History Main / WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent

* Sarah from ''Literature/{{Rubbernecker}}'' is a ResentfulGuardian to her son Patrick, who has Asperger's. She desperately wants him to be normal and endlessly complains about his inability to connect with her and poor understanding of social norms, despite making little effort to connect with Patrick or explain those norms to him. She's even told him to his face that she wishes she'd never had him. [[spoiler:When Patrick was eight, Sarah was driving drunk and decided to [[OffingTheOffspring run him down with her car]]. She hit her husband instead. She told Patrick that his father's death was his fault.]]

* Hiccup from ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' is well aware that his father is not pleased with how his son turned out.

* In the book ''Literature/BootCamp'' by Todd Strasser, children are sent to an extremely dangerous and abusive boot camp called Lake Harmony to be "reprogrammed" into the children their parents want them to be. The main character, Garret, is sent because he embarrassed his parent by having a relationship with his [[HotForTeacher teacher]]. His friend Pauly was sent there because his dad wanted a manly football player for a son and his parents [[MistakenForGay thought he was gay]] because he wasn't tough.

* ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'': Tim's father doesn't spend much time with him or really know him but he does make it very clear that he wishes his son was interested in American Football and completely ignores any mentions of Tim's actual hobbies of photography and skateboarding.

* In the book ''Literature/BootCamp'' by Todd Strasser, children are sent to an extremely dangerous and abusive boot camp called Lake Harmony to be "reprogrammed" into the children their parents want them to be. The main character, Garret, is sent because he embarrassed his parent by having a relationship with his [[HotForTeacher teacher]]. His friend Pualy was sent there because his dad wanted a manly football player for a son and his parents [[MistakenForGay thought he was gay]] because he wasn't tough.

* ''Literature/FairestOfAll'': Mahon and Siofra's families thought their autistic behavior meant they were faerie changelings. Mahon's father tried to burn him in the oven when he was two, thinking the faerie would flee up the chimney and his true child would be returned to him; Siofra's mother tried to drown her in the river for similar reasons. Eventually Mahon is abandoned in the forest, and Siofra runs away.

* ''Literature/SplitHeirs'' has a quite a bit on this. See, the queen has triplets, two boys and a girl, in a land where multiple births are supposed to be a sign of infidelity. She has one son and her daughter smuggled out in secret and sends word of the birth of a son... only to find out that the boys were smuggled out and she was left with her daughter. And the one she trusted to do the smuggling has a heart attack after dropping off the kids. Flash forward years later to the queen ''still'' having to fake to the kingdom and her daughter that there's only the one crown prince. HilarityEnsues.

* Yuuri's mother in ''LightNovel/KyoKaraMaoh'' laments that she never had a "cute" girl and is permanently berating him for it. She even dressed him up in dresses when he was younger. (The fact that both her children are [[spoiler:demon kings]] doesn't seem to rate on her list of things to be proud of either. Weirdo.) She's actually extremely proud of them both. Very much including the kingship, although the calm with which she's taken that (and [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} her idea of preparing him for it]]) is downright bizarre. She just ''really'' wanted a girl.

* Done somewhat humourously in an episode of ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' (next, I believe), where there's supposedly a church town consisting completely of girls, and men were not allowed, causing some very amusing cross-dressing on the male characters' parts. Once it's found that one girl that Zelgadiss is getting a crush on is a boy, pretty much the rest of the village strips to their underwear to reveal the same. [[http://www.tv.com/slayers/theyre-talking-about-a-girl-named-zelgadis!/episode/240045/summary.html Read the summary here if you don't believe it.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuestTheRealAdventures'', Jonny is trapped in a YourWorstNightmare situation by Jeremiah Surd where he is confronted by a doppelganger of his father Doctor Quest who calls Jonny a disappointment for not trying harder to be a scientist like him. Jonny falls to his knees and covers his ears as he tries to block out the fake Doctor Quest saying that he wishes the more academically oriented Jessie Bannon was his child instead of Jonny. The ''real'' Doctor Quest averts this trope and [[PapaWolf punches out the doppelganger]] for mocking his son.

* Taken to rather horrifying extremes by Doctor Bashir's parents on ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', who [[spoiler: had him genetically enhanced at the age of six because they were ashamed of him for having what sounds like some kind of learning disorder]]. Note: this is not only illegal under Federation law, but literally ''every other example'' of a [[spoiler: post-eugenics augment]] we meet in the canon is either evil or suffers from some form of extreme dysfunction. Even having done so, his father seems disappointed that Julian has not chosen to take a more comfortable posting on Earth, rather than working as a FrontierDoctor on Deep Space Nine.

Compare AllOfTheOtherReindeer, AgainstTheGrain, HaveYouTriedNotBeingAMonster, TheUnFavorite, WhereDidWeGoWrong, WantedASonInstead, and WantedAGenderConformingChild.

** More often than not, this kind of behavior backfires HARD, as TheUnfavorite child will resent their siblings/friends for getting their parents’affection they crave, and/or even their own parents for choosing to pick favorites.

