History Main / ParentalNeglect

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'':

* ''Literature/NowhereStars'': After Liadain's illness was officially declared terminal, her father all but abandoned her at a hospice ward, and doesn't visit or call very often. It's implied he never got over the death of Liadain's mother from the same condition that's killing her, and doesn't know how to emotionally deal with losing his daughter to; not that Liadain sees this as an acceptable excuse, and it's part of why she doesn't tell him when she becomes a [[MagicalGirl Keeper]].

*** The prequel graphic novel ''Godzilla Awakening'' reveals [[Characters/MonsterVerseMonarch Dr. Serizawa]] was on the receiving end of WhenYouComingHomeDad, which led to a reconciliation in his young adulthood when his father revealed the truth of his work for Monarch.

** In "Straight and Narrow", Rusty Dobson confides in Charlie Walters that, after his father left a year earlier, he became a troublemaker so that his corporate executive mother would pay attention to him. He says that the plan worked too well given that she sent him to the Milgram Academy to be straightened out.

** The second book revolves around Rachel's friend Melissa, who is upset that her parents don't love her anymore. What Melissa doesn't know is that they're Controllers, and her father chose to be infested to keep her safe.

* ''Manga/FullMoon'' has this as Izumi's background from his life as a human. His father died when he was a small child and his mother was constantly bringing men home, even being physically abusive towards Izumi [[spoiler:or Leo, as his name back then]], which eventually ended in Izumi, as a child, committing suicide by stepping in front of a train. [[spoiler Goes more into the ParentsAsPeople category, as it's later shown that the mother was mostly stricken with grief and overall realized herself that she just ''couldn't'' be a good mother to Leo... to the point that she thinks she has no "right" to stop him from committing suicide and asking for his forgiveness for failing as a mother.]]

* ''Manga/FullMoon'' has this as Izumi's background from his life as a human. His father died when he was a small child and his mother was constantly bringing men home, even being physically abusive towards Izumi [[spoiler: or Leo, as his name back then]], which eventually ended in Izumi, as a child, committing suicide by stepping in front of a train. [[spoiler: Goes more into the ParentsAsPeople category, as it's later shown that the mother was mostly stricken with grief and overall realized herself that she just ''couldn't'' be a good mother to Leo… to the point that she thinks she has no "right" to stop him from committing suicide and asking for his forgiveness for failing as a mother.]]

** And then we learn that [[spoiler: Yuno's father]] wasn't so different. He was a huge {{Workaholic}} to the point that he failed to notice how his wife had become abusive towards their child.

* Out of the girls in ''Manga/GunslingerGirl'', [[spoiler: Jean's charge Rico]], was a victim of this. Her parents simply abandoned her in a hospital due to her very weak health and she languished away there until the Agency took her in.

* Hayate of ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'' has incredibly neglectful parents--they spend all their money on gambling and steal from Hayate to fund their habits, eventually selling his organs to some "very nice people" to pay off their debts. They also stole a ring from him when he was a child [[spoiler: given to him by his girlfriend/mentor Athena as a symbol of her love for him. He desperately wanted to trust and love them, but Athena argued that there was no good reason for him to do so, and she eventually dumped Hayate when she found out that his parents sold the ring at a pawn shop.]]

** Kaguya is a LonelyRichKid and is forced to live in a BigFancyHouse separate from the rest of her family with only servants to look after her. She says that her father never showed her any form of affection and she believes that he wouldn't even care if she died. He neglected to even give her TheTalk, and as a result, she didn't learn about sex until she was ''sixteen''.
** Shirogane's mother was an EducationMama who walked out on the family almost a decade ago, [[spoiler: temporarily [[ParentalFavoritism taking his sister with her]] and [[{{Unfavorite}} leaving him behind]] because of his poor grades]].

* Meiko Akizuki's parents in ''Manga/MarmaladeBoy'' only seem to care about themselves and their marital problems/economic deals, fighting all the time when they're at home while almost completely ignoring Meiko's own needs, only showing some concern when it's obvious it will affect their reputation (like [[spoiler: their ParentalMarriageVeto in the anime]]. For worse, they simply ''can't'' get divorced because if they do, the Akizuki wealth will be divided and most likely lost. On top of it, Mrs. Akizuki is a LadyDrunk who is seen [[DrowningMySorrows drowning her sorrows]] on screen while bitching out her much-hated husband.

** Gaara was horribly neglected by his father who ordered him killed on several occasions. This left Gaara to be raised by his uncle Yashamaru, who initially respected him… but Yashamaru ultimately ends up betraying him and being killed by Gaara, leaving the latter to trust no one. [[spoiler: Though it's later revealed that Yashamaru ''did'' care--but was ordered to act that way towards Gaara ''under the orders of his father''. Naturally, when Gaara finds out from his Edo-Tensei-revived!dad, he promptly goes "CallingTheOldManOut" mode.]]

