5 Moments That Prove The McCallisters Were Terrible Parents In ‘Home Alone’
Ah, Home Alone. A reminder of holiday joys, the spirit of giving, and the togetherness of family.
Okay, maybe the latter isn’t that appealing to everyone, especially if the relatives are the McCallisters. Not only do Peter (John Heard) and Kate McCallister (Catherine O’Hara) leave their eight-year-old son, Kevin (Macaulay Culkin), behind in their Chicago home as they jet off to Paris, but they also make other critical blunders as parents in the movie and thereafter.
Here’s the surprising thing, though: Peter and Kate aren’t new to this game, since they have several kids. So, either they’re the most useless and careless parents in the world or they secretly hope that Kevin gets the message and finds a new home every Christmas. Whichever way, don’t ever ask the McCallisters to babysit anyone’s children.
There is zero respect in the McCallister home
Nope, this isn’t only about moody Uncle Frank (Gerry Bamman) and his cackling troop of buffoons; it’s about the lack of respect in Peter and Kate’s home. Look at the night before they leave for the Paris trip. They scream and shout over each other and no one listens when another speaks. It’s clear this is an everyday scenario in this house, and it’s no wonder that poor Kevin feels frazzled when his pizza is taken and his family continuously berates him for being a child (spoiler alert: he is). Eventually, he loses his cool and snaps. So, what’s Kevin’s punishment for lashing back at these cretins? He gets sent to his room while everyone continues their bad behavior downstairs. Who wouldn’t wish for their family to disappear forever after this unpleasant experience?!
Peter didn’t put his brother in his place
After Kevin and Buzz’s (Devin Ratray) fight over the pizza results in a minor scuffle, Uncle Frank grabs a hold of Kevin and says, “Look what you did, you little jerk.” Now, in which world is it okay for someone to call an eight-year-old child a jerk? The fact that Kevin’s father, Peter, allows Frank to manhandle and speak down to his son speaks volumes. Peter should have called his brother to order and told him that he would deal with it, but to not lay a hand on his son. Instead, Kevin gets punished.
No one watches their home while they’re away
All right, Home Alone takes place in the early ’90s, so it’s a much different time to now. However, who in their right mind leaves their house completely unattended or unchecked while they go away on an international trip? Talk about the height of irresponsibility as an adult. You know what’s even worse? The McCallisters leave their expensive vehicles in the garage, whereby anyone is able to pick a lock and help themselves to a new car. It’s surprising how no one – not a single neighbor nor friend – stays over to look after the place. That’s a lot of misguided trust to place in the neighborhood over the silly season.
They get kids to look after kids
The day of the Paris trip starts off chaotically for the McCallisters. After oversleeping, they rush to get to the airport. However, that doesn’t absolve the parents from the responsibility of making sure all the children are accounted for and ready to leave in the morning. Rather than let one of the adults verify that everyone is on board the two rental vans, they leave it up to Heather (Kristin Minter) to do the headcount. Is this really the hallmark of good parenting? Mistakes happen and the confusion results in the McCallisters’ neighbor Mitch Murphy (Jeffrey Wiseman) being mistaken as Kevin.
The McCallisters lose Kevin again in the ‘Home Alone’ sequel
Let’s say the events of the first Home Alone are a genuine mistake. The family forgets Kevin and everyone rushes back in the nick of time to spend Christmas with him. No harm, no foul. Even so, wouldn’t that be a traumatic experience for any parent? Well, the McCallisters get to live it all over again in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. This time, Kevin makes it to the airport with them after they oversleep (again), but he wanders off onto the wrong flight. The McCallisters go to Florida, while Kevin ends up in New York. At this point, this constant recurrence needs to be labeled what it is: negligence. If Kevin’s parents can’t ensure their son makes it onto a flight with them – twice in a row – social services need to step in.