* Jaenelle Angelline from the ''Literature/BlackJewels'' series by Creator/AnneBishop is neglected all through her childhood because her role as Witch, the ChosenOne, means she's [[UncannyValley not entirely human]] and her family, unable to reconcile their fear/horror of her with her relatively innocuous outside, decide she's insane. Consequently she is [[spoiler:repeatedly sent to an institution where she is terribly abused.]]

* Riverhand from the ''Literature/JoelSuzuki'' books was born missing some of his fingers. His parents never accepted him, and he has a difficult relationship with them because of it. [[spoiler:When Joel goes back in time to before Riverhand was born in ''Fable of the Fatewave'', Riverhand tells him to tell his parents to accept their future child even if he's different from the others. Joel does, but his advice fails to have any impact on their relationship with Riverhand in the present.

* ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'':
** You have Ataru Moroboshi whose mother is constantly going "I wish I never had him." There's also a scene where both parents are away reminiscing about their life, and when they start talking about Ataru, both say that they had wanted a girl at the time.
** Ryuunosuke is the version where her father wishes she was a boy... so he deludes himself into thinking she is one. Ryuunosuke does '''not''' appreciate this, being fully aware that she's really a girl and wanting nothing more than to be cute and frilly instead of rough and masculine (so much so that even girls who know she's really a girl try to get her to date them... although that might be because all of the real boys in schools are freaks, losers or lechers).

* ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles'' has as its central character Lady Oscar, a French noblewoman raised as a boy by her father (who couldn't manage to produce a male heir). Unlike most characters forced to crossdress, Lady Oscar seems to have no problems dressing and acting like a boy -- at least most of the time. (This could be due to the people around her being oddly accepting of her in her role as a woman pretending to be a man -- to the point where they even allow her to be a military leader. To be fair, she ''does'' have to crack some heads to get some of her subordinates to fully accept her.) At one point it's even ''inverted'': seeing the French Revolution approaching, Oscar's father tries and get her into an ArrangedMarriage so that she would have to StayInTheKitchen and away from the fighting, but Oscar ruins the party in which she was supposed to choose her husband and makes clear she ''wants'' to act as a man and a military leader because she considers the life of a noblewoman as empty and meaningless.
* There's a hentai doujin (part of the ''Secret Plot: Deep'' series) where a boy who looked like his twin sister was mistaken for her by his parents after her death and started pretending to be his sister while at home, but himself while at school. It all works out in the end, as it turns out the tomboyish gym teacher and his childhood friend both have learned they have fetishes for guys in skirts. One of the few examples (or only) where it works in the end. Of course, one has to wonder how healthy it is for his parents to live a lie, or how long he can keep it up. But then again, BellisariosMaxim...
* There's also a Korean series (''I.N.V.U.'') with the same story for one of the characters, except it was the daughter pretending to be the brother, and only the mother had mistaken her for the son (the son and mother were in an accident, and the son died while the mother forgot the daughter's existence)
* Yuuri's mother in ''LightNovel/KyoKaraMaoh'' laments that she never had a "cute" girl and is permanently berating him for it. She even dressed him up in dresses when he was younger. (The fact that both her children are [[spoiler:demon kings]] doesn't seem to rate on her list of things to be proud of either. Weirdo.) She's actually extremely proud of them both. Very much including the kingship, although the calm with which she's taken that (and [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} her idea of preparing him for it]]) is downright bizarre. She just ''really'' wanted a girl.
* Done somewhat humourously in an episode of ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' (next, I believe), where there's supposedly a church town consisting completely of girls, and men were not allowed, causing some very amusing cross-dressing on the male characters' parts. Once it's found that one girl that Zelgadiss is getting a crush on is a boy, pretty much the rest of the village strips to their underwear to reveal the same. [[http://www.tv.com/slayers/theyre-talking-about-a-girl-named-zelgadis!/episode/240045/summary.html Read the summary here if you don't believe it.]]

* Kujira Etorofu from ''Manga/PenguinMusumeHeart'' is raised as a boy by her father, who adamantly keeps denying she is a girl, despite her noticeable large breasts. As another result of this, she is being chased by her childhood friend Cha Chi, who wants her for her "husband". She even was confused about it herself as a kid and at one point confessed to a girl (and not just ''any'' girl either). Then again, she might just swing that way--and of course there is [[LesYay nothing wrong with that]].
* Ruki Makino of ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' is essentially in the same boat. Her dad wanted a boy, and her mother tried to make her a model. Eventually, mother and daughter reconcile.
* ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom'': [[spoiler: Nagisa's mother puts him in dresses, forces him to wear his hair long, and sees him as her 'second chance' to live the life she wanted, plotting out every aspect of his life. She gets violent when he tries to deny her.]] Turns out there's a good reason for his prodigious killer instinct.

* ''Manga/{{Karin}}'''s parents really wish she was a normal vampire. [[spoiler:Of course, the fact that she isn't is a major plot point later on.]]