* In ''ComicBook/{{Violine}}'', Marushka, [[spoiler: Violine's adoptive mother]], is very strict and controlling, mostly communicates through robots with Violine, and is distant to her. She goes to any length to keep Violine from her father, from having the doctor fake a broken leg and put her in braces, to having her made sick by the doctor, to having her killed if nothing else works.

* Isabella, Luso's and Frimelda's mother in ''Fanfic/TheTaintedGrimoire'', was an AlcoholicParent after her husband died. Her dad decided to take away the kids after this has gone on for too long. [[spoiler: Her dad was unable to do this because on the very night he announced his intent, there was a fire and Isabella, in her last act to redeem herself of her neglect, tried to warn her dad and her kids but died trying]].

* We also have this in the ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/3363740/chapters/7356965 Kiryuuin Chronicles]]'', as Satsuki notes that she was always taken care of by Rei, a servant, and has been since birth, the same going for her little sisters, and, apparently, she usually didn't see her parents, seeing as in chapter two (not counting the intro) her mother was very far in her pregnancy and she notes it was a long time that she had seen her. This might actually be justified on her mother's end, [[DomesticAbuse considering how]] [[AbusiveParents her father is]] and it turns out it was, [[spoiler: her mother, Ragyou, was trying to protect her and her sisters from her husband by leaving them in the care of Rei]]

* In ''Fanfic/BlackSky'', the Prince of Sabina became a shut-in following [[TheLostLenore his beloved wife's death]], basically letting his four-year-old daughter be raised by the wider family and refusing to attend various events such as her wedding and her son's birth. [[spoiler: And that's not even touching what he did to his toddler son...]]

* In ''Fanfic/ConversationsWithACryptid'', Hisashi Midoriya up and disappeared on his family a decade ago. Izuku doesn't really have any emotional connection to him and doesn't even know what he looks like. [[spoiler: When he returns in ''Kidnapping of a Cryptid'', he does his best to make up for this.]]

* In ''Film/IpMan'', this seems to be how the titular character treated his son. However, that changes when [[spoiler: the Japanese invaded and he was stripped of his properties and forced to scrape a living.]]

** Harry's real parents are absent due to being dead, Harry's aunt and uncle treated Harry like dirt, giving him lousy birthday and Christmas presents, locking him in a tiny closet, and letting Dudley get away with bullying Harry while lavishing all their attention on their son. Dumbledore called them out on this, implying, interestingly enough, that the Dursleys did more damage to ''Dudley'' than to Harry. That's understandable since thanks to all of their pampering Dudley grew into a cruel and selfish SpoiledBrat who thought he could get away with ''anything''. [[spoiler: Fortunately, he later gets CharacterDevelopment and reconciles himself with Harry.]] Interestingly, Harry actually ''likes'' that the Dursleys shift towards ignoring him more and more as the series goes on. He can take care of himself fine and thinks it's an improvement to be left alone in his room to do whatever. WordOfGod says that Harry and Dudley were able to mend fences for good and are on friendly terms as adults.

* Draconus from ''Literature/TheKharkanasTrilogy'' doesn't pay much attention to his kids, and named his three daughters [[VainSorceress Envy]], [[FemmeFatale Spite]], and [[EnfantTerrible Mal]][[WhatHappenedToTheMouse ice]] (if he had a fourth, she would apparently be named Venom). On the other hand, their mother, [[spoiler: Olar Ethil]], urges him to kill them, so he still ends up the nice parent of the two.

* Played with in ''[[Literature/OldKingdom Sabriel]]'', in the case of Terciel (the titular Sabriel's father). He brings her to boarding school in Ancelstierre when she's young and sees her in person only once or twice a year. ([[MissingMom Her mother died when she was born]], so she wasn't able to help.) However, he's doing this because it's not safe for her in the Old Kingdom, and he talks with her more frequently with remote sendings. Later,[[spoiler: when he knows he's about to die,]] he confesses that he hasn't been the best parent. She doesn't seem to mind, and it's clear that he was a loving parent.

-->'''Crystale''': I've never had any maternal instincts. To me, children are nothing more than a reserve for organ donations.

** Robert, especially with Joffrey. He even admits this on his deathbed in front of him. He also ignores his numerous — and ''real''— bastard children. Seeking out contact with them would probably reflect badly on his position, but he doesn't even make any arrangements to make sure they would be provided for in his absence. In the books, this is somewhat averted, as he has Varys send his bastard children gifts in secret and even spends time with them. Unlike in the show, several of his bastards (mainly those of noble birth) are well-known and acknowledged, so they're no secret. In the show, these characters have either been AdaptedOut or their story arcs combined with other characters, and only a select few know their identity.

