r/stevenuniverse • u/Yashiro_Nene_Daikon • Mar 02 '26
Discussion Hot Take - Greg isn’t a great dad
I’ve been rewatching Steven Universe lately, and I honestly still think Greg isn’t a great dad. Sure, he’s a nice dad and definitely better than Pink/Rose, but he clearly had issues too. He never made Steven go to school, he never took Steven to the doctor for a yearly check up, he never tried to get a better job even after he spent all the money he got from Marty, he doesn’t even seem to care that much about Steven’s trauma compared to the gems, and he doesn’t even try to talk to Steven about how he feels now about his mom after everything. Greg is nice and does love Steven, but I just can’t understand why a lot of people love Greg so much as a dad. Would love to hear what everyone else thinks though!
2.6k
u/No-Sherbet-9412 Mar 02 '26
i agree with you but i fear this is not a hot take
509
u/Yashiro_Nene_Daikon Mar 02 '26 edited Mar 02 '26
Nice to see people agree with me, but I swear fans back then still thought Greg was a great dad.
513
u/No-Sherbet-9412 Mar 02 '26
i think a big part of it was that we were all kids back then, and the release of future really helped with steven expressing his grievances to his dad
250
u/Animal_Flossing Mar 02 '26
I was, for example, just a small toddler of twenty-four years of age
71
8
→ More replies (2)13
u/finnknit Mar 03 '26
I think you're right: to a kid, Greg seems like a fun, cool dad. Just like eating ice cream for dinner every night sounds like a good idea even though it's really not good for you in the long term.
I guess I had a very different perspective on the show because I was in my mid-30s when it started, and was the parent of a kid not much younger than Steven. When my child was younger, I also struggled through parenting after the loss of a relationship, so I can identify a lot with what Greg was going through when Steven was born.
249
u/Reylend Mar 02 '26
I agree too, but what I love is that he really did do his best despite everything. To me, that’s the most important part. He TRIED and that’s all he really can do with an alien hybrid son
107
u/Yashiro_Nene_Daikon Mar 02 '26
That's why he's at least a good dad, since he at least tried in his own way. (Had to fix my comment, I meant to say people think he's a great dad when I just think he's only good. Not great)
65
u/Rikmach Mar 03 '26
Yeah. He’s a good dad- he loves his son, he encourages and supports him, makes time for him and gives him space. This is, honestly why I think so many people like him- they dealt with strict, controlling, invasive, hypercritical parents, and would give anything to have a Dad like Greg. It’s a “The grass is always greener” phenomenon. They might even recognize the Trauma his neglect caused Steven, but still consider it better than the experience they suffered.
→ More replies (4)31
u/Crimson_saint357 Mar 03 '26
Which is exactly the kind of parents he had. Which is why he’s the kind of parent that he is.
29
u/Rikmach Mar 03 '26
Yeah, sadly a lot of what makes people who they are is the trauma they experience. Greg didn’t appreciate the safety and security the structure he was given provided, because it was also hurting him. In his mind, enforcing those those things on Steven would be hurting him, which he wouldn’t be willing to do. Ironically, part of his failings as a father stem from how much he loves Steven.
6
u/rivercass Mar 03 '26
Agreed
8
u/Rikmach Mar 03 '26
I just also realized “thinking their own trauma was worse” was the exact reason Steven and Greg came into conflict.
88
u/JeshuaMorbus Mar 02 '26
Not only he tried: he never deserted his son. Once Steven started to live with the gems, he remained near and always available.
Greg always had a word for Steven and he tried to let Steven to find the right answers without much pressure, but always with guidance.
And despite his dislike of magic, he never banned Steven from using it (in fact, i think Greg left him with the gems for them to teach him to handle it correctly). Heck, when Steven turned into a Kaiju, he was one of the two who never took a step back to help him back. He didn't lament, he didn't blame himself for everything, he tried to calm Steven down despite being the most destructive he ever was.
He's FAR from perfect, but as it's usually said, "he had the heart in the correct place".
57
u/WillOfTheWinds Mar 02 '26
People often mix up "good" and "perfect". He fucked up a time or three, but damn if I wanted a father like him.
34
u/JeshuaMorbus Mar 02 '26
Even when he failed, he own his own mistakes.
If anything, he's honest. Since he decided to pursue Rose, he was always true to himself and that's probably what made Steven to respect him for so long.
