Basic Trope: Characters who are not romantically involved raise a child together.
- Straight: Alice's lifelong best friend Charlie helps her raise her young son Bob after his father walks out on them, taking on the role of caretaker. The fact that Charlie isn't Bob's father is seen as a mere technicality by all parties. Alice and Charlie have no romantic interest in one another.
- Exaggerated: Alice and her four best friends all work together not just to raise her son, but all of their children, too. However, none of the parental figures are romantically involved.
- Downplayed: Charlie is an Honorary Uncle who's quite involved in Bob's life, but all the parenting decisions are left to Alice.
- Justified:
- Alice and Charlie are relatives, so any romance between them is out of question. Charlie helps Alice raise Bob because the boy is his family too.
- Charlie really wants to be a father, but is either uninterested in becoming one the usual way (for whatever reason), or is simply unable to do so. Helping Alice raise Bob allows him to have the child he always wanted.
- Alice and Charlie don't need to be dating in order to be each other's most trusted friends and closest confidants. It only makes sense that he'd step up to help her out in her hour of need, and love her son just as much as she does.
- Alice loves Bob dearly, but can't make ends meet on her own. Charlie's help allows her to balance work and her son much more evenly, and provide her son with a much more stable home than she'd able to otherwise.
- Alice and Charlie live in a culture where Alice and her child will be vilified if it gets out that the father abandoned her, especially since they were never married. Charlie stepping in to be the child's father saves them from social ruin — and depending on Charlie's situation, might help him out, too (i.e., if he's gay, aromantic, or otherwise is uninterested in marriage in a culture where such a thing is unacceptable). Charlie loves (or grows to love) Bob as if he was his own, even if he doesn't fall for Alice.
- Inverted:
- Charlie is Bob's father, but does little to no parenting, leaving Alice to do it more-or-less by herself.
- Charlie and Alice are deeply in love, but neglect their son Bob.
- Subverted:
- Bob grows up thinking of Charlie as his Honorary Uncle, and a worthy substitute to his Disappeared Dad. He's stunned when he gets older and finds out Charlie actually is his dad.
- Alice and Charlie eventually fall in love.
- Double Subverted:
- Turns out Charlie is Bob's biological father after all. However, it turns out Alice and Charlie were never actually romantically involved. Alice wanted a baby, and Charlie was a sperm donor. Afterwards, he wanted to be involved in his child's life.
- After a period of dating, Alice and Charlie decide they're Better as Friends, but continue to raise Bob together like they always have.
- Parodied: Alice and Charlie, despite not being romantically involved, take their co-parenting to ridiculous extremes. They create elaborate chore charts, hold board meetings to discuss parenting strategies, and even stage over-the-top "family" photoshoots complete with matching outfits. The comedic tone emphasizes the absurdity of their commitment to raising a child together without any romantic involvement.
- Zig-Zagged: Alice and Charlie begin as Just Friends, and go on to have a Relationship Revolving Door, but raise Bob together regardless.
- Averted:
- Alice raises Bob alone.
- Alice and Charlie are Amicable Exes, and share custody of their son Bob.
- Charlie is Bob's stepfather.
- Enforced: ??
- Lampshaded:Diana: Oh, are you Bob's stepfather?
Charlie: What? No, no, no, no—Alice and I are just friends.
Diana: But didn't Bob call you "Dad"?
Charlie: Well, I am. Sort of. Minus the DNA bit. - Invoked:
- Alice has no desire for a relationship, but wants a child. However, she's worried that single motherhood will be rough on both her and her child, so she approaches her like-minded friend Charlie and suggests they adopt and raise a child together.
- Bob's father abandoned him and Alice. She needs help making ends meet, and wants him to have a positive male role model, so she asks her friend Charlie if they can move in together.
- Exploited: Alice and Charlie use the perception of being romantically involved to their advantage. They pretend to be a couple to gain certain benefits or advantages in society, such as obtaining a better housing situation or receiving support from friends and family.
