An amazingly large number of children in fiction suffer from Parental Abandonment or parental death. Other children are "lucky enough" to have both parents, but unfortunately live in worlds where there are no Happily Married families. For most such children, life is an endless series of disappointments and let-downs. A lucky few, though, manage to find a Parental Substitute.
A Parental Substitute is an adult friend who fills the children's lonely life with guidance and (often) love. They guide the child and teach them how to stand on their own feet, how to have fun, and how to not be so bothered by the fact that Mommy or Daddy are never around (or ignore them). If the parents in question are dead, the substitute may have known them and be able to answer when the child says Tell Me About My Father. They often tell the kid they are So Proud of You. Usually, by the end of the story, the Parental Substitute leaves as well, but at that point the kid is able to stand on their own two feet.
This trope is often a feature of Tear Jerkers, especially if it follows Take Care of the Kids. If it's an older sibling who's taken over the parental role, that's Promotion to Parent. The Old Retainer may take over this role in event that his employer's children are suffering from Parental Abandonment. If an entire society has teens become parental substitutes, that's a Teenage Wasteland. If the child gets into a big argument with the substitute, expect to hear "You're Not My Father" by the time things get really heated.
Imaginary Friend is often involved. If the Parental Substitute decides to make their status official, as it were, the kid becomes Happily Adopted.
Compare and closely related to Promotion to Parent (when it's a sibling), Honorary Uncle, Nephewism, Raised by Grandparents, and Adoptive Peer Parent (for non-relatives), Like a Son to Me, Team Mom, and Team Dad. Not to be confused with My Real Daddy.
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Other examples:
- Technically, the Supermen from Happy Heroes don't have proper parents, being Ridiculously Human Robots that were revived from Mech Stones. With that said, Doctor H., the mechanic who revived them, acts as their father figure and takes care of them to make sure they're functioning properly.
- In "The Dancing Water, the Singing Apple, and the Speaking Bird", the princes and princess are raised by a deer, which oddly enough does not produce Raised by Wolves. Then again, kind-hearted fairies provided her, so perhaps it was magic.
- "Tattercoats": The main character's mother dies in childbirth, her father's fate is unknown, and her grandfather refuses to take care of her. An old nurse is the only person who makes the effort to raise Tattercoats to the best of her ability.
- The Boxtrolls: Fish, for Eggs. Eggs indirectly calls the boxtroll his father at one point.
- The Iron Giant: Dean McCoppin's a father-figure/mentor to Hogarth, whose actual father was a pilot in the American Airforce (and was presumably killed in the Korean War). He presumably gets promoted to a real parent by the end of the film as he ends up in a relationship with Hogarth's mother. Hogarth himself has a fatherly/big-brother relationship to the giant robot in the title, who has the mentality of a very young child.
- The Jungle Book:
- Baloo acts as this to Mowgli for the brief time they are together. Prior to him, he was Raised by Wolves, his adoptive father Rama even referring to him as being "like a real son".
- Bagheera also takes on a fatherly role with Mowgli; in the live action remake, it's pretty much established Mowgli cares for him as a father, maybe even more than Akela or his biological father.
- The Village Leader (the ruler of the Man Village) becomes this to Mowgli in the 2003 sequel after adopting him; even trying to show him the ways of responsibility that humans do.
- How to Train Your Dragon: Although Hiccup's father is alive and well, it's Hiccup's boss Gobber the Belch who, despite being frustrated with the boy's overall clumsiness and uselessness, is nevertheless supportive and protective of him. He urges Hiccup to be happy with who he is, pressures Hiccup's father to let the boy train to fight dragons when it's clear that's what he wants to do, and even defends the boy from the bullies. He's harsh and Innocently Insensitive with his encouragement, but he genuinely means well.
- Kung Fu Panda
- Shifu is to Tai Lung and later Tigress, and Mr. Ping to Po.
- The Soothsayer to Shen in Kung Fu Panda 2. All There in the Manual, though some of her interactions with Shen imply this. You get the feeling that if anyone else tried to take a bite out of his robes, they would get a knife to the throat.
- Lilo & Stitch:
- Nani tries to be this for Lilo after their parents' deaths. It's hard for both of them.
