From a trailer, it's easy to assume that Sons Of Anarchy all about the bikes and the guns, but fans of the FX series are well aware that there's more to it. Family has always been a major cog in the crime drama's fast-spinning wheel, but characters have often made poor decisions in regard to their family, especially their children.
Parenting requires plenty of work and dedication, and, when your life is full of chaos, it becomes even harder. There have been many occasions in the series when the parents made wrong or debatable choices that affected their children negatively, and here are some of the biggest parenting fails in Sons Of Anarchy.
Gemma Allows Jax To Become A Gangster
Throughout the series, Jax tries hard to make sure his children don't end up in a life of crime. He even considers quitting his position and moving away from Charming to ensure Abel and Thomas are raised right. One wonders why didn't Gemma think along the same lines when Jax was growing up.
Like Jax, she has witnessed for decades the kind of chaos that follows SAMCRO members. and allowing her only son to become a gangster too makes little sense. Given how tough Gemma is, no one would have opposed her if she made it clear that a younger Jax will never join SAMCRO. Instead, she enabled him.
Wendy Uses Drugs While Pregnant
In the pilot episode, Wendy injects herself with methamphetamine while she's pregnant with Abel. This action results in Abel being born with birth defects.
Wendy's actions put her in Gemma's bad books. Gemma even instructs her to commit suicide and vows to never let Abel near her. Despite making efforts towards rehabilitation, Wendy is kept away from her son for a very long time. It also takes years before Jax even considers forgiving her for what she did.
Maureen Doesn't Tell Trinity That John Teller Is Her Father
Frustrated with life in Charming and Gemma's closeness to Clay, Jax's father John Teller engaged in a long-term affair with Maureen Ashby. As a result of the affair, Trinity was born.
Trinity grows up knowing that Maureen's current husband and SAMBEL president Keith McGee is her father. When Jax comes to Ireland, he flirts with Maureen, not knowing that she is his half-sister. The two almost have sex, but Gemma, who knows the truth, walks in on them and stops them.
Tig Attacks His Daughter's Boyfriend
After Damon Pope kills his daughter Dawn, Tig goes to his other daughter's house to tell her to go to a safe place. He finds her with a man who he proceeds to attack without asking any questions.
It turns out the man is her boyfriend. Tig's actions upset her. When she learns out that her sister is dead because of him, she yells at him and vows never to see him again. Jax later handles the situation better—as Tig should have—by giving the boyfriend money and telling him to take Tig's daughter to a safe place.
Chibs Never Makes An Effort To Get Kerrianne Back
In the third season, it's revealed that True IRA leader Jimmy O threw Chibs out of the organization. He also took his wife Fiona and his daughter Kerrianne. As if the pain wasn't enough, he scarred his face, too.
Chibs goes on to become a SAMBEL prospect before being patched over to SAMCRO. In SAMCRO, he has climbed up the ranks and become influential. However, he never makes an effort to get his family back. The only time he gets to meet them is when SAMCRO goes to Ireland to look for Jax's son, not being bothered by the fact that another man has your daughter seems strange.
Opie Leaves His Children With His Uncaring Mother
After the death of Donna, Opie is too stressed to handle his parenting duties properly. He thus leaves his children in the care of his mother Mary. Sadly, Mary isn't a reliable guardian.
She soon grows tired of taking care of her grandchildren, so she packs up and leaves Charming again—this marks the second time she is leaving Charming. She first left with Opie after she divorced Piney. Opie should simply have gotten his act together and raised his children by himself since he was all they had left.
Bobby Doesn't Pay Child Support
In season three, Bobby reaches out to his ex-wife Precious to request her help. He wants her boyfriend who happens to be a bounty hunter to help SAMCRO in locating Jax's son, but her hatred for him is clear. She detests him for failing to pay for the upkeep of his two children.
One of the children has asthma and requires very costly inhalers to be able to breathe properly. When Bobby tells her that the check is in the mail, she argues that he is always lying about sending checks, yet he rarely does. It takes some intervention from Jax to get Precious to agree to help SAMCRO.
Clay Keeps Feuding With Jax, Instead Of Warming To Him
As Jax's step-father, Clay should know better than to feud with him. Their constant disagreements only add to their animosity and the inevitable happens when Jax kills the former SAMCRO president.
Nero is a good example of how a step-father should treat his step-son. His relationship with Jax is way more cordial. Jax even trusts him enough to leave Wendy, Abel, and Thomas in his care at the end of the series. If only Clay would have considered Jax a friend rather than an enemy, things would have turned out differently for him.
Jax Leaves Abel With A Couple He Doesn't Know
After putting so much effort into getting his son Abel back, Jax almost abandons him. SAMCRO's golden boy finds out that Father Kellan Ashby put little Abel up for adoption to a decent family. The priest believes Abel would grow up better with adoptive parents than with a gangster such as Jax.
Jax finally locates the couple but after watching them treat Abel with so much care that he considers leaving the young boy to be raised by them. He walks away, but Jimmy O later murders the couple and kidnaps Abel again. Luckily, Jax gets him back. Even if the couple had stayed with Abel, it's likely that Jax would have regretted the decision.
Tara Never Leaves Charming
On many occasions, Tara has the feeling that Charming isn't right for her or her children. However, she still stays in the chaotic town. She chooses to get married to Jax and focuses on changing him instead of just leaving.
Tara's life at Charming is riddled with her constant feuds with Gemma. She rightfully tries to keep the children away from Gemma, but Gemma never backs down—she is just built that way. The animosity between the two leads to Tara's sad death. For the sake of her children and herself, Tara should have left Charming as soon as she could.