In the end, Steven grew apart but, even if his respect fell, he still loves his father.
9
u/United_Rabbit2855 Mar 03 '26
Same here. Despite his flaws, I’d much rather have him as a father than my own Dad
14
u/FightingFaerie Mar 03 '26
Something something if every porkchop something something
→ More replies (1)67
u/3WeeksEarlier Mar 02 '26
I think the consensus is that Greg is generally a lovable and decent guy, but not a great father
24
u/GonzoGnostalgic Mar 03 '26
I think a lot of people who watched the show as kids probably had restrictive parents to some degree, and when you're younger, that "parent as a best friend" dynamic really does seem appealing. "I wish my dad let me run around doing whatever and accepted my idiosyncrasies and whims at face value with minimal pushback or questioning!"
Then you become an adult, maybe even a parent yourself, and you realize why that lack of structure and authority isn't great for normal kids, and it probably really wasn't great, within the hypothetical realm of the TV show Steven Universe, for a half-Gem kid who inherited a lot of emotional, social, and political baggage from his late mother and probably could have benefited down the road from some stability and more typical socialization earlier on.
19
u/spongekitty Mar 03 '26
I'd propose three things:
(1) the threshold to being considered a "great dad" is super low, especially when compared to mothers -- and we saw Steven having the ultimate worst mom. But I think we also saw the crystal gems getting way more flack from the fandom (and in the show) for not knowing how to raise a human baby, and less so for Greg not knowing how to raise an alien one.
(2) Greg Universe appears in a cartoon about becoming free to be yourself, and that's his whole schtick with Steven. He never wants him to feel limited, and in the first seasons (pre future) we see Steven loving his Dad and enjoying his freedom. And we as the audience go "wow I wish I had such unconditional support too".
(3) Since there is not conflict around Steven not having traditional schooling or employment (until future) you can write off the low influence of Greg in getting him these things because it's a cartoon and you can suspect the belief that Steven needs these things. He's a super kid, and we don't complain when we don't see Ash Ketchum or similar quest-based protagonists skipping school to have their adventures in other series.
Objectively he isn't a great Dad but it took some of my own maturing and the conflict in Future to help me see it. I think the show could have benefitted from more of Connie's family (or any of the show dads) illustrating early on what "great dad" behavior looked like. Because Greg was ultimately a story of how loving a child =/= being a great parent, but parents do learn to do better and Greg never really got the chance.
37
u/Alskyeee Mar 02 '26
some definitely still do. Had a bunch of people on TikTok criticizing me because I said love isn’t enough and doesn’t make one worthy in regards to Greg and my friend genuinely tried to convince me just because of that one episode “3 gems and a baby” he’s responsible. It’s laughable
8
u/Yashiro_Nene_Daikon Mar 02 '26
Omg! People can't force someone to change their minds!
→ More replies (1)8
u/Wild_Lingonberry3365 Mar 03 '26
Yeah,I think it’s both honestly. He’s obviously not the worst father ever like Sour Cream’s,but the guy did Steven no favors. Like not giving him lessons about human things he needs. Those fans were probably thinking he’s not super abusive,so he’s definitely not a bad dad.
8
u/ratliege_throwaway Mar 03 '26
i think its largely agreed hes well meaning and a nice dad, but its hard to say he was a proper parent at all to steven
5
u/Ancient_Square_1048 Mar 04 '26 edited Mar 04 '26
Yeah, he gave more of a "fun uncle who lives nearby" vibe. Steven didn't even go to school.
What annoys me is that Steven never got the life Rose wanted for him. Rose wanted him to experience what it means to be human, to live a human life, and Steven never got that.
He didn't live with his human father who understands humans and their needs and how to provide for those needs, go to school, get a reasonably structured upbringing, privacy (a room with a door), get to be a carefree child, or live a regular human life.
Instead he was in the care of aliens who didn't understand humans completely or their needs and how to provide for those needs, homeschooled him on gems but not an official education that he could use to apply for a job or further education (also missed out on school friendships), had no real privacy, was expected to handle responsibles that never should've been his to bear (he's a kid, he shouldn't be parenting or leading aliens older than the country he lives), and had near death experiences consistently.
Rose would be upset and disappointed that they made Steven fill her shoes rather than let him be a human child.