** Akito from the manga. [[spoiler:Akito's mother Ren raised Akito as a male because she was jealous of the attention Akito received for being born the zodiac God.]]
** And then there's Momiji, whose mother said that her "greatest regret was giving birth to ''that creature''" and actually [[spoiler:had her memories of her own son ''removed'']].

* Nono and Yuuta from the manga ''Manga/{{Nononono}}'' both get this from their father, but in different ways and for different reasons. Yuuta is subject to borderline abuse for not being good enough at ski jumping, and Nono is ignored because, as a girl, she can't compete in the Olympics for the sport. The premise of the story is that, after Yuuta's accidental death, Nono [[GenderBender assumes his identity]] in hopes of making it to the Olympics and winning the gold medal to restore their father's honor.
* Played with in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'': [[spoiler:Precia Testarossa hates her daughter Fate so much because Fate is an imperfect clone of her real (deceased) daughter Alicia. At the end of TheMovie version, though, she realizes, just before she dies, that Alicia had always wanted a sister, and that Fate could have been that sister had Precia not been so fixated on Alicia.]]
* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'': [[TheGunslinger Switzerland]] created [[PrincelyYoungMan Austria]], whose name means "Eastern Division," to fight, and though they were [[ChildhoodFriends close as children]], Switzerland was highly disappointed when fighting proved not to be the young Austria's strong suit, and he had to bail him out after wars. From then on, Austria went through life making alliances instead of waging wars, and in the present, he's become a clear NonActionGuy.

* All ComicBook/RasAlGhul wants is a competent [[HeirClubForMen male heir]].[[note]]Well, that, immortality and the destruction of 90% of humanity.[[/note]] Unfortunately, he keeps getting daughters and incompetent sons. For a long time he hoped to accomplish this by having his WorthyOpponent, Comicbook/{{Batman}}, [[FaceHeelTurn change sides]] and marry [[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter his beautiful]] daughter ComicBook/TaliaAlGhul; eventually, he gets his wish when Talia and Bruce have a son, [[EnfantTerrible Damian]], instead. Then [[HeelFaceTurn Damian switches sides]] and becomes the new Comicbook/{{Robin}}. Never mind.

* [[Fanfic/UltimateSpiderWoman Mary Jane Watson]]'s bad luck started right from the moment she was born. When her mother Maddie became pregnant, her father Philip eagerly anticipated the birth of the son he always wanted. Once he realized he had a daughter, it was all downhill from there. Philip even outright justified his subsequent cheating on Maddie when he told Mary Jane ''to her face'' that he [[AbusiveParents was trying to conceive the child he always wanted]], [[KickTheDog instead of the one he actually got.]] Needless to say, this didn't do much for Mary Jane's mental health as she grew up.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie1986'': WickedWitch EvilMatriarch Hydia is thoroughly upset about her daughters Reeka and Draggle's ineptitude as wicked witches. "Why can't you be evil like I taught you?"

* ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'': Parodied, where, as she trudges through knee-deep snow, Anna gripes for once that she wishes Elsa had ''tropical''-related powers instead of ice-related powers:
-->'''Anna:''' [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Snow! It had to be snow!]] She couldn't have had tropical magic that covered the f-fjords in white sand and warm...[''sees the smoke coming from the chimney on Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna'']...[[AstonishinglyAppropriateInterruption fire]]!
** [[spoiler:In ''Literature/AFrozenHeart'', Prince Hans is well-aware that his father, the king of the Southern Isles, holds a dim view of him, repeatedly claiming that Hans should "learn a thing or two" from his twelve older brothers. To him, if any of his 13 sons began to show a softer side, they must be forcibly molded back into the Westergaard way of doing things, that is, to be [[TykeBomb forcibly indoctrinated in the view]] that [[TheSocialDarwinist the strong have a right to pick on the weak]]. His father and brothers often berate and emotionally abuse him for being too docile and [[EvenEvilHasStandards not approving of their methods of harshly treating their subjects]]. And their opinion of Hans hasn't changed much even after causing an international scandal and tarnishing the family name.]]

* The very thing that put [[spoiler:Angela]] off the deep end in ''Film/SleepawayCamp''. [[spoiler:The real Angela died in a boating accident with her father, and her surviving brother Peter was put in the custody of his Aunt Martha, who forced him to dress as a girl and [[DeadPersonImpersonation take on his sister's identity]] because ''she already has a son''.]]

* In ''Film/StandByMe'' Gordy's parents paid much more attention to his older brother, who was a football star and had many friends in school. When he died in a car accident at his funeral, Gordy's father may have said to him "It should have been you, Gordon."
** Since that occurs in a dream, it's more likely that Gordy's parents acted in a way that made him feel they would have preferred that ''he'' had died, instead.
* In ''Film/DeadPoetsSociety'', Neil's father just CAN'T accept that his son wants to be an actor. [[spoiler: His complete dismissal of what his son wants for himself is ultimately what drives Neil to [[DrivenToSuicide kill himself]]]].
* ''Film/EasternPromises'': Mob boss Semyon isn't too impressed with his son and heir.