* ''Series/{{Gotham}}'': [[PracticallyJoker Jerome]] and [[Comicbook/TheJoker Jeremiah Valeska's]] father, Paul Cicero, was at the very least neglectful towards Jerome, though it's never mentioned how he treated Jeremiah. When Jerome was nine, Cicero found him hiding from [[AbusiveParents his mother]] and her lover because they had been beating him, and instead of trying to help him, he told him that the world doesn't care about him or anyone else, and he should get used to it. He also never told him that he was his father until Jerome was seventeen or eighteen, and it's implied that he only had a peripheral role in his life until Jerome was sent to Arkham [[spoiler: for killing his mother]]. After that, though, he seems to have quit the circus and settled down in Gotham so that he could be closer to his son. When he and Jerome next meet, he apologizes for not being a very good father to him, but [[spoiler: that doesn't stop Jerome [[SelfMadeOrphan from killing him.]]]]

---> '''Creator/AndySamberg narrating Ben's Day In The Limelight''': Ben's mom and dad had a very unique parenting style, in that they did none of it.

** God is one too. Only four of his angelic children had ever seen him in the first place (most likely Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, and Gabriel) and most of the angels know damn well that Lucifer was the favorite. Where did that leave the rest of them? He's actually gone so far as to [[spoiler: neglect all of the angels, ignoring them as they fight and kill themselves in civil war, and evidently not caring that one of his Archangels is dead, two of them are locked in a cage in Hell, and the last is trying to take control of Heaven through brutal force.]]

** Veronica's mother Lianne was implied to be this. Lianne was an alcoholic, and in the series premiere, straight up walks out on her family without telling anyone she was leaving. [[spoiler: Lianne returns partway through season 1 wanting to fix her problems, but quickly falls off the wagon again and abandons her family for good]].
** Logan Echolls' mother Lynn is this to some degree. Being addicted to pills and alcohol, in one episode she's shown [[spoiler: drinking and ignoring her husband as he loudly beats Logan in the next room]].

** Cat's parents are implied to be this. Most likely because they're too busy taking care of Cat's mentally unstable older brother. [[spoiler: Cat eventually moves in with her grandmother]].
** Andre lives with his mentally unstable grandmother, while his parents are never mentioned or seen. [[spoiler: From what we've seen it looks like Andre is taking care of his grandmother rather than the other way around]].

* It is implied in ''Series/TheXFiles'' that Mulder's parents became neglectful towards him after Samantha went missing. It's noted that they divorced shortly after she disappeared and that "no one would talk about it." Nothing is ever explicitly said, but his attitude about it says that he simply waited until he was old enough to leave and then did -- he went to England for college. He sees his parents rarely [[spoiler: before their respective deaths]]. In "Sein und Zeit", it's also hinted that [[spoiler: that Mulder's mother has known for years that Samantha actually died when she was fourteen, and she never told Mulder.]] However, this isn't to say that Mulder doesn't love them -- he [[spoiler: never stops despising Krycek for killing his father, and when Scully performs an autopsy on his mother after she dies and tells him that she killed herself to avoid the suffering that would follow her cancer (that she never told him about) he breaks down crying in Scully's arms.]]

* ''Theatre/NextToNormal'': Natalie's parents are explicitly neglectful, mostly due to her mother suffering from bipolar psychosis and her father attempting to help her (while also struggling with depression). It is implied that her model behavior and excellent grades were a plea for attention - one that clearly did not work, and she acts out occasionally in anger towards her parents for the way she grew up. When she [[spoiler:purposefully messes up an extremely important piano recital and begins abusing her mother's prescription medication]], her parents barely notice or react. While it does differ from some other tropes in that they both truly loved Natalie and never intended to do her harm, it was most definitely neglect.
** [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Depending on your point of view,]] [[spoiler: Dan and Gabe. The son's ghost seems to desperately want to be seen by the father, but he refuses to even speak his son's name, let alone acknowledge him.]]

* [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI Cid of the Lufaine]] from ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' was originally a very caring parent to [[spoiler:Chaos]] before starting the cycles of war. However, he was a very lousy father to [[spoiler: the Warrior of Light]], who shortly after being born, was thrown into the conflict by his ''father'' without an identity or a childhood to speak of.