- In the sequels and TV show, Jumba and Pleakley end up as this too in a weird sort of way; Nani has no problems leaving Lilo and Stitch with "Uncle Jumba" and "Aunt Pleakley" when she's busy. David could end up as this (or at least a Big Brother Mentor) since he hangs out with them a lot as well and has Ship Tease with Nani.
- Titan A.E.: The Parental Substitute relationship between Kale and Korso is made even more complicated by the fact that Korso is The Mole.
- Treasure Planet: Silver is a mentor and father-figure to Jim. Considering how the story goes, it's one of the more turbulent examples, but it all works out in the most satisfying way possible.
- Sleeping Beauty: Flora, Fauna and Merryweather are the mother figures to Princess Aurora. While Aurora's mother never died, the princess did grow up without her mother close to her, so it fell on the fairies' hand to raise the child well. Aurora calls the three her aunts, though.
- In Ralph Breaks the Internet: Ralph is a mix of both a big brother figure and a fatherly figure to Vanellope. They generally have the bond of siblings but there are also several aspects of their relationship, especially with regards to Ralph learning to let Vanellope be independent, that lean more towards a paternal relationship.
- Monsters, Inc.: Over the course of the film, Sulley becomes a father figure to Boo. At one point, while Boo is disguised as a young monster, she gets separated from Mike and Sulley and ends up joining a group of young monster children being supervised by a babysitter. Eventually, Sulley finds her, and because of how relieved he is to see that she's safe, the babysitter mistakes Sulley for Boo's father.
Sulley: [to Boo] Don't you ever run away from me again, young lady! I'm so glad you're safe.
Babysitter: Oh, my. What an affectionate father! - The Sea Beast:
- Captain Crow has been a father figure to Jacob since he rescued the latter. He even regards Jacob as a son.
- Over their adventures together, Jacob becomes a father figure to Maisie, ending with her being Happily Adopted by him.
- Greek Mythology:
- Zeus fathered a number of sons, none of which he actually helped raise. Some of them were lucky enough to find substitute father figures who took care of them: Heracles was raised by Amphitryon, his mother's mortal husband, while Perseus was raised by the fisherman Dictys, who took his mother Danae in when she was abandoned by her own father, and Dionysus was raised by his maternal aunt Ino and her husband Athamas, who Zeus gave to them to take care of so his jealous wife Hera wouldn't find out about his affair.
- Zeus himself was raised on a secluded island by nymphs, a goat, and his grandmother Gaia. He liked the goat best—enough to make it the constellation Capricorn after its death.
- Achilles spent most of his childhood being taught by Chiron with no contact from his birth parents, so he treats Chiron more as a mother and father than either parent. This is best demonstrated in The Achilleid, when Achilles falls asleep after reuniting with his mother and ends up snuggling to sleep with the old centaur, more comfortable with him than his own mother.
- The Four Gospels: John the Apostle was likely the Tagalong Kid among Jesus' disciples. Apart from being "significantly younger" than his brother James (and the rest of the Twelve), it's unclear just how old John was at the point where he Jumped at the Call; but "the disciple whom He loved" (as John refers to himself when writing his gospel) might well mean parental love for a de facto Happily Adopted son - making Jesus John's parental substitute. In a Dying Moment of Awesome Jesus also instructs Mary to take care of John as if he were her son; and John later cares for Mary as if she were his mother, too.
- In WHO dunnit (1995), Trixie sees her father's business partner, Tony, as a substitute dad after her real father disappears in an auto accident.
- On the 2016 Road To Best In The World Silas Young took it upon himself to act as ACH's father after coming to the conclusion his seven year old son was more of a man than ACH. ACH was offended, already having a good relationship with his biological father.
- For Big Bird on Sesame Street, being only six years old, and living on his own, several of the adults on the show act as a parental figure for him, notably Gordon, Susan, and Maria. This gets lampshaded in one episode when Big Bird has to check into the hospital, and the receptionist asks Maria if she's his mother. She replies, "Not exactly... kind of... yes."
- Eureeka in Eureeka's Castle acts like a mother to Magellan the dragon, and to a lesser extent, everyone else.