* ''Film/WalkHardTheDeweyCoxStory'', being a parody of ''Film/WalkTheLine'', has Dewey's more talented brother dying young. The RunningGag of the film is Dewey's father regularly appearing and stating, "the wrong kid died!"
* Live-action ''Film/SpiderMan1'' played up how much EvilGenius Norman Osborn would have preferred to have Peter Parker as a son to Harry, who is thoroughly unremarkable and defined by the wealth Norman built up and then reared him in. It's in the dialogue and called back in the climax. [[spoiler:Ironically, Norman only starts to show more interest in Harry when the Goblin Serum starts to drive him mad.]] Of course, in this version, Norman is simply a neglectful parent who is not that bad a guy. The comic-book Norman...

* In ''Film/MidwinterNightsDream'', Jasna has taken Jovana to doctor after doctor, trying to find a treatment for her autism. Now she has more or less come to accept it, but she still longs for Jovana to wake up normal someday. Meanwhile, Lazar makes several ill-advised attempts at drawing Jovana out of her "shell," including an exorcism.
* Kay from ''Film/JackOfTheRedHearts'' has put the family $150,000 in debt pursuing one quack treatment after another for her autistic daughter Glory, whose diagnosis she compares to having her heart ripped out of her chest and served on a cracker. At one point she drinks from a Cure Autism Now mug. She complains about Glory when they're in the same room, and even when she talks about her positive qualities she's clearly sarcastic, so her claims to love her daughter can sound a little hollow.
* In ''Film/TheSilenceOfAdultery'', Michael feels that his son Steven's autism is a penance for marrying Yvonne, who he knew was the wrong person, and sometimes finds it "very difficult" to love him.

* In ''Film/AChildIsWaiting'', Reuben's parents initially refuse to accept that he's mentally challenged, and take him to doctor after doctor trying to get a different diagnosis. While his father drives him to the Crawthorne State Training Institute, he considers driving the two of them off a cliff.
* In ''Film/AndYourNameIsJonah'', Jenny and Danny are both quite upset at Jonah's deafness, with Jenny insisting he must really be normal inside, Danny shouting "He can't hear! He can't talk! He can't think! He can't even live like a human being!" and even temporarily [[DisappearedDad leaving the family]], and both trying hard to teach him ReadingLips and speech so he can be normal. [[spoiler:By the end, they've accepted him as he is and started teaching him sign language.]]
* In ''Film/DavidsMother'', Sally views David's autism as a punishment and fantasized about him waking up cured.

* In ''Literature/OutOfTheDust'', Billie Jo's father, Bayard, wanted a boy, which is why he gave her a [[TomboyishName masculine name]] and forced her to work on the farm.

* This is Alex Fierro's backstory in Literature/MagnusChaseAndTheGodsOfAsgard. Her parents' main motivation for abusing her was [[HeteronormativeCrusader because she was]] [[TransTribulations gender fluid]].

* The parents of Ida in ''Literature/ShamanOfTheUndead'' are both powerful wizards with great political connections and plans already made for their daughter's entire future: she'll go to magical university, marry a Council-important wizard, give birth to magical children and generally be an obedient daughter and wife. Ida, however, turns out to have no magic at all, a rebellious streak and the ambition to study psychology at a Muggle university. Her parents are convinced she's actually hiding her magic from them, so they set multiple magical traps in their house, hoping to force her to use it. Even after finding out she really ''doesn't'' have magic talents, they still want to make a politically expedient marriage for her, so she finally runs away from home.
* ''Literature/SplitHeirs'' has a quite a bit on this. See, the queen has triplets, two boys and a girl, in a land where multiple births are supposed to be a sign of infidelity. She has one son and her daughter smuggled out in secret and sends word of the birth of a son... only to find out that the boys were smuggled out and she was left with her daughter. And the one she trusted to do the smuggling has a heart attack after dropping off the kids. Flash forward years later to the queen ''still'' having to fake to the kingdom and her daughter that there's only the one crown prince. HilarityEnsues.
* Georg Weiler in ''Literature/StonesFromTheRiver'' spends most of his early life in girls' clothes because of his mother's issues with men.
* Jaenelle Angelline from the ''Literature/BlackJewels'' series by Creator/AnneBishop is neglected all through her childhood because her role as Witch, the ChosenOne, means she's [[UncannyValley not entirely human]] and her family, unable to reconcile their fear/horror of her with her relatively innocuous outside, decide she's insane. Consequently she is [[spoiler:repeatedly sent to an institution where she is terribly abused.]]
* Played with somewhat in the first book of Creator/RobinHobb's ''[[Literature/{{Farseer}} The Farseer]]'' trilogy, where the wife of [[HeroicBastard Fitz's]] father finds she likes Fitz just as he is -- except for the fact that he's her dead husband's bastard child, the son she [[LawOfInverseFertility never could give him due to her own frailty]]. The "Why couldn't you be different?" complaint isn't that he's the wrong sex or impaired, but is instead summed up in her lament to Fitz that, "You should have been mine!"
* ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'': Vanyel Ashkevron has this in spades. Being a slight, delicate fellow whose main interest was music was bad enough in the eldest son of a provincial nobleman; but his interest in the opposite gender was also lacking.

