Parentification As a Punchline

Before the debut of Roseanne, television shows depicted children without parents as a tragedy. But the Conners made light of the parentification of their children, even when the situation was objectively grim. The general theme of the show was "putting the fun in dysfunctional", which meant normalizing a lack of boundaries. Each one of the Conner kids display the long-term impact of parentification, but because it's viewed in a comedic light, viewers aren't invited to examine the damage.

And the normalization of making parentification a punchline can be seen in many subsequent television shows. For example, Gilmore Girls - created by Roseanne writer Amy Sherman-Palladino - was a case study of parentification if there ever was one, but audiences viewed the toxic dynamic as endearing and amusing. Parents projecting their issues onto their children and treating them as contemporaries was such a regular occurrence at that point that no one thought to criticize it (until much later).

In this episode, Diana and JR talk about some of the ways the show Roseanne made childhood trauma fodder for laugh-track comedy and how the person Roseanne did the same in her standup and with her other projects. At the end, they examine just how complicit Roseanne is, and how much they blame her.

References:

Does parentification place Mexican-heritage youth at risk for substance use? Identifying the intervening nature of parent–child communication about alcohol - ScienceDirect

The positive and negative aspects of parentification: An integrated review - ScienceDirect

Opinion | How Did the Latchkey Kids of Gen X Become the Helicopter Parents of Gen Z? - The New York Times

Latchkey Kids Legal Age Limits Listed By State

5 Ways Being a Narcissist's "Surrogate Parent" Affects You | Psychology Today

When Can Kids Stay Home Alone? 50 State Guide

How parentification can shape your adult life (and 9 tips to heal) — Calm Blog

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