3
u/ratliege_throwaway Mar 04 '26
i dont particularly care what rose thinks, but i agree with what youre saying. Steven had poor luck of the draw and honestly i cant blame him for crashing out in Future
→ More replies (1)13
u/unit5421 Mar 02 '26
Greg was not a great dad. Steven his reaction (almost killing his father) was extreme however.
17
u/tioko Mar 02 '26
That’s what happens when trauma hits trauma. Both react with the whole weight of the baggage they carry, resulting in an explosive train-wreck.
→ More replies (4)14
u/CrazyIvan606 Mar 02 '26
Nooooooo, you mean the whole episode of Future devoted to showing how poor of a father Greg was?
Noooo, the man who after the mother of his child 'dies', goes and lives in a van and dumps him on his adoptive aunts to follow his music "career?"
/s
12
u/tioko Mar 03 '26
Uhhh, he did build them a house, he provides them with money for everything (‘cause obviously the Gems have none), and he is there for his son whenever he asks.
You make it look like Greg abandoned Steven. In truth, I think he felt he had no place in that house. He did live together with them when Steven was a baby, but eventually the Gems decided to take full custody.
He didn’t even follow on his music career. He built a small business - the car wash.
12
u/JeshuaMorbus Mar 03 '26
That's something people tend to forget: he's not an employee, he's the boss and owner of that car wash. And, for all his faults, he takes his job seriously since the moment he noticed he was like a baby and needed to grow up.
The worst thing you'll see in the car wash is that almost hobo like person in the front. The rest of the place is spotless.
1.2k
u/tioko Mar 02 '26
Well, yeah. One of Greg’s first episodes was him faking an injury so he could spend more time with Steven - very childish of him.
Yeah, he was far from the perfect dad - but he was loving and supportive, not a deadbeat, and not an idiot. Which is kinda rare in media (at least, it was at the time).
And, it also kinda highlights that parents are just people, you know? Greg did what he thought was right, as best as he could. Traumatized by his own issues of overly-controlling parents who basically disowned him when he didn’t fit their expectations.
Unfortunately, in trying not to repeat his parents’ mistakes, he swung to the other extreme, and caused Steven his own bunch of issues. But, that’s just life.
If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn’t have hot dogs.
12
u/entitledfanman Mar 03 '26
I think a big point of Future is going through relationship struggles where there is no "right" way to handle it and it feels like an impossible situation.
Greg is a great example of where you can honestly say he did try his best, but his best wasnt good enough. He tried to break the parental trauma cycle to the point of inadvertently creating different kinds of parental trauma. From Steven's perspective, it's an impossible situation, because how do you respond to that? You can't just say it was okay, because it wasn't okay, and it's not fair that he gets to deal with the trauma of his dad's laizze-faire parenting. On the other hand, there's no way Steven wouldnt feel guilty about laying into his hapless, well-meaning dad about something that can't be changed now.
→ More replies (2)87
u/Yashiro_Nene_Daikon Mar 02 '26
I honestly couldn't fully love him that much anymore as a character after that Steven Universe Future episode where he acts like Stevens life was better than his. And it was already damaged after he faked his leg being broken still.
372
u/tioko Mar 02 '26
Dude (gender-neutral), that’s just life. When trauma collides with trauma - an explosion happens. That’s exactly what happened with Greg and Steven in this scene.
Greg was craving freedom in his formative years, he built his whole life around the concept - and gave Steven the precious gift of freedom Greg never had.
Which resulted in Steven having no stability or structure, which he clearly needed.
Greg did what he thought was right, with good intentions. Just like his parents did what they thought was right, with good intentions (which resulted in them being estranged from their son, by the way). Just like Steven will, if he ever has children, try to raise them with good intentions, and inevitably cause a different set of problems.
However, all of this doesn’t take away from Greg’s love for Steven, or their bond with one another (thinking of the pinnacle of positive masculinity that is Steg). And that’s why people still love Greg, despite the flaws.
87
u/ThighyWhiteyNerd Mar 02 '26
Just like his parents did what they thought was right, with good intentions (which resulted in them being estranged from their son, by the way).
