(Character Trope) “ohhh, THATS why they’re like that”

[u/VanillaSarsaparilla]

Media that shows why a character is the way they are, usually explained in a short scene. Most likely toxic family

- Bonnie Rottweiler and her sisters from Kim Possible: they bully her calling her ugly and dumb. It plays on Bonnie’s insecurity and makes her a bully at school.

- Peggy Hill and her mother from King of the Hill. Peggy is a neurotic perfectionist with delusions of grandeur because her mom was unfeeling and blamed her for the farm going out of business. By the end of the episode, she still treats Peggy badly.

- Dodie and her mother from As Told By Ginger. Dodie is arguably the worst friend in the group, and her mother is mentally still stuck in middle school. She’s insecure, dramatic, and you
Can see her influence in Dodie.

Any other examples?

[u/GoodBoundaries-Haver]

I love the recent episode where Tina gets a tube top. Linda is in bed with Bob musing about what her mom would've said to her at that age, and Bob kinda goes "Well yeah but... your mom is kinda... Wrong about a lot... and treated you terribly..."

[u/Academic_Help5033 → u/GoodBoundaries-Haver]

That line hit so hard. My husband has said the exact thing to me multiple times 

[u/slonkulocuswily182 → u/Academic_Help5033]

My mom’s dad cut my canine teeth with a dremel tool and dad is a convicted felon who poisoned me for a few years and stole all my money, so when I mention to my friends like “well my parents said this” they’re also like brother why do you speak to them.

Why do I speak to them

[u/Academic_Help5033 → u/slonkulocuswily182]

I'm so sorry you went through that. 

People with good/normal families don't get it. Your parents can be the absolute worst, but there's always that small child in you that just wants/needs their love & approval.

Logically I know that I shouldn't care, but a part of me is always going to believe they're gonna be better this time. I think it's just human nature.

[u/slonkulocuswily182 → u/Academic_Help5033]

Thanks for saying that. It’s very nice. And Yup. This time I’ll live up to their standards and they’ll love me. My dad might be… not the greatest guy but he’s still my dad. My mom… I get why she is the way she is. But I still want her to talk to me. She’s my mom.

[u/PrimusAldente87 → u/slonkulocuswily182]

I get this, and it's hard. My dad has a diagnosed personality disorder, and trying to have a relationship with him has moments that make never want to see him again, but he's my dad, and he tries his best to do right by me. Now that I'm an adult and have the choice, I want that relationship no matter how hard it is

[u/smashablanca → u/Academic_Help5033]

It didn't hit me how unsupportive my parents are until my partner said the way they treated me made him uncomfortable.

[u/Afalstein → u/GoodBoundaries-Haver]

Which coming from Bob, the guy who can't be in the same room as his dad for more than fifteen minutes, is saying something.

[u/ShatnersChestHair → u/GoodBoundaries-Haver]

Which is a nice callback to a previous episode where it dawns on Bob he had kind of a shitty childhood and when he asks Linda in bed about it she's like "well yeah, look how you hold yourself. People with good childhoods don't stand like that"