* ''VideoGame/SilentHillHomecoming'' has this in SPADES. Alex Shephard is practically forgotten by his parents, who are very distant with him, giving him little to no attention at all while absolutely doting on his much younger brother, Josh, even giving the child a family ring that has a great deal of meaning to it. The boy acts like a brat about it to his brother, evidently loving to rub how he's their favorite in his older brother's face. [[spoiler: This ends badly.]] While Alex is jealous, to his credit he does still love his family and does everything he can, even descending into what seems like hell itself, to find and rescue his brother. [[spoiler: It turns out his family had a reason for being so distant-every fifty years, the townspeople had to sacrifice one of their children in order to appease their God and keep all hell from breaking loose. Alex's parents purposely remained distant with him, not wanting him to experience or learn compassion, love, or happiness, so the inevitable death of their son would be easier on all of them. Alex's parents seem to realize how wrong this was, however, as they beg for his forgiveness before their deaths-though the realization of how wrong they were seems to only come after Alex accidentally killed Josh out of jealousy brought on by the aforementioned ring.]]
* ''VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon'' gets another mention here, considering [[spoiler: Harlan Wade]] had Alma [[spoiler: locked up inside a psychically shielded vault and kept in a drug-induced coma for the majority of her life]].
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' has Luke fon Fabre. By the beginning of the game, he had been held captive in his own home for seven years, partially by a distant father and doting mother. [[spoiler: The conditions improved.]]
* The manga adaptation of ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' depicts Zelos Wilder's early life as this, with his mother feigning illness simply to get him out of her sight. Being a child, he tries to win her affections. [[spoiler: it doesn't work.]] Colette Brunel's family is also implied to be distant, but that's more because [[spoiler: it's better not to get attached to the [[HumanSacrifice sacrificial lamb needed to save the world]]]] than actual contempt.
* Angela in ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana''; her mom ignored her for the majority of her life and then tries to kill her at the beginning of the game. [[spoiler: Granted this is because she was being manipulated by the Crimson Wizard, but still...]]

** Luke Triton's own father was neglectful in the Last Specter game but only because he was stressed and preoccupied [[spoiler: because he was being blackmailed with his Hostage wife]].

** Rose and her aloof mother only interact in what Rose interprets as passive-aggressive battles of saccharine affection. Her interpretation of her mother, a classy, successful scientist (and [[AlcoholicParent alcoholic]]), seems either partially or entirely true. Though her mother may care (and how can you argue with that pony?) she is very distant. [[spoiler: Averted later. Rose's reaction to her death shows that the passive-aggressive stuff was mostly just a charade, and she still considered herself close to her mother.]]
** Gamzee's lusus is less ambiguous -- he was just never there. Which didn't stop Gamzee from sitting out by the beach sometimes, waiting for "the old goat" to come home. [[spoiler: It is a very good thing that his lusus was never around, considering it is pretty much AxCrazy]].

* Peter of ''Webcomic/PeterIsTheWolf'' is viewed as a disappointment by his parents for being born a runt in a werewolf culture that views size and strength as extremely important. He spent most of his life being openly ''mocked'' by them and generally suffering from every kind of neglect they could dish out. Later, after he is [[spoiler: Nearly ''raped'', dumped by the girlfriend who walked in and mistook it for him cheating on her and a very real chance of being ''executed'' by his pack for this breakup, he has to move back in with them for a few days. They respond to this TraumaCongaLine by making him sleep in the ''literal'' doghouse in their backyard because they can't be bothered to make room for him.]]

* ''Webcomic/{{Rebirth}}'': While Noah and Parish were certainly present in Neo's life, they barely paid any attention to him, focusing all of it on his younger brother, Abel. [[spoiler: This is largely because Neo is the product of Parish's affair with Noah's brother Ian, leading Noah to neglect him. Parish went along with this as well.]]

Compare and contrast with AbusiveParents, AdultsAreUseless, ParentsAsPeople, and ParentalAbandonment.

* In the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' fic "[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13653421/1/Ash-s-Adventure-Girls-Hunter-Edition Ash's Adventure: Girls' Hunter Edition]]", May left her family to become a [=PokeGirl=]- a human capable of using Pokemon attacks and carried around in a human ball- because her father was so distant for years that she is amazed he was even able to maintain enough interest in her mother to have children in the first place.

* ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'': Both King Viserys and Alicent Hightower neglected to properly raise Aegon, which contributed in him becoming an unpunished SerialRapist and the poorest possible choice to be a king (and he's aware of the latter but pushed to take the crown by the Hightower side of his family anyway).

* It's implied that [[Series/CriminalMinds Emily Prentiss]]' childhood wasn't that fantastic due to her mother's job as an ambassador. When Hotch asks her if she's leaked information to a local politician, she says that she hates politics and thinks that they "tear families apart and damage people".