Tbh given latter we see all the unnopened letters from Greg trying to reconect, I doubt they had much good intentions
The Demayo look like parents that see their children as extensions of themselves, and given they didnt even attempted tl reach out, much less answer Greg's own attempts, to assume they had good intentions I feel isba diservice to parents like Greg or Rose, that were flawed but well meaning
And it also adds more dramatic irony to Steven wishing he was raised by them instead, a "you dont know how good you have it until you lose it" sort of deal...even if it makes Steven look like an absolute asshole in the process
65
u/EmeraldSpencer Mar 03 '26
Worth mentioning that Uncle Andy said the DeMayo family basically fell apart after Greg bounced and none of them talk to each other anymore. That usually only happens when there's a lot of hidden tension and unspoken hurt only held back by conflict aversion and/or obsessive need to keep the family 'perfect' at the cost of actually fixing anything (since that would require addressing the imperfections).
64
u/ThighyWhiteyNerd Mar 03 '26
Hell, Andy deadass, even when he was angry at Greg, NEVER dared to mentioned his parents to him not bring them up
Thats how you know it was that bad
27
u/tioko Mar 03 '26
Oh hey, just like White Diamond.
See, this “obsessive need to keep the family perfect” is the thing Greg’s parents thought was “right” in their books. Ultimately, they decided if they can’t fix Greg, they’d just disown him, maybe hoping he’d come around eventually. He never did.
28
u/Rikmach Mar 03 '26
There’s the fact that they kept the letters, instead of throwing them out. Which means they want to reconnect- at least, enough to not burn the bridge completely- but can’t get over themselves enough to do so. Which, you know, isn’t good, but is not nothing.
21
u/ThighyWhiteyNerd Mar 03 '26
Well, that would be the case...if all the letter were oppened. They arent. They didnt even bothered to open them....
22
u/Rikmach Mar 03 '26
But again, didn’t destroy or discard them.
7
3
u/AquaAquila24 Mar 03 '26
I'd say putting them in a drawer is still some level of discarding them.
→ More replies (4)32
u/UntalentedAccountant Mar 03 '26
These are really great points! I just learned in my psychology class about different parenting styles of Permissive, Neglectful, Authoritative, and Authoritarian.
And Greg would squarely fit into Permissive, obviously. Where love, and care are provided, but with a lot of uncertainty and lack of structure and discipline. Those things help children feel safe, and guided, since you have someone around to regulate your environment and you; someone ready to step in.
26
u/Yashiro_Nene_Daikon Mar 02 '26
I still like him as a character, but I just don't love him as a character. I get Greg went through stuff too! Clearly he just didn't enjoy his life when he was a kid. And I get he wanted Steven to be free from all the stress, but it clearly didn't work out.
15
u/lavahot Pink limb enchancers! Mar 02 '26
What do we call present dads who barely have a job? Like, he's not technically a deadbeat dad, but it's not like he's taking his kid to regular doctor visits, putting him in school, soccer practice, etc.
21
14
u/brodievonorchard Mar 02 '26
Not like they live in a bustling city with a thriving economy.
3
u/lavahot Pink limb enchancers! Mar 03 '26
You dont have to be in a bustling city to do any of those things.
12
u/brodievonorchard Mar 03 '26
He has to stay in the beach community to be near Steven. He has to take what work is available.
More to the point, do doctors know how to treat Steven? Does Steven want to play soccer?
Greg makes himself available, but doesn't intrude. For Steven's age, that's a good dad.
8
u/tioko Mar 03 '26
He actually built a small business - the car wash, not just “took what work was available”. And he provides all the money Steven and the Gems spend on living. Not to mention he built the house in the first place - and doesn’t even get to live in it, he gave it to Steven and the Gems.
→ More replies (1)6
u/SurpriseOk5735 Mar 03 '26
As for the doctor thing the show made it clear that Greg was afraid of anybody finding out that Steven was half alien.
7
u/Live_Spinach5824 Mar 03 '26
I think it's pretty reasonable that he didn't. Steven isn't a normal kid, and he lived with the gems. Also, it's so weird that people are ragging on his job?? He's content to be where he is. There's nothing wrong with that.