* Sue Townsend's ''The Growing Pains of Literature/AdrianMole'':
** Adrian's father and mother talk about Adrian, making him "sound like Damian in the film of ''Film/{{The Omen|1976}}'', and then proceed to describe their respective ideal sons at length. They then say that if Adrian "turned out like he was," it's because they called him Adrian rather than Brett... which is what his father ends up calling his second son.
** Adrian, in turn, continually despairs over his oldest son Glenn's utter lack of intellectualism, obsession with football, and determinedly bad grammar.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
** Tyrion Lannister gets a rather harsh version of this from his father Tywin, thanks to his dwarfism.
** Randyll Tarly, likewise, does almost exactly the same thing to his fat, [[{{Bookworm}} bookish]] son, Sam. As soon as little brother Dickon shows signs of the warrior Randyll desires, he [[ReassignedToAntarctica sends Sam as far away as he can]].
** When we get a look into her head in ''Literature/AFeastForCrows'', it's revealed that Cersei laments that Tommen is not as willful and "strong" as his older brother Joffrey. Of course, when Tommen finally does start to show some inner strength, [[{{Hypocrite}} Cersei]] punishes him for it by [[KickTheDog forcing Tommen to beat his whipping boy]].
* Dr. Austin Sloper in ''Literature/WashingtonSquare'' not-so-secretly despises his daughter Catherine--she's not even a shadow of her beautiful clever mother (also named Catherine) in his eyes. While the elder Catherine was fair, witty, and extroverted, the younger Catherine is dark, "unclever" and a ShrinkingViolet.
* In the book ''Literature/BootCamp'' by Todd Strasser, children are sent to an extremely dangerous and abusive boot camp called Lake Harmony to be "reprogrammed" into the children their parents want them to be. The main character, Garret, is sent because he embarrassed his parent by having a relationship with his [[HotForTeacher teacher]]. His friend Pualy was sent there because his dad wanted a manly football player for a son and his parents [[MistakenForGay thought he was gay]] because he wasn't tough.
* In Helen Cresswell's ''[[Literature/TheBagthorpeSaga Ordinary Jack]]'' the title character is so upset at being the only "normal" person in a family of overachieving [[InsufferableGenius self-declared geniuses]] that his Uncle Parker comes up with a scheme which involves pretending he's a prophet.
* In Jasmine Cresswell's ''Literature/LoveForHire'' the main character's doctor and nurse parents can't understand why she became a baker instead of going into medicine like the rest of the family.
* In the ''Literature/DrakeMaijstral'' series by Creator/WalterJonWilliams, Drake's parents are ''not'' pleased with his chosen line of work, feeling that it's totally beneath someone of his social class. Of course, if they hadn't blown the family fortune on futile attempts to end human independence and put the alien Khosali back in charge, Drake might not have ''needed'' a job.
* King Uthrik in ''Literature/TheShatteredSea'' resents his son for being born with a crippled left hand and therefore being a liability as a warrior. Yarvi's protests that he can't help how he was born meet with no sympathy, either.
-->'''Yarvi:''' I didn't ask for half a hand.\\
'''Uthrik:''' I didn't ask for half a son.

* Literature/XandriCorelel's parents regarded her as a disappointment and an embarrassment and subjected her to abusive "therapies" in an attempt to cure her autism.
* In ''Literature/AnythingButTypical'', Jason's mother wants to "fix" his autism, which she blames on everything from brain damage to peanut butter.
* In ''Literature/TheStoryOfValentineAndHisBrother'', Lord Eskside considers Richard to be a disappointment, as their tastes, interests, and worldviews are very different, even aside from Richard's scandalous marriage. Lord Eskside's main comfort is his grandson Val, who turned out to be exactly the kind of son he wanted to have.
* ''Literature/LoveAnthony'': For years, Olivia and David hated Anthony's autism. They spent their life savings and refinanced the house pursuing various quack treatments. Then, just as Olivia was starting to realize that Anthony was happy and she and David could be too, Anthony died.

* ''Literature/AnUnkindnessOfGhosts'': As if Theo's [[BastardAngst scandalous birth]] wasn't bad enough, he was a sickly and girlish child, not the strapping lad his father hoped for. His father used to violently beat him for anything remotely feminine.
* "Literature/FairestOfAll": Mahon and Siofra's families thought their autistic behavior meant they were faerie changelings. Mahon's father tried to burn him in the oven when he was two, thinking the faerie would flee up the chimney and his true child would be returned to him; Siofra's mother tried to drown her in the river for similar reasons. Eventually Mahon is abandoned in the forest, and Siofra runs away.
* Diane from ''Literature/DogsDontTalk'' spent years in denial about her son Johnny's autism, convinced that his silence meant he was a genius like Einstein. After he was diagnosed, he spent years in therapy meant to "fix" him, as Diane believed he could potentially be normal.
* ''Literature/LanguageArts'':
** Alison spent her autistic son Cody's childhood wasting massive amounts of money on quack cures, banning random things like plastic containers and the microwave because she'd heard they cause autism, and only allowing Cody to do things he likes, like ripping up magazines and grinding up ramen noodles with a mortar and pestle, for ten minutes a day. When Charles asks her why she can't accept him the way he is, she says "The way he is sick!" and compares him to a kid with cancer. [[spoiler:She becomes more accepting, repealing the ten-minute rules, after Cody bonds with ScatterbrainedSenior Sister Georgia and helps her make a collage.]]
** Not only was Sister Georgia a girl, instead of the boy her father wanted, she was regarded as a backwards child.

