Grey's Anatomy has always been more than just a medical drama. Most of the time, it's a show about love, life, and family. While medicine is the skeleton that holds everything together, the characters tend to have a lot going on in their personal lives. And the decisions that both major and minor characters make tend to be problematic most of the time.
There's nowhere where this is more evident than in parenting. There are plenty of parents in Grey's Anatomy but only a few good ones. Who said raising kids was easy? But we can't help but feel that the parents should have done better in some situations. The following are some of the most questionable parenting decisions seen so far.
Ellis Attempts Suicide In Front Of A Young Meredith
Flashback scenes revealed that Ellis was a bad parent ever since Meredith was young. When Richard left her, she couldn't handle being alone. She had already ruined her marriage to Thatcher by cheating on him with Richard. She thus slit her wrists right in front of a horrified Meredith.
Ellis had the nerve to tell Meredith not to be scared of the blood. She even warned her not to dial 911. Luckily, as soon as Ellis passed out, Meredith called 911 and Ellis's life was saved. It's a shame that Ellis never thought about the trauma Meredith would have had if she died right in front of her.
Miranda Bailey Refuses To Punish Tuck For His Violent Behaviour
Despite Miranda Bailey being so tough to her colleagues as to earn herself the nickname The Nazi, her no-nonsense attitude was non-existent whenever she was dealing with her son Tuck. When Tuck beat up another kid at the daycare, Bailey bribed the director and staff to keep him at the institution by offering them medical perks.
And when Tuck punched another kid in school a few years later, Bailey was reluctant to bring the hammer down on her son despite the fact that she had spent most of the day doing so to her colleagues. Luckily, Tuck didn't turn out so bad later in life.
Carolyn Boycotts Amelia's Wedding
A wedding is perhaps the biggest ceremony in anyone's family but Carolyn didn't care to show up when Amelia was getting married to Owen. Amelia even called her on the phone and begged her to come but she refused.
Carolyn believed that Amelia was being impulsive as usual and that she wasn't really serious with Owen. She also believed Amelia was drunk, despite Amelia doing her best to convince her that she was sober. This caused Amelia to sob uncontrollably. As a mother, it was her responsibility to be there for her daughter, no matter what.
Thatcher Blames Meredith For His Wife's Death
After Ellis left Thatcher, he didn't make an effort to see Meredith. He never contacted her for 20 years, which is strange because she had nothing to do with their marriage troubles. Later on, Meredith tried to get to know him better but he kept turning her away.
The worst happened when Thatcher's wife Susan was admitted to the hospital with persistent hiccups. Both Meredith and Thatcher thought it was nothing serious but then she developed further complications and died. Thatcher blamed Meredith for not doing enough to save her and even slapped her. Moreso, he banned her from attending the funeral.
Helen Makes Cristina's Life Miserable As She Undergoes Surgery For An Ectopic Pregnancy
Helen always wondered why Cristina never turned out like her. She was religious yet Cristina was an atheist. She also believed in long-lasting commitments and having families while Cristina didn't want to have children at all.
When Cristina accidentally got pregnant, there were complications. It was revealed that she had an ectopic pregnancy that required surgery. When Helen came to visit her, she began pressuring her about commitment instead of just offering her mental support. She even told her to focus less on her career. It was a bad time for such conversations. Understandably, Cristina asked her to leave.
Vicki Leaves Jo At A Fire Station
After reuniting with Vicki, Jo understood why she had to give her up as a child. However, she had a problem with the fact that Vicki just abandoned her instead of giving her up for adoption to a couple that really needed a child.
When Vicki was in college, her TA began romantically pursuing her. During a date, he raped her when she showed no interest in having sex with him. After the sexual assault incident, she became pregnant. Vicki was traumatized throughout her pregnancy and 5 days after giving birth, she left her daughter at a fire station.
Link's Parents Fight Over Him
It was revealed that when Link was a child, he adored his parents. He thought he had the best family in the world until they told them that they were not happy and were planning to get a divorce. This ended up traumatizing him.
What's even sadder is that his parents often forced him to pick sides. He spent most of his Christmas days on planes because he had to have breakfast with his dad and dinner with his mom. He even double-majored in university so that his parents would attend separate graduation ceremonies. Why would parents allow a child to go all through the hassle for their benefit?
Robbie Uses The Money Izzie Is Saving For Medical School
Izzie once admitted that she loved her mother Robbie but they worked better when they were away from each other. This made sense, given how much her mother had frustrated her.
When she was a teen and living in a trailer park with her mum, Izzie began working as a waitress in order to save money for medical school. Meanwhile, her mum was spending all of her cash on psychics. When she ran out of money, she used the money Izzie had been saving. Izzie was thus forced to take up another job as a lingerie model in order to pay for her tuition.
Mark's Parents Leaving Him Alone In The House Every Night
While handling a case involving a sleepwalking man, Mark Sloan revealed that he grew up in a wealthy family but his parents were never there for him. He recalled how they would often go to high-end parties every night and leave him alone.
Afraid, Mark would turn on all the TVs and lights so as not to feel alone. Since he and Derek Shepherd were friends, Derek's mother would invite him to their house whenever his parents were away. He eventually became closer to the Shepherds than to his own parents. Leaving a young child alone every night is definitely bad parenting.
Samantha Kicks Sloan Riley Out After She Becomes Pregnant
Shortly after Sloan turned 18, she became pregnant. Her mother Samantha Riley was very angry, so she kicked her out of the house. There is no scenario where kicking a pregnant daughter out of the house qualifies as good parenting. She was 18 after all. If she really wanted her out, she could have at least waited until the baby was born.
Sloan thus decided to go to Seattle to meet her biological dad, Mark Sloan. She kept a pregnancy a secret from him for a while but then decided to tell him. Mark wanted her to keep the baby but sadly, she insisted on giving it up for adoption.