The characters of Pretty Little Liars are still remembered for their ongoing lies, sweet relationships, and shocked expressions and gasps whenever they would open up a car trunk. Fans enjoy looking back on this favorite TV show and hearing that familiar ringtone whenever "A" would text the liars one of their classic threats.
What PLL fans shouldn't have forgotten, though, were the parents of the show. The parents engaged in some of their own lies and wrapped their secrets in a similar material that their daughters did for theirs. Some of the parental choices viewers saw were certainly questionable and made fans wonder how exactly the liars wound up the way they did.
When Ashley Marin Slept With Detective Wilden
Ashley Marin was truly a dedicated parent. Not only did she steal money to support her daughter and their home, but she also manipulated Detective Wilden in Season 1 by having a short-term affair with him.
However, the example she set as a mother, unfortunately, wasn't good. Hanna witnessed Wilden and her mother together, and it certainly didn't look like a positive precedent for Hanna. Ashley did this to basically ensure that Hanna wouldn't stay in trouble under the authorities for her shoplifting scandal. Nevertheless, a daughter witnessing her mom doing this can have a pretty terrible impact on her.
When Veronica Hastings Kept Siding With Melissa
Fans would admit years later than this was just strange all throughout Season 1 and even further on. It seemed that no matter what happened, Veronica would still choose the eldest daughter's side. This truly had a terrible impact on Spencer, one that possibly caused a lot of the issues she later dealt with.
Melissa was given a new room in the family barn, for example, one that Spencer was promised but suddenly lost due to her mother's doting favoritism on her oldest daughter.
When Peter Hastings Had An Affair With Jessica
This was just downright awful and, come to think of it, ruined all the little liars' lives afterward since he basically caused the birth of A.D (Alex Drake).
Peter's first sexual moment with Jessica Dilaurentis resulted in Jason Dailaurentis' birth, otherwise known as Ali's older brother. Just to ruin the Dilaurentis family (and the Hastings family) even more, Peter again chose to sleep with Jessica, except that this time it wasn't her who he was with. It was actually her twin sister, Mary Drake! This, as loyal fans know, resulted in the twins, Spencer and Alex's, births. If only Mr. Hastings hadn't chosen to have his little one-night stands, perhaps the liars wouldn't have been confronted and threatened by Alex Drake.
When Tom Marin Cut His Relationship With His Daughter
Hannah's dad wasn't always present in the show, and it was explained why in the earlier seasons. Tom remarried and Hanna felt that he abandoned her and Ashley.
Tom proved this to be true as he would only reappear whenever Hanna would get into trouble. His new wife and stepdaughter, Isabel and Kate, became his new focus whereas Hanna was basically left in the dust. Tom favored his new stepdaughter by paying for her education expenses and declining to pay for Hanna's. Tom wasn't the best dad and fans didn't blame Hannah for lashing out a bit after feeling abandoned.
When Jessica Dilaurentis Buried Her Daughter Alive
Some defend this action because she didn't know that Ali was still alive. However, this move was still certifiably crazy, as many of Jessica's actions tended to be.
Her dedication to her other daughter, Charlotte (or Cece, or "A" as everyone found out), became a little too consuming. When Charlotte accidentally hit Ali over the head with a rock, Jessica's first move was to just bury Ali. That was insane enough. Poor Ali had to dig her way out of the ground after regaining her strength, and would never forget the image of her mother burying her.
When Ella Montgomery Blamed Aria
Aside from keeping the affair a secret, Aria's other secrets surfaced and, while her mother was justified most of the time, there was one time when she did the wrong thing as a parent.
After the whole revelation of Ezra and Aria's relationship, Ella had the right to worry about Aria, but turning against her entire family was not the right thing to do. She chose to move out after officially divorcing Byron, which made sense, but Ella chose to leave her kids too. Byron wanted to send Aria to a boarding school to prevent her from seeing Ezra, while Ella told Aria that she didn't recognize her anymore. This was a huge letdown for fans to watch because it was the ultimate moment for her to leave the entire Montgomery family and date Zack.
When Kenneth Dilaurentis Kept Charlotte A Secret
Kenneth Dilaurentis was one stern and miserable dude most of the time. When fans think of him, they normally think of his mistreatment of his first child, Charlotte.
It was mainly because of Kenneth's self-estrangement from his daughter, Charlotte, that many lies and family problems resurfaced in Ali's family. Perhaps if Kenneth kept a relationship with Charlotte and accepted her, then it's possible she wouldn't have become "A." Kenneth even called Charlotte a "distraction" for Ali and Jason's childhood. Kenneth's impulsive moves such as this one depicted him as a bad father.
When Byron Montgomery Had His Daughter Keep His Cheating Secret
Byron's beginning was certainly one of the worst among the parents. Not only did he cheat on his intelligent and incredible wife, Ella, but he also guilted his own daughter into keeping his nasty secret.
A kid should never be sucked into a parent's wrongful behaviors, yet Byron guilt-tripped Aria into his. After seeing her father kiss another woman in a car, Aria was shocked but Byron took advantage of her and had her keep his secret. His actions certainly backfired later when "A" sent Ella a letter revealing the whole thing.
When Byron Montgomery Mistreated Aria Because Of Ezra
Aside from his affair, Byron really acted out in some terrible ways. When he found out about Aria and Ezra's relationship, it was clear that he would be upset over a student-teacher affair. However, it was strange that Byron took advantage of his feelings and literally bullied his daughter, even after she kept his affair a secret.
Byron constantly acted out of sheer anger against Aria and Ezra and even conveyed his strong consideration of sending her to a boarding school. He also tried to bribe Ezra to take a job offer in another state. It was understandable for him to try anything to protect his young daughter, but his actions were unethical and questionable since Aria had actually done a whole lot to help him harbor an even worse secret.
When Pam Fields Was Against Her Daughter's Sexuality
This choice was obviously and absolutely immoral of Mrs. Fields. Audiences watched Emily struggle to maintain the "perfect daughter" image for her parents, as she tried to hide her sexuality from them.
Once Emily later came out to her parents, Pam was not accepting nor welcoming for the most part. When Emily brought her first girlfriend, Maya, over for dinner, Pam was the main one that wasn't too civil about her daughter's relationship. To viewers, it clearly bothered Emily's mom seeing her daughter with another girl, until of course when Maya was dead and Pam learned to have a change of heart.