* Akili Kuwale from ''Literature/{{Distress}}'' was rejected by vis family after ve migrated to asex at age 16. Although being trans is a nonissue for most people in the year 2055, Kuwale's parents were strongly attached to their social stratum in Malawi, with all its traditions and prejudices. They didn't understand any of the things that were important to Kuwale, like being asex and believing in technolibération.
* ''Literature/TheBoyWhoDrewMonsters'': Even before the autistic child Jack Peter developed the severe agoraphobia that made him TheShutIn, his mother viewed him as broken and longed for him to be normal. Although his father is superficially more understanding and accepting of Jack Peter, that's just because he's convinced himself that he could potentially be normal, and used to take him to neurologists, therapists, and herbalists in search of a cure.

* ''Literature/{{Mindblind}}'': Nathaniel's dad thinks his Asperger's is just an excuse to act like a brat and is constantly trying to make him act more normal, even going so far as to force him to attend a WildTeenParty, where he drinks vodka-spiked punch that interacts badly with his medications and renders him almost catatonic for several days afterwards.
* Some Creator/JacquelineWilson examples:
** Gemma's mother in ''Literature/BestFriends2005'' is very exasperated by her Tomboy daughter, as she already has two sons and really wanted a girly girl she could dress up, but Gemma is even more boyish than her brothers and Gemma is convinced her mother would prefer to have Alice as a daughter.
** India in ''Literature/{{Secrets}}'' mentions that people are always shocked to learn she's the glamorous Moya Upton's daughter and they expected someone thin, elegant and into fashion, all the things India is well aware she isn't and notes Moya keeps trying to force her into the role regardless.
** Tracy Beaker's friend Alexander from ''Literature/TheDareGame'' is convinced his father doesn't like him because he's a bookish nerd instead of a strapping young athlete like Football. Tim from ''Literature/{{Cliffhanger}}'' also feels this way, since he's nervous and not keen on sports like his father is.
* ''Literature/AlmostPerfect'': After Sage realized she was trans at age five, her father spent most of her childhood trying to make her act more manly, forcing her to play various sports she wasn't interested in. When she was thirteen, she could no longer live as a boy, so her parents pulled her out of school and [[HomeschooledKids homeschooled her]], allegedly for her safety, but really because her dad was ashamed of her. For four years she was banned from having friends or leaving the house without her parents. When they went on family outings, it was always to another city where no one would recognize her. When Sage turned eighteen, she informed her parents that she was going back to public school and they couldn't stop her. They responded by moving halfway across the state to Boyer, where no one could see what had happened to their "son."

* In ''Literature/TheMissingPieceOfCharlieOReilly'', some of the RetGone kids in the Asylum asked Brona to erase their existences due to not being what their parents wanted.
** Michael is gay. He never bothered to come out to his parents because he knew they'd reject him.
** Neha is the daughter of two world-class athletes, but she turned out slow and uncoordinated. Her parents refused to believe that she simply didn't like sports and were angry at her for her supposed laziness. When she didn't make the high school track team, she didn't want to deal with their disappointment, so she had Brona take her away.
** Madison's mom and stepdad were hard on her because she got all D's and F's in school due to dyslexia that no one realized she had before she came to the Asylum.

* In ''Series/{{Skins}}'', Sid's dad makes it perfectly clear that he would prefer Tony to be his son instead of Sid. He actually breaks down in one scene after seeing Sid and Tony together, and says to Sid, "Why couldn't you... why did I...?" Which is ironic given that Sid, despite being a rather [[UnluckyEverydude ineffectual loser]] and a ''tiny'' bit dim, is a genuinely sweet and well-meaning guy, whereas Tony (prior to his CharacterDevelopment) is a cruel, manipulative jerkass who constantly taunts and undermines his ''own'' father. This is made even more ironic when it is revealed that Sid's dad's dad despises him more than Sid's dad despises Sid.
* Dr. Forrester, the mad scientist from ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' has, as his full name, Doctor Clayton Deborah Susan Forrester. (He was so named by his overbearing mother, who had really wanted a girl.)
* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'': Elliot Reid's father wanted a son. Which is sort of weird, considering how he already had four by the time his daughter was born.

* On ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', Penny's dad wanted a son so badly that he forced her to play all sorts of sports so he could pretend she was a boy. It was so bad that she actually does everything she can to make him proud, but it doesn't work because she's a girl.
* Joyce uses one of these in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. "Have you tried ''not'' being a Slayer?" [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Seems vaguely familiar...]]
* ''Series/HigherGround'': Peter's father: "I just want a son I can be proud of!"
* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' has a man's man cop with two sons who hate sports and love the opera. The situation recurses when Frasier himself narrowly avoids buying his son an educational toy as a Christmas present, of the sort that he never got as a kid, when all his son wanted was an RC monster robot.
* Shawn Spencer of ''Series/{{Psych}}'' also has a cop for a dad, who may also qualify based on their strained relationship. In this particular case, however, it's implied to be a more self-fulfilling example than anything else, since Shawn's primary motive for rebelling against his dad was Henry's obsessive and overbearing determination to have Shawn FollowInMyFootsteps; had Henry been just a bit less pushy about the whole thing, it's likely their relationship wouldn't have deteriorated nearly as bad as it did.

* The parents on ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'' might not be really proud of their kids, but don't make an effort to force them to change since they recognize it would do more harm than good. One episode does give a brief nod to the desire for a child with a different gender though, and it's portrayed as something you really wouldn't do if you wanted what's best for your kids.
-->'''Crystal:''' Y'know, sometimes I wish my Lonny was a little girl. Then I could get to dress him up in all sorts of dresses and bows and ribbons and put his hair in pigtails and... ''(She stops, seeing Jackie and Roseanne looking at her in a disturbed manner)'' I-I don't ''really do'' it, obviously.
* Interestingly averted in ''Series/{{Glee}}'', where Burt Hummel admits that he didn't remotely anticipate having a son like Kurt, but still loves him deeply and would never want him to change. The aversion is seriously underscored when Burt orders his new girlfriend's son Finn - who is exactly the sort of boy Burt might be expected to want as a son - out of the Hummel house after overhearing him use the word "faggy" to describe Kurt's furniture (though later Burt calls out on Kurt's dishonesty about his crush on Finn and is shown to have forgiven and reconcile with his new stepson Finn months later).
* Saffron from ''Series/AbsolutelyFabulous'' is an intelligent, ethical, and hard working daughter who would be a joy to most parents. Shame her mother wants her to be a drunken, trampy, drug using party girl. Or at least ''gay'' so she'd be interesting. Edina is actually overjoyed to learn that her estranged son Serge ''is'' gay...but unfortunately he's a StraightGay, and every bit as bookish and straitlaced as Saffron. Edina actually tries to officially adopt Serge's CampGay partner as her son instead.

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': John Winchester practically disowned Sam when the latter was more interested in school than in hunting.
* Taken to rather horrifying extremes by Doctor Bashir's parents on ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', who [[spoiler: had him genetically enhanced at the age of six because they were ashamed of him for having what sounds like some kind of learning disorder]]. Note: this is not only illegal under Federation law, but literally ''every other example'' of a [[spoiler: post-eugenics augment]] we meet in the canon is either evil or suffers from some form of extreme dysfunction. Even having done so, his father seems disappointed that Julian has not chosen to take a more comfortable posting on Earth, rather than working as a FrontierDoctor on Deep Space Nine.

* In the Spanish comedy ''La Familia P. Luche'', nearly everyone in town is a jerk, an idiot, or an [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs idiotic jerk]]. Except for Bibi, who is sweet and compassionate, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking doesn't wear plush clothing]]. As a result, everyone else considers her the weird one and [[PhraseCatcher frequently asks]] "Why can't you be a normal girl?"
* ''Series/{{Cheers}}'': Cliff Clavin's mother routinely puts her son down for being a mail-man and an embarrassment, despite it being shown her [[AbusiveParents parenting style]] is responsible for how Cliff's turned out, and that she directly pushed him to become a mailman.
* ''Series/OnlyMurdersInTheBuilding'': Teddy Dimas' son Theo is deaf. While Theo is probably [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes the only person in the world Teddy truly loves]], he was frustrated and even ashamed of Theo's disability, which boiled over in ways that bordered on abuse. By the time Theo's an adult, Teddy's seemingly made peace with the situation and has found ways to [[DisabilitySuperpower make use of it]], his controlling nature and willingness to exploit his son for his criminal business has led to their relationship being strained.

* "I'm a Boy," ''Music/TheWho.''
-->''"I'm a boy, I'm a boy, but my ma wont admit it / I'm a boy, I'm a boy, but if I say I am I get it."''

* "She should've stayed away from friends / she should've had more time to spend / she should've died when she was born / she should've worn a crown of thorns / she should've / been a son" - "Been A Son", Music/{{Nirvana}}
* Music/LinkinPark's song, "Numb."
* PlayedForLaughs in Music/BarryLouisPolisar's "He Eats Asparagus", in which the protagonist's parents would unfavourably compare him to the perfectly-behaved boy who lives next door whenever he acts up. Even though the "boy" next door is actually a 34-year-old man.
--> ''And Mommy wishes I was him and that he was me.''

* [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' if one of [[PlayerCharacter Hawke's]] younger siblings is brought along to the ''Legacy'' DLC. Learning that Malcolm Hawke [[WhatIfTheBabyIsLikeMe didn't want his children to inherit his magic]] comes as a shock to the Hawke siblings. Bethany, who only survives the prologue if she is the family's only mage child, wonders in Act 1 or 2 - she is more understanding in Act 3 - if Malcolm resented her for her magic. Hawke argues that [[DaddysGirl Malcolm adored his youngest]] and only resented that she had to carry a burden her mother and siblings could never understand. On the other side of things, Carver only survives the prologue if he is the family's only non-mage child, and for most of his life believed that his father resented him for his lack of magic. He doesn't know what to do with the discovery that Malcolm hoped all of his children would be like Carver.
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition''
** Very clear example in [[spoiler: Dorian's]] personal quest: Not only do the parents in question disapprove of their child being [[spoiler: homosexual (since the only reason they married was to combine and continue their strong magical bloodlines), but Dorian's father actually planned to forcibly turn Dorian straight with blood magic.]]
** Depending on the backstory dialogue options chosen, this can be implied for a human mage [[PlayerCharacter player character.]]

* When Beat was alive in ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', his parents had started voicing their desire that he be be more like his sister, [[spoiler:Rhyme]]. This resulted in him starting to push her away.

* Leads to explosive bouts of violent parenting in ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry''.
* In ''VisualNovel/MysticMessenger'', this pretty much summarizes [[spoiler:Zen's childhood. His parents hated how handsome he was because they feared he'd prefer to become a singer or actor rather than a doctor or some other "respectable" job, so they kept telling him he was ugly. His older brother feels enough pity to tell Zen he is actually beautiful, but once he actually wants to become an actor, his brother sides with their parents, too.]]

* In ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', Zoe's mother is one of these. It's bad enough that she's got ridiculously puritan values (she thinks lingerie is a sexually transmitted disease), but she also has a strong WeirdnessCensor, while Zoe is a WeirdnessMagnet.
-->'''Zoe:''' ''[on the phone with her mom]'' All right, I'll tell you! I'm trapped in a room where an alien and a rabbit with high explosives are trying to kill each other! ...No rehab Mom! I AM NOT on DRUGS!

* Helen of ''Webcomic/VenusEnvy'' frets that she may have inadvertently caused Zoe to become transgender by having always wanted a daughter.

* In the 1954 Disney short ''Casey Bats Again'' Casey is devastated that his new baby son is actually a daughter who cannot carry on his baseball legacy. He and Mrs. Casey try for a boy, but end up with nine daughters--which, he realizes, is enough to make up a girls' baseball team. They don't disappoint.

* ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'': Tim's father doesn't spend much time with him or really know him but he does make it very clear that he wishes his son was interested in American Football and completely ignores any mentions of Tim's actual hobbies of photography and skateboarding.
* Chase of ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' has a similar backstory, though unlike Cyborg he's not actually very intelligent. ''ComicBook/AvengersArena'' established that, for instance, his father flipped his lid when he failed out of AP Science, but didn't care one bit that he broke a middle school receiving record just a few days later.
* All ComicBook/RasAlGhul wants is a competent [[HeirClubForMen male heir]].[[note]]Well, that, immortality and the destruction of 90% of humanity.[[/note]] Unfortunately, he keeps getting daughters and incompetent sons. For a long time he hoped to accomplish this by having his WorthyOpponent, Comicbook/{{Batman}}, [[FaceHeelTurn change sides]] and marry [[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter his beautiful]] daughter ComicBook/TaliaAlGhul; eventually, he gets his wish when Talia and Bruce have a son, [[EnfantTerrible Damian]], instead. Then [[HeelFaceTurn Damian switches sides]] and becomes the new Comicbook/{{Robin}}. Never mind.

* Mary Prosa in ''Webcomic/{{Henchgirl}}'' has this problem with her parents. [[spoiler: Her family are famed superheroes, but because Mary never developed any flashy powers other then partial super strength (Like being about to lift the back end of a car then completely). It's heavily implied they largely neglected her through most of her life and doted on their younger daughter, Paige, who got time stopping powers and allowed her to join in on their superhero escapades to keep up their image. A telling sign is when they release an autobiography about their adventure, there's ''no'' mention of Mary in the slightest, not even in the acknowledgements that they claim was "Because of the editors" (Which even the most naive of Mary's roommates, Tina, calls bull on). Paige, at the very least, is aware of her parents playing favorites and tries to be a good sister to Mary.]]
* ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'': Magneto constantly disparages his son from everything to his inadequate leadership skills to his mutant abilities. According to Quicksilver, Magneto views [[SuperSpeed his powers]] as [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain effeminate]] due only being good for running from danger. Xavier hypothesizes that this has more to do with Pietro's mother being human and him being a living reminder to the SuperSupremacist Mags that he once "lowered himself" to a human's level.

** Mai's parents pushed this so early it was hard to tell how and in what ways she would even have ''been'' different -- she has completely blunted affect from overtraining in all the qualities of a proper lady. The [[KnifeNut knife]] [[ImprobableAimingSkills thing]] appears to have been her awesome private rebellion, though given this ''is'' the Fire Nation it ''could'' have been part of the regimen.