- Dino Attack RPG:
- Pierce filled this role for troubled teenager Kate Bishop, at least until it turns out he actually is her father.
- Over the years, Bartholomew Enderson became a father figure to Silencia Venomosa, or at least the closest she had to a father since the murder of her parents.
- Greybeard inadvertently became a Grandparental Substitute to Mary Rose, especially because she was too young to realize that he is not actually her grandfather.
- In the League of Intergalactic Cosmic Champions Artsy-Fartsy became the substitute mom to Mysterious Waif Quito Power.
- In Warhammer Fantasy Divided Loyalties, Magister Regimand Speiseschrank became this for Mathilde Weber, after Mathilde's biological parents and her entire hometown tried to burn her at the stake for being "cursed" with magic.
- In Henry IV Falstaff likes to think that he is this to Hal. If anything, it is the other way round, at least in Henry IV, Part 1, where Hal is usually the one deciding what they're going to do, protecting Falstaff when he's in danger from the police, and telling him off when he behaves inappropriately. This makes Hal's rejection of Falstaff at the end of Henry IV, Part 2 a devastating example of Parental Abandonment.
- Into the Woods: Cinderella becomes one for Little Red Riding Hood and probably for Jack too.
- In Philoctetes, Neoptolemus is mostly a good guy who is lacking in guidance. While Odysseus first takes on this role for him, Philoctetes becomes a more sincere parental figure to him by the end.
- Hamilton
- George Washington is this for the protagonist, which causes no small amount of taunts from Hamilton's enemies. (It should be noted that, historically, Washington was also a father figure to Lafayette and John Laurens.) Hamilton actually resents Washington's paternal feelings since he's got a lot of Daddy Issues, and it causes a major rift in "Meet Me Inside.". Although it is played a lot more straight in the later part of the play where the last time we see Washington alive is during the "the Reynolds Papers" number where Washington get the paper thrust into his face, and he answer with a silent look of pure disgust at Hamilton who until then stoicly stood perfectly still while people threw his letter at his face finally turned away in shame. And just before getting shot he glimpsed "the other Side" and he saw his dead Son, his dead Mother and the now dead Washington waiting on the Other Side—Washington taking the place of the actual father that he never knew.
- The older Mulligan also says that he stands in loco parentis for Hamilton, Laurens, and Lafayette.
- Miu Iruma from Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony becomes this completely by accident, courtesy of an amnesiac Monotaro dubbing her his "mommy". Miu plays along with it and acts very tender and loving towards her "son", and this dynamic returns in Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp.
- Double Homework: Johanna is this for the protagonist after the deaths of their parents. She cooks for him and pushes him to succeed. And according to Tamara, Johanna’s influence does more to make him into a better person than her own does.
- Melody: Amy has been the title character's primary mother figure since the death of her biological mother.
- No Case Should Remain Unsolved: A caregiver hired to look after two young children is treated like a family member and a mother-figure by them. Seowon outright calls her "mom".
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Several cases take place in the series:
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice For All: It's revealed that Phoenix's mentor Mia Fey left her little sister Maya in their aunt Morgan's care when she left the village to search for her and Maya's mother Misty. The sisters were unaware of Morgan's jealousy toward Misty and her daughters, and were very upset to find out that their beloved aunt would try to frame Maya for murder, so her own Child Prodigy daughter Pearl would be the heir.
- Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney: Phoenix becomes the substitute parent to Trucy after the girl's father flees from the courthouse and had effectively vanished from her life. Despite missing her biological father, Trucy still sees Phoenix as a loving father.
- Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth: Hakari Mikagami becomes Shimon Aizawa's adoptive mother after the death of his mother, Ami. His father, the real president of Zheng Fa, is already dead.
- Epithet Erased: Depending on perspective, Giovanni is either this or a sort of adoptive big brother to Molly after the Museum Arc. Either way, though, he's a hell of a lot better at caring for her than Martin Blyndeff is.
- Etra chan saw it!: A lot of stories involve the protagonist being a better parent to a child than the kid's actual parents.
- Kuroki
is neglected by his stepmother Akane, and his father does nothing to help. His stepbrothers Tachibana, Hiiragi, and Akamatsu, who were just as neglected by Akane as Kuroki was, decide to take matters into their own hands to make sure he has a happy childhood.
