William Pfeiffer
Nov 6 · 4 min read

“Shameful Parenting”

Throughout American History a stereotype concerning absent fathers in low-income families has been built. In Shameless season 9 episode 14, “Found” the cultural norm that low-income families struggle with the absence of a father figure and have to teach themselves life skills that should have been passed down is demonstrated through Frank’s lack of parenting and regard for his children.

Throughout the start of this episode is apparent that Frank is nothing more than a nuisance to his family. Frank is recovering from a serious injury that resulted in him having a leg full of stitches and him being on bed rest for weeks. Due to Frank’s negative attitude and lack of commitment towards his family, his children feel little to no obligation to helping Frank recover. Frank’s third oldest son Carl even said, “We could put him on disability, you know to get the state to hire someone to help him”.

Viewers may feel sorry for Frank considering how little his children care about his well being, but it becomes apparent throughout the episode that Frank has only selfish desires and cares for nobody but himself. After Fiona had dedicated her life to taking care of the family, Frank started, he had the urge to act unappreciative towards all the responsibility she took for Frank. All of Fiona’s friends and family were excited by the prospect of Fiona starting fresh and couldn’t be happier for what the future had in store for her. Everyone, but Frank. As Fiona was leaving the ghetto to start a new she crossed paths with Frank laying on the couch. Instead of wishing Fiona well or thanking her for her commitment towards the family, Frank just mutters meaningless small talk and waits for Fiona to finally leave.

Having a negligent father also has a negative effect on his children’s mental state and well being. One of Frank’s sons Carl was feeling bad about a breakup with his girlfriend and not being accepted into West Point when he confessed his feelings to his sister saying, “ I’m a loser Debbie, a West Point reject with a shitty education and a family history of alcoholism and drug abuse. That’s bound to catch up with me sooner or later. Fast food is the best it is going to get with me.” It was obvious that Carl was frustrated with the direction his life was going and he had no father that was there to show him the correct path and motivate him to be a better man, instead Frank was laying on the couch begging Debbie for another pain killer only minutes after being handed his recommended dosage. Instead of being a positive influence in his kids’ life, Frank wanted nothing more from his kids than their assistance in getting better and their home that would suffice as his own for the time being.

Having a father figure is one of the most influential aspects of a child’s life and without one, children are left to figure out what is right from wrong themselves. Without a father figure to guide their children, Carl and Debbie get involved in illegal activities such as “fucking up a truck”. Debbie and Carl go to Carl’s ex-girlfriends house and graphite the side of her truck while also pouring sand down her gas tank. Behaviors such as this are a result of negligent parenting and Frank not showing his children how to conduct themselves. Without the presence of a father figure many children in ghetto neighborhoods are forced to teach themselves life lessons that should have been passed down by an authoritative figure such as a father.

Although Frank is a popular character in Shameless, the message his character is sending further establishes the cultural norm that families living in ghetto neighborhoods tend to have a negative father or no father figure at all. This is a negative message that makes the general viewer believe that children from these neighborhoods are independent and their parents don’t care about their well being. Viewers may perceive that these kids have little hope for their future through shameless showcasing this family’s struggles. In order to encourage positive cultural transmissions Shameless should incorporate positive father figures and successful men and women to show that successful and well put together people can come from bad neighborhoods. This would help change the perception people have on ghetto neighborhoods and give hope to children that may be in similar circumstances.