Fantasy-Forbidding Father: Difference between revisions
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A father, [[My Beloved Smother|mother]], or [[Parental Substitute|guardian]] (these last two are less common) disapproves of their child or ward reading "fairy stories", playing fantasy or scifi games, sports, and even such "useless" hobbies as astronomy, boxing and ''being literate''. In extreme cases, anything the child likes that isn't directly and concretely tied to whatever it is their dad does for a living (or that he wants ''them'' to do for a living) is seen as an utter waste. The dad may even break, burn or sell anything of this nature their child owns, possibly even punishing or locking them up.
"Fantasy" in this trope isn't [[Fantasy|about the genre]], but "fantasy" from the father's perspective. To the [[Overprotective Dad]], any and all of these "distractions" are a [[Tragic Dream]] waiting to happen that will ruin their child's chances at life. For narrative purposes, this is basically anything that the kid likes that'll move the plot forward via alienating them from their dad (possible later reconciliation optional but heartwarming), which puts the
What's cruelest about this attitude is he probably ''does'' hold his child's best interests at heart, but is too close-minded to consider that there are many valid careers and hobbies for their child, and that they are capable of choosing for themselves. In these cases the dad does come around to accepting their child's interests and vocation with a little coaxing. A [[All Take and No Give|more sinister possibility]] is the dad is trying to somehow make their child co-dependent or at least clip their wings so they never leave or get out from under his thumb, either forcing them to follow a family legacy or just out of sheer malice.
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== [[Comics]] ==
* [[Promotion to Parent|Walter]] of ''[[ClanDestine]]'' disapproves of Rory and Pandora's superhero aspirations, going so far as to threaten to have them raised separately in order to negate their [[Wonder Twin Powers]] until they're adults. However, while he does think that "superhero" is an impractical job choice, he's also worried that they could get
* ''[[The Far Side]]'' has a cute inversion: the father's shirt has been grabbed and he's being lifted up by a large (and invisible) assailant, while his son grumbles, "Big Bob is tired of you saying he doesn't exist!"
* Dr. Manhattan's Father in [[Watchmen]] could be seen as an example, forcing his son to pursue a career as a scientist instead of watchmaker.
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* ''[[Thundercats 2011|ThunderCats (2011)]]'' has Claudus feel this way towards Lion-O's fascination with mythical technology in Thundera's world of [[Medieval Stasis]]. Of course, it comes in ''very'' handy once it's revealed that there are pockets of [[Lost Technology]] in the outside, and the [[Big Bad]] is invading with it.
* The antagonist of ''[[Disney Fairies|Tinker Bell & The Great Fairy Rescue]]'' is Lizzy's father, an overly skeptical scientist who gives her grief for her 'flights of fancy'. When he learns she's filled her journal with everything she's learned about fairies, he starts ripping down all her pictures and throwing everything all, claiming it's 'high time she grows up'. Because being nine years old ''clearly'' equals adulthood.
* This is a recurring trend on [[King of the Hill]], where Hank's reaction to whatever Bobby's current interest is varies somewhere between annoyance, shame, and outrage. How extreme of a
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