- Kuroki
- RWBY:
- Weiss Schnee's mother Willow is a neglectful alcoholic and her father Jacques is a self-absorbed businessman who is only concerned with maximizing profits and his own image. On the other hand, Klein Sieben is an approachable man who can shift personalities to cheer up Weiss when she's feeling low. He provides her with coffee after she's been in a cold room, uses his rude and grumpy personality to make her laugh by mocking Jacques' behaviour, and has a motherly personality that fusses over her well-being. Once Jacques detains Weiss for her insolence in Volume 4, Klein doesn't hesitate to secretly help her escape the family mansion and flee Atlas. Thus, Weiss considers Winter and Klein as the only family she has left.
- In Volume 6, Emerald's unwavering belief that Cinder Fall will look after them, even when she's estranged from Salem, leads to a confrontation with Mercury. Mercury implies Emerald's blind faith in Cinder comes from a desperate need to have a mother-figure in her life, and he states she's deluded if she thinks Cinder cares about either of them. Emerald doesn't listen, but Cinder has a sadistic craving for power and has physically hit Emerald for questioning her decisions.
- Salem's presented as a maternal figure to Cinder, but nowhere near a healthy one. Salem speaks to her in the same quasi-motherly treatment she gives others, but her and Cinder's dynamic is much more intimate because of it. Volume 8 makes it clear that Salem is an abusive mother figure to her, with Cinder repeating the lines her abusive adoptive mother would teach her, and Salem harshly scolds or reprimands Cinder on at least two occasions in a manner similar to how a parent would ground a teenager, while taking condescending jabs at Cinder's 'wants and thoughts'. By the time the show directly compares Salem torturing Cinder with the Grimm arm to how The Madame would shock her, subtlety is out the window.
- In True Tail, a giant brute bear named Brutus looks after a small young kitten named Caleb. Caleb is also an orphan, so in this series, a bear is the closet thing the kitten has to a protective father.
- Manet for Quinn in Cirque Royale. While the Mills children all had two parents growing up (and their mother Louise is still alive), Manet was brought on initially in part because George and Louise were struggling with Quinn from infancy, and he took on the role as another parent to her. He took care of her and taught her sign language when she was non-verbal, and while she was being forced through ABA therapy, he was the one she found comfort in before and after her training. He also expected her not to come back to Clowny Island
after she left.
- By the end of the first Cobra Kai season, and well into the second, two examples stand out: Johnny for Miguel, and Daniel for Robby (who just happens to be Johnny's estranged son).
- Dragon Ball Z Abridged: Exaggerated with Gohan and Piccolo due to Goku's ditziness being equally inflated, to the point where Gohan once greets the two of them with "Hi Dad! Hi Goku!"
- Mirrorfall: Ryan for Stef, starts referring to her as his daughter in the third book.
- Oxventure: In the Dungeons & Dragons campaign, Prudence - who was abandoned by her birth parents, and raised by a sinister warlock that she ended up justifiably murdering - has developed this sort of relationship with her warlock patron, who has become universally known as "Daddy Cthulhu".
- SuperMarioLogan:
- Because Bowser is usually in the other room watching his favorite Show Within a Show, Charleyyy and Friends, Chef Pee Pee is usually the one watching his son, Junior.
- Mario becomes this to Jeffy in all of Jeffy's appearances (excluding "Bowser Junior's Playtime 4", "Pokémon Part 6", "Bowser Junior's Game Night 4", and "The Dog Show!"), because Jeffy's mother, Nancy, abandoned him on Mario and Rosalina's doorstep.
- DD from Cream Heroes takes on something of a fatherly role to the younger cats. It becomes the most noticeable when he's introduced to Nana, Toto and Dodo. He immediately takes it upon himself to be a father figure to the latter two, much to Nana's delight.
- TheRealJims: Discussed during the "Simpsons Mysteries" video "Nelson's Dads"
, presenting cases for and against Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Homer Simpson, and Moe Szyslak being potential father figures for Nelson Muntz. Jims argues Moe had the strongest case for the role, with the only thing setting him back being his engagement to Maya.