# What to do with young protagonist's parents?



## SerenataImmortale (Jul 11, 2012)

I have the issue of having a 17-year-old protagonist in a "journey" type sci-fi story I'm working on - (e.g, the main character leaves for distant locales, etc, etc.)- who is still at an age where his parents are still going to be a major force in his life.
I'm finding it very difficult to manage just how to handle the presence of the parents. They have no function within the story, and have just been dead weight that I can't seem to handle appropriately. I can't make the protagonist an orphan - it seems to be a bit of a genre cliche in my own opinion, and seems to be too much of an easy out given story circumstances (plus, many orphan stories seem to have large amounts of "my parents are dead" angst to them.) On the other hand, the protagonist isn't an amoeba, so the parents are still going to be present in some respect, even if I were to bump up his age to his early twenties. 
... help?


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## Kyle R (Jul 11, 2012)

In real life kids around that age actually do go on a journey without their parents: college.

So, perhaps you can make this an intergallactic university of some sorts. He doesn't have to _go_ to college, but that could be the initial reason he sets out, with his parents saying their goodbyes.

Just a suggestion!


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## Gamer_2k4 (Jul 11, 2012)

Just leave the parents out of it altogether.  Think of how many movies would have no plot if just one character had a cell phone.  But, because it helps the story, cell phones are left out.  You can do the same thing with parents; no one's going to complain.

That doesn't mean making your protagonist an orphan.  Just ignore the issue completely.


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## Jeko (Jul 11, 2012)

Make them a part of the journey. Are they a problem? Do they reveal the problem? Are they part of the solution? Start with purpose when planning. Then you can see your vision clearer. Then your imagination is a lot more focused without being stiffled by limitations.


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## Bloggsworth (Jul 11, 2012)

Kill them...


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## Kevin (Jul 11, 2012)

I like how C. Shultz handled it: Never show them and their dialog sounds like "Wah, wah, wa-wah wuh-wah, waaa wuh-wuh."


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## Nemesis (Jul 11, 2012)

Just bump them out

you can reference to them, but unless your character has a reason to talk to them don't include them. maybe there is a reason they don't talk, like a fight, or mayeb they don't believe in meddling with their almost grown kids problems


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## Jeko (Jul 11, 2012)

> Kill them...



[video=youtube;VhfftViuc7k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhfftViuc7k[/video]


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## Deleted member 49710 (Jul 11, 2012)

When I was that age, between work, school, and hanging out with friends, I spent very little time at home and my parents were, to be honest, not a central part of my life at all. My parents were probably more hands-off than most, they both had their own things to do, and besides, my siblings broke them in pretty thoroughly. As long as my grades were good and they didn't see me smoking crack, they didn't get in the way.

So, your protagonist need not be an orphan. He just needs to be busy and sneaky about his teenaged shenanigans.


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## patskywriter (Jul 11, 2012)

Treat this situation the way it might happen in real life—the parents can be present at the send-off, and then the character can mention them when necessary (for backstory, character development, and to explain why he feels a certain way or makes certain decisions). Correspondence can occur or not occur depending on their relationship. I can see a 17-year-old fighting space dragons but I'd find it hard to believe that he would never ever think of his folks.


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## Olly Buckle (Jul 11, 2012)

Ignore them, if your protaganist is 17 chances are he will, stay in character, if you must bring them in don't develop anything, keep them 'flat'.


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## bo_7md (Jul 11, 2012)

Family emergency, a sick aunt or a dead grandmother, which makes them leave for a while--this gives you breathing space. They can still visit when you need them for advice, so they are not always there but can be a train-ticket away.


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## Newman (Jul 11, 2012)

SerenataImmortale said:


> I have the issue of having a 17-year-old protagonist in a "journey" type sci-fi story I'm working on - (e.g, the main character leaves for distant locales, etc, etc.)- who is still at an age where his parents are still going to be a major force in his life.
> I'm finding it very difficult to manage just how to handle the presence of the parents. They have no function within the story, and have just been dead weight that I can't seem to handle appropriately. I can't make the protagonist an orphan - it seems to be a bit of a genre cliche in my own opinion, and seems to be too much of an easy out given story circumstances (plus, many orphan stories seem to have large amounts of "my parents are dead" angst to them.) On the other hand, the protagonist isn't an amoeba, so the parents are still going to be present in some respect, even if I were to bump up his age to his early twenties.
> ... help?



Use them as archetypes. Find a role which needs to be performed and use the parent characters.

Parents are broken away from early, as in Superman. 

They can become supernatural aids, like Miyagi in Karate Kid.

They can be antagonists, like Rose's mother in Titanic.

There is an ocean of possibilities.


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## Cefor (Jul 11, 2012)

Introduce them as integral parts of the plot later on... something your MC does makes his enemies capture them... or something. If your character is in good relations with the parents, use them. If your character hates his parents, use them that way too.

Decide what sort of an influence you would like them to have on your protagonist and go from there. I agree that killing them off is too over-done, and to be honest leaving them out of the novel completely will have the same effect as orphaning him. However, if you make them characters in their own right... well, then you can add another layer to the narrative. They don't even have to be involved with the main plot, but you can have something happen in which they provide conflict for the main character to get over or work past.

Perhaps his mother dies of cancer, or something similar, and he has to deal with this whilst on the other side of the galaxy? (Sorry, no idea of the scope of your story so I'm guessing on the scale, here).
Perhaps his father gets into financial trouble and asks for help repaying a loan? Perhaps he doesn't pay back in time and the loan shark sends out collectors? What if they kill him?
Perhaps they don't want him to leave, but he does anyway, and during the course of his journey they send him letters asking for him to return home -- but he has to read them and ignore them, or try sending a letter (some form of communique) back without causing them _more _distress.

Basically, you have a large scope of what you could do with them. Have fun... go wild... let your imagination run free!

Good luck


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## Olly Buckle (Jul 12, 2012)

Bloggsworth said:


> Kill them...


A bit hackneyed, but effective. Probably why it is used so much. That raises the question should one try and be original or simply get it over quickly in a very bad R.T.A. at the start?


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## Bloggsworth (Jul 12, 2012)

See Cadence's post...


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## Eluixa (Jul 12, 2012)

At 21 I went to Europe, and while I could not wait to go and even said, to my ever lasting shame, that I did not know when or if I'd be back, had no real reason to return to our little town [despite having a sweet sister, a baby brother and very cool parents who thankfully forgave my careless bravado] and I missed them indeed, and in less than a year, went home! 
That's not to say I did nothing but miss them. Of course not, I had so much to do and see! But late at night, or when things were not going so great, I missed them dearly. That is when I would mention the parents, and or family, that is when an adventuring child will bring them to mind, in the quieter hours or the scarier hours and weep over stupid words. Not one of my better moments revealed. But should such words find their way to my ears from my kids, I shall swallow hard and wait for the phone calls. HTH


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## movieman (Jul 12, 2012)

Often they get eaten by monsters. One of my major young character's parents were burned to charcoal by a Martian death-ray, I have to get around to revising those novels and publishing them some time soon.


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## Extinct_Stimulus (Jul 12, 2012)

With the power of Skype, even your wayward young protagonist can stay in touch with his parents.


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## Davana (Aug 30, 2012)

I have the exact same problem. My protagonist is going to be getting up to all sorts of trouble and going on all these journeys e.t.c. but she has a Dad, you know. What do I do with him? Well so far (I'm 20 pages into my story) her dad has been in Paris and her Uncle Dan is coming to look after her 'soon'. I keep on delaying his visit so the protagonist can actually go on these adventures. 

I could kill her dad but then the character will be an orphan and be pretty messed up or go insane. But then again, that wouldn't be so bad.


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## egriffith (Sep 2, 2012)

Bloggsworth said:


> Kill them...



Yep! That's what I did. (In my book, not my real parents.)


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## GWJ Baird (Sep 3, 2012)

It purely depends on how your MC, his/her motives and attitude,

Imagine the kind of character you have, their personality and the actions they take and consider what kind of parents could have raised him/her to be this way?

For example if they are reckless, bitter they could be abandoned by their parents? if they have deep affection, warm and kind they could have parents the same way, if they are full of angst and sad thoughts then yeah the parents could be dead, 

I disagree with the whole not having the parents in there at all though, I mean you got to have the emotional goodbye scene to make people connect with the MC and empathise, from that point onward it could just be a case (as someone else mentioned) the MC referring to them every once and a while so long as it doesn't detract from your main plot


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## JDegg (Sep 3, 2012)

If they aren't important at all to the story just leave them out.

You can figure out on later reads of your story if there's any point that screams out, "Where are these kids' parents?" If so, figure it out then, if not, they aren't important skip them entirely.


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## Ms_Tex (Sep 4, 2012)

When I went to Germany as an exchange student at the age of 18, I was too busy with studies, going out and having fun, and men (which could be covered under "having fun" :love_heart.  The only times I thought about them is when they called me or I called them - about once a month.  Other that those phone calls, I rarely thought about my parents, except thinking things like, "My parents would not approve of this or that." 

I would say focus on what your MC is doing, thinking and feeling.  Like JDegg mentioned, if you read the story later and find it needs them to be included, you can do that.


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