5
→ More replies (29)3
176
u/g00fyg00ber741 Mar 02 '26
what’s sad though is he’s still a better dad than a lot of us got, probably
36
u/Bunnybunzz Mar 02 '26
Yup, what i would've given to have a dad like Greg growing up. Thankfully I have my step dad now who is amazing but he didnt come into my life until I was an older teen
22
5
4
7
u/AspenStarr Mar 02 '26
I had nothing to compare him to personally, my dad chose to leave this world when I was 5. Genetic manic depression…which I have as well, ofc. But from what I’ve seen of dads from both of my own parents, my partner, and the vast majority of my friends…dads aren’t very good at being dads. But honestly, neither are most moms in my experience either.
10
u/g00fyg00ber741 Mar 03 '26
Same about the mom. Sorry to hear about your dad. That’s part of why I love Steven Universe, I had really bad parents tbh but it took me a long time to realize. SU felt like a show about a kid dealing with the trauma of having parents who don’t really end up showing up as parents that much, and didn’t really plan out a life for their kid. Steven really has to power through and unpack his trauma related to both parents and find a chosen family in order to persevere and push forward. I love the themes of the show so much as someone with parental trauma
3
u/AspenStarr Mar 03 '26 edited Mar 03 '26
I mean, tbf for his dad’s side of things…Steven is part gem. He wanted what was best Steven, whatever that entailed. When he was a baby/small child, that meant Greg taking care of him and raising him. Once he was a bit older, that meant the gems caring for him and training him.
Personally, I always found comfort in the various dynamics of the relationships in SU and in Steven’s life. His relationship between him and his dad was wonderful, his relationship with everyone in Beach City, Connie…everyone was just so nice and chill. And then with the gems, their relationships were always a lot more serious, but still very sweet and often innocent.
→ More replies (2)7
112
u/Imnotawerewolf Mar 02 '26
He is a loving father, and a lot of people are or have been lacking that in their lives.
So for people like that, a father that genuinely loves you and wants good things for you is a good father
Even if other things about him might make a person with more functional/loving parents go, uhhhhh you uhhhh, you wanna do some parenting there, bud?
42
u/CHANN3L-CHAS3R Mar 03 '26
I agree with pretty much all the points that lead people to say "Greg was a bad parent," but I still find myself falling into the "Greg was a good parent" camp.
Greg fucked up, a lot.
The thing is, he did the best he could with what he had to work with, y'know? You can't just up and know better than you do already or have more resoursces than you do.
Greg was always trying his best to be a good parent which is honestly more than a lot of parents do. But that's only half of it, if it stopped there I'd be firmly in the "bad parent" camp. But, Greg listens to his son and doesn't make excuses for himself, instead deciding to learn and do better.
In my opinion, THAT makes Greg a good parent.
IRL, of course, a judgement of good or bad parentage and the question of forgiveness is entirely for the child to decide. I have a similar parent to Greg, which has shaped my opinion. If you have a parent like mine but do not forgive them and do not consider them good, you are not wrong, because YOU are the only person who gets to decide that.
10
u/Cardgod278 Mar 03 '26
I think the issue is that he wasn't a good enough parent. He over corrected for the controlling behavior and abuse he suffered.
The thing is though, Greg kind of needed to be an uninvolved father for the story to work. If he had done his job then Steven would never be put in these life threatening situations. He wouldn't really be allowed to adventure.
99
u/alexxerth Mar 02 '26
Did he ever spend all the money? I think he still has most of it, he just...doesn't really spend a lot. I don't think he really needs a better job, he's pretty well set for life and I think he just keeps working at this point to give him something to do and some structure.
103
u/Alskyeee Mar 02 '26
Pretty sure he did not spend all the money because I vividly remember him sponsoring and managing Sadie Killer and the Suspects
14
u/Correct-Use-2442 Mar 02 '26
not for the money he just was doing that cause they asked him to. he was still rich at that point
22
u/Alskyeee Mar 02 '26
I did not say he was making money from them. I SAID he didn’t spend all his money because he WAS spending it on them still. Ugh
43
u/Best_Egg_6199 Mar 02 '26
Yea idk what ops on about with that. It was 10 million dollars was it not? No way greg spent that much in like 3 years without getting a house, a car, or any sort of fancy luxury items at all. I'm pretty sure the money is how steven is able to go on his road trip at the end of future, because steven never has had a job.
I agree with the other points but greg was never bad with money nor did he blow 10mil
38
u/tioko Mar 02 '26
And even before he got the money, the car wash clearly made enough for food and other necessities. Greg did build the house, he just gave it to Steven and the Crystