10 Questionable Parenting Choices In Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad has no shortage of poor life decisions, but it all stemmed from Walt’s cancer diagnosis. To provide for his family and make the most out of the rest of his life, he decided to cook meth. It’s a morally ambiguous career change; on one hand, cooking meth is illegal and highly damaging to the community, but, then again, without doing so, he would have left his son and pregnant wife with an insurmountable amount of debt.

It’s not just Walt that made some bad decisions. The rest of the characters, too, made questionable dating choices, as well as parenting choices. If there’s something to be learned from Breaking Bad, it’s that family and innocent bystanders also pay a high price when somebody is so heavily involved with drugs.

Skyler Smoked While Pregnant

Skyler was generally a caring and devoted mother, but, as her husband started breaking bad, she grew more and more distressed. She started smoking while pregnant with Holly, even though she definitely knew that a good mother-to-be would find other ways to alleviate stress.

The worse her marriage became, the more she smoked. By the end of the series, she was a regular smoker. She often sat by the window with a large glass of wine and a cigarette in her hand.

Jane’s Dad Made A Mistake By Believing Her

Unlike the Pinkmans, Donald Margolis never gave up on his daughter Jane. When he realized that she started using again, he wanted to immediately take her to rehab, but she begged him to give her another chance, and Donald backed down. The next morning, Jane died of an overdose. Walt watched her die, but he knew that, by letting her live, she would have taken Jesse down with her eventually. In a twisted way, Walt was looking out for Jesse that fateful morning.

Jesse and Walt had a few father and son moments in the show. Perhaps the most moving moment they shared was after Jane’s death. Consumed by guilt, Jesse took refuge in a crack house, and Walt tracked him down and took him to rehab.

The Pinkmans Threw Jesse Out

Jesse’s parents truly wanted their son to quit using and make something of himself. They thought that the best way to achieve that was to stop enabling him, so they kicked him out of the house. Jesse told them that he is now homeless, but they didn’t back down.

How is a young person supposed to get their life in order if they don’t even have a safe home? Jesse tried getting a job afterward, but the somber reality was that he had no competitive skills.

Flynn And Alcohol

Flynn just found out that his dad was dying of cancer while his mom was pregnant with their second child. One night, he wanted to buy some beer with his friends, but he got caught. When he returned home, she said “I don’t even know what to say to you.” While it’s normal to be concerned, she could have sympathized with her son given the circumstances.

Walt, on the other hand, forced Junior to drink so much tequila that he vomited all over himself. Luckily, Flynn had Hank to turn to, a man who understood that a little bit of beer is not a big deal, while chugging heavy liquor isn’t a good idea.

Andrea Almost Succumbed To Meth

When Jesse first hooked up with Andrea after an AA meeting, he wanted to make a customer out of her. Then, her son Brock walked into the house. Jesse was mortified, asking her “what kind of a mother are you!?”

Andrea was a responsible and kind mother, but she had a serious lapse of judgment when she fooled around with Jesse on the couch and almost relapsed. If it wasn’t for Jesse refusing to sell to her, she would’ve started using right there and then.

Walt Bought Junior A Sports Car

Parents should talk about how they want to raise their children. Judging from the tone in the pilot episode, Skyler called all the shots in the White household. As Walt grew more wealthy, he wanted to share his success with his son. He bought him an expensive car without consulting Skyler first.

In “Cornered,” he bought him a 2009 Dodge Challenger. Skyler put her foot down and got Flynn another car. In season five, though, Walt got his son yet another one. The car was clearly a source of resentment between the married couple. Deep down, Flynn might have felt responsible for their strained relationship.

Skyler Stayed With Walt

Skyler had many chances to leave Walt. Her lawyer told her that she is a fool for staying with a criminal, but Skyler just couldn’t face the music and walk away. She was looking for a way out in her own ways. She slept with Ted just to drive Walt away, but it didn’t really work.

By staying with him, she indirectly put her life, as well as the lives of their children, in danger. As Walt’s confidence grew, he bent her to his own will, so she couldn’t leave even if she wanted to.

When Walt Abducted Holly

With Hank dead Walt’s ill-gotten gains gone, his reign was officially over. He tried to get his family to understand that they need to flee, but Skyler and Junior were having none of it. After Junior called the cops, Walt did a truly shocking thing: he abducted Holly and disappeared into the night.

The poor baby was clearly upset and called out for her “mama” when she was left alone with her estranged father. She was too young to know what was going on, but that doesn’t mean the experience wasn’t traumatizing.

When Walt Called Flynn In The Final Episode

One of the most chilling scenes in Breaking Bad was when Walt called Flynn in one of the final episodes in an attempt to try to send some money to him. Walt really should have known better than to make contact with his son, considering Walt is essentially responsible for Hank’s death.

To make matters worse, Walt mostly had money on his mind when he made that call. He probably thought he was doing right by his family, but he was so blind that he couldn’t see that Flynn couldn’t care less about their financial situation. “Just die already,” were Flynn’s last words to his father.

Crack House Scenes In “Peekaboo”

All characters did an excellent job raising their children compared to Spooge and his lady. Their kid was malnourished, and it looked like he didn’t even know how to speak. His only company was a broken TV.

“Peekaboo” was one of the best episodes of the show’s second season. Only rarely did the main characters interact with the customers of their deadly product, and it was shocking to see the devastating effect drug abuse has on people’s lives.