Breeder tropes in movies and television

What cliches have you seen in entertainment regarding parenting/breeding that are bullshit?

This thread was prompted by my re-re-re-re-re-watching of The Office and I just passed the otherwise good episode where Pam learns she's pregnant and of course it shows her and Jim just over the moon about this unintended pregnancy. From what I understand, it is very rare for both people to be happy about an accidental pregnancy, but this is the only reaction you ever see in television shows and movies. Why not show a more realistic reaction: the man leaving and/or beating the shit out of the woman because he doesn't want to be a father.

Or the bumbling daddy character, like in Three Men and a Baby? This film is breeder feel-good propaganda - it tries to send the message that parenting is some magical thing that only women can do, and look at these three well-paid professional bachelors who can't even handle one baby with combined effort because there is no mommy magic! And in a completely realistic conclusion, all three men just decide they're going to be daddies to this loaf that was born out of a one-night stand. So this one's a two-fer: men can't be as good of parents as women, and he'll love it when it gets here.

What other ones have you seen?

greys anatomy...but not all the characters went gaga about the fetus. one had an abortion

two cents ¢¢

CERTIFIED HOSEHEAD!!!

people (especially women) do not give ONE DAMN about what they inflict on children and I defy anyone to prove me wrong

Dysfunctional relationships almost always have a child. The more dysfunctional, the more children.

The selfish wants of adults outweigh the needs of the child.

Some mistakes cannot be fixed, but some mistakes can be 'fixed'.

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. Leo J. Burke

Adoption agencies have strict criteria (usually). Breeders, whose combined IQ's would barely hit triple digits, have none.

I completely agree about The Office. I hate that episode and her stupid pregnancy and brats just about ruin the rest of the series for me. I start skipping a lot of the Jim & Pam scenes after that. I especially hate the way they portray the disapproving grandmother at the wedding as some kind of senile dinosaur.

And what about that episode where Jim fakes being on jury duty to help Pam with the brats? Everyone is pissed at him, so he gets Pam to bring the brood in to justify his lying and ends up getting told to take the rest of the week off or something ridiculous like that.

The rest of the series isn't particularly breeder pleasing, but since everyone is supposed to love Jim & Pam, we're supposed to love everything they do.

Another one is when you see a family in a movie or on TV with a large number of children, it shows a super busy life, but at the same time, there is a routine. There is a method to the madness and organization, and in spite of the insanity, it looks like the parents still have control over their life. This is almost NEVER true in reality - the kids often rule the roost because of ineffective parental units and the parents try in vain to corral their brats and make them listen.

Also, the few times you see a CF character, they are often portrayed as smug/bitchy and/or rich. Like Jennifer Barkley in Parks & Recreation - good to see the inclusion of a childfree woman who has chosen to be professional instead of an ass-wiper, but she's kinda bitchy and almost shown as a "bad guy" because she has no kids and is loud and proud about it instead of how she's "supposed to be" and be sad about being unchilded.

And this isn't really entertainment, but just once I want to see an advertisement for pregnancy pee tests where it shows the woman looking relieved and happy that the result is negative. Not ever sperm infection is a joyous event!

I'm re-watching the Office now. I don' t mind Seasons 8 and 9. I'm not a superfan.

Anyway, Pam looks awful, instantly matronly, after she has the brood. And, I do notice how HAPPY Jim is to be away at work to make better money for the family in the long run, and actually uses the term while "Pam is *stuck* at home w/ the kids" If having a brood is soooo great why would anyone ever feel "stuck"? He was having more fun than she but he was sacrificing for the whole family, not being w/ Pam and having to work two half jobs. Why can't Pam sacrifice w/ more of the kid work. Why does Kid work have to trump everything?

That being said, it does show Jim being manipulative w/ the brood coming in after jury duty, which shows how parents IRL manipulate their work places w/ their loud messy broods.

I do fast forward through anything when there is an actual chyld on screen.

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Cambion
And this isn't really entertainment, but just once I want to see an advertisement for pregnancy pee tests where it shows the woman looking relieved and happy that the result is negative. Not ever sperm infection is a joyous event!

There's always Fast Times at Ridgemont High...I'm kind of surprised no one's tried to ban that movie by now.

It's documented that baybees strain even good relationships.

Anyone who has ever been in a bad relationship knows it's counterintuitive to suggest otherwise. Think of the phase when the relationship is souring. Generally, you fight about everything and a baybee would amp up the stress level exponentially.

It's really stupid to suggest baybees unite people and that suddenly all problems and incompatibilities are MAGICALLY RESOLVED, but it's a common, overused Hollywood plot.

It fucking irks me that writers cannot think of anything else to write about, but many are uncreative hacks.

1. 1997 Fools Rush In: the woman gets pregnant after a one-night stand. They have nothing in common and COMPLETELY different values, but of course they get married anyway and all their problems magically melt away due to Baybee.

2. 2007, Knocked Up: Lather, rinse and repeat

Hey it's been over 10 years--I'm sure we are due for another installment. I'm probably missing a few others just because I do not pay attention to movies now anyway.

ETA: Thought of another one.

3. 2014 This is Where I leave you. I generally liked this movie, but one of the main characters of the movie finds out his wife was cheating with his boss for over a year. He walked into his apartment and found them, and his father died shortly thereafter. He naturally wants to get a divorce but the wife turns up pregnant and the BF apparently was snipped/sterile. The wife pretty much says the reason she had an affair was because they had a pregnasty loss or something. (To the writer's credit, the husband shreds her over this and says how ridiculous it is. "I hope you aren't suggesting that your lost pregnancy was a reason to fuck my boss? Sure seems like you are headed that way.") I also generally liked the movie because there is a woman who is a classic, desperate infertile. The same character tells her to be grateful for her marriage and infertility is no reason to ruin your marriage.

Of course, the guy melts when he sees the heartbeat and decides to "forgive" his wife and he tells her their baybee will never be alone. There is a suggestion that they may get back together even though he says they can be divorced and still be co-parents, and he is hooking up with someone else.

Here's a few. There are tons more than this!


1. The Family Man - (2000) wealthy investment broker wakes up one day to find out how his life would have turned out if he had married his college sweetheart and have way more brats than they can afford. To no surprise, he is depicted as superficial, a scrooge and spoiled until his life changes. And in his duh state all the other duhs tell him he is living the best life possible, of course!

https://www.movieguide.org/reviews/movies/the-family-man.html
Synopsis from this link:
THE FAMILY MAN is a heart-rending movie. Very well written, it makes you laugh and cry. Better yet, it's an intentionally moral movie. It wants to prove that everyone needs love, marriage, children, and that these things are much more important than fame or fortune, and it does prove its case.

2. Mad About You - I don't recall watching this TV show much but they were kind of quirky and neurotic and once they sluiced it became unbearable.

3. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) - Freaking assassin stops her attempt on a life because soon to be victim's brat walks in. It was sooo easy for her to kill whoever as an evil childless but now that she is a moo she suddenly has a conscious and is "such a better person".