing. The trope is also similar to HandsOffParenting, but that applies to parents who don't ''care'' about their kids' illicit behavior, opposed to actively encouraging it.

* ''Series/BreakingBad'': At his remission party, Walt grows jealous of Hank's bond with Walter Junior. He encourages them both to take shots with him, but overestimates how much his son (a teenager) can drink. Walt Jr., having had far too much to drink, vomits in the swimming pool.
* Reconstructed in ''Series/{{Dexter}}''. When Harry found out that Dexter was killing animals, he gave him Harry's Code, which insisted that Dexter only go after predators whose victims the justice system had failed. What was initially portrayed as a heroic TakeAThirdOption (the others being having him become a full fledged SerialKiller or being institutionalized for life) is discussed more throughout the series, with the suggestion that it perhaps wasn't inevitable that Dexter would move on to killing people, but that he did because Harry had encouraged him.

* ''Series/NewGirl'': In an episode where everyone reveals how they lost their virginities, Nick and Winston share a particularly unsettling story. While staying at a hotel, Nick's dad (played by Creator/DennisFarina) hired two sex workers to take Nick and Winston's virginities. The two were only teenagers at the time and the workers about twenty years their senior. Nick is unable to follow through with it, but Winston is. It's all PlayedForLaughs and done so by Nick's Dad so that the boys can learn about sex.
* ''Series/SexEducation'': Otis's sex therapist mother Jean is very open about sex and masturbation. After discovering her son has been faking masturbation, she puts him through excrutiating embarrassment by trying to analyse and assist him.

* The ''Website/CollegeHumor'' show ''WebVideo/PreciousPlum'' parodies ''Series/HereComesHoneyBooBoo''. The character Mama demonstrates very poor parenting, as she frequently encourages Plum to engage in dangerous and inappropriate acts. In "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5go5uFVzPdU Hitchhiking]]", she gives Plum a cocktail of "Monster energy drink, frappuccino and Dayquil". When Plum vomits into the drink, Mama stirs it with a straw and insists she keep drinking it. In "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f9cFLYW6ZY A Swim in Sh*t]]", Mama takes Plum to a "water park" that is actually a lake full of toxic waste. Plum is sceptical to swim in the water, but Mama encourages her to join and they both end up getting ill from poisoning.

The Permissive Parents trope is when a parent or parents actively ''encourage'' things [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehaviour discouraged for those underaged]]. It is often PlayedForLaughs and includes situations like allowing children to drive without a license, but can also permit to [[HarmfulToMinors dangerous and harmful]] things like encouraging them to have sex with someone significantly older. In this respect, examples can drastically range from [[HippieParents fun]] or [[AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents embarrassing]] to blatant [[AbusiveParents abuse]]. The lighter side of the trope supports the idea that teens should be permitted the freedom to make their own decisions, and that parents should recognise these inclinations as valid. The parents who allow or support certain behaviours are thus praised by their kids as being cool or [[ParentsAsPeople down-to-earth]]. They may even be exposing their children to these things so that they aren't intimidated by them later on in life. That doesn't imply the kids always grow up to value their parents' leniency, in some cases, they come to resent them for exposing them to harmful elements of society.

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* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': In "Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles", Leela's parents are willing to let their de-aged daughter have an independent life but Leela actually ''wants'' the strict parenting a teenager normally gets. Leela's dad responds by giving her a bottle of tequila with a crazy straw.

Usually, only one of the parents is allowing the behaviour, and behind the other parent's back. Typically the fun DisneylandDad tries to give their child experiences they had at that age like letting their sons drink beers or smoke, in contrast to the concerned [[MyBelovedSmother mother]] who tries to implement values and boundaries. It can also vary depending on the gender of the child. Often, the son is allowed certain privileges, perhaps because boys are viewed as more rebellious than girls. Another usage of the trope is when the parents aren't involved, but rather a relative like a CoolUncle or aunt. Generally, the trope supports the conception that NaughtyIsGood, and that teens [[IncorruptiblePurePureness devoid of rebelliousness]] have less fun in their journey to adulthood. The parent might not always agree with these ethics however. They could be ''trying'' to be laidback, or they could be a [[PushoverParents pushover]] who is too scared to say no. A sistertrope to this is the RadishCure, where a parent encourages their child to do something inappropriate (such as smoke) to punish them. This is occasionally subverted so that the parents are actually permissive rather than punishing. The trope is also similar to HandsOffParenting, but that applies to parents who don't ''care'' about their kids' ilicit behaviour, opposed to actively encouraging it.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Homer allows his kids to do inappropriate things throughout the series. One example is when he lets Lisa drive the car for him, despite her age of eight years old.

--> ''You know what I got for Christmas this year?''
--> ''It was a banner fuckin' year at the old Bender family!''
--> ''I got a carton of cigarettes. The old man grabbed me and said:''
--> "Hey! Smoke up Johnny!"

''It was a banner fuckin' year at the old Bender family!''
''I got a carton of cigarettes. The old man grabbed me and said:''
"Hey! Smoke up Johnny!"
-->-- -'''Bender''', ''Film/TheBreakfastClub''

--> ''It was a banner fuckin' year at the old Bender family!''
--> ''I got a carton of cigarettes. The old man grabbed me and said:''
--> "Hey! Smoke up Johnny!"
--> - '''Bender''', ''Film/TheBreakfastClub''

-->-- - Bender, ''Film/TheBreakfastClub''

--> - Bender, ''Film/TheBreakfastClub''