- Defied: Alice specifically seeks out a co-parent she can love, believing two parents in a loving marriage will provide the best possible environment for the baby.
- Discussed:Alice: If that test comes back positive, I don't know what I'll do. I can't raise a baby alone!
Charlie: You won't be alone. I'd help out. You two could even move into my place if you wanted.
Alice: I love you. [Beat] I mean, not that way. But I love you.
Charlie: I know. - Conversed:Diana: I keep hoping Charlie and Alice will hook up, but the writers keep pairing them off with other people. They raised a kid together, for God's sake!
Ellie: I dunno, I kind of like them as Just Friends. It's nice to see a different sort of family. - Deconstructed:
- Several people think the family is "weird," and judge Alice for living with a man she has no intention of marrying. Many also wonder why Charlie hasn't done the truly noble thing and proposed to her. This causes a lot of pressure to the three of them, especially Bob, who dislikes being different from his classmates.
- Bob's biological father comes back into the picture and wants a relationship with him. However, he's jealous of Charlie and resents that his son views another man as "Dad." He also worries that the Alice/Bob/Charlie family dynamic is so tightly-knit, he'll never be able to truly forge a father-son bond with Bob, no matter how hard he tries — and such fears may not be entirely unjustified. Bob also feels extreme guilt and stress due to being stuck in the middle, and feeling that no matter what, he'll be betraying one of his two fathers. He's torn between the natural desire to get to know his biological family, and maybe fix some of their abandonment issues, and his loyalty and love to the man who raised him.
- Charlie and Bob's biological father eventually get in a massive fight, possibly even coming to blows, over who Bob's "real" father is. The conflict is not good for anyone, especially not Bob.
- Reconstructed:
- However, over time, most (if not all) of the naysayers are won over, when they see how loving and affectionate Charlie is to Bob, and how well he and Alice work as a team. If anything, Bob's household is more stable than than of his classmates. Bob also eventually grows more comfortable with being different, declaring that he loves his family, unusual as it is.
- Bob eventually calls his biological father out, saying that the reason he views Charlie as his dad is because Charlie, unlike him, was there. Sure, he appreciates that his dad is genuinely trying and wants to have a relationship, but he should've thought of that a long time ago. Even if he had understandable reasons for not being around, he has no right to be indignant that Bob has found another father figure, and that, given the choice between a Glorified Sperm Donor, and the man who, while unrelated to him, took care of him and loved him as if he were his own son, of course he's going to choose the latter. Depending on the story, this either leads to Bob's dad abandoning him again, proving he hadn't really changed, or realizing that Bob is right, and making a sincere effort to atone, even if he'll probably never be a proper parental figure to him. Either way, Charlie is there by Bob's side to help him navigate what comes next.
- Charlie and Bob's dad eventually resolve to put their differences aside and at least try to be civil for Bob's sake, with the understanding that Charlie will continue to occupy the fatherly role he always has.
- Implied: Alice and Charlie's relationship is never explicitly shown or discussed, but there are subtle hints and moments that suggest a deeper connection between them. The audience can infer that they have a strong bond and are involved in each other's lives.
- Played for Laughs: Alice and Charlie's attempts at co-parenting become comically exaggerated, leading to humorous situations and misadventures. The focus is on the comedic aspects of their unconventional parenting arrangement, highlighting the challenges and humorous moments that arise.
- Played for Drama: The story delves into the emotional complexities and challenges of Alice and Charlie's non-romantic co-parenting relationship. It explores the depth of their connection, the sacrifices they make for each other and Bob, and the potential conflicts or tensions that arise from their arrangement.
- Played for Horror: Alice and Charlie's non-romantic co-parenting arrangement takes a dark and unsettling turn. There may be sinister elements at play, such as a hidden agenda or psychological manipulation, that make their situation eerie and horrifying.
Back to Platonic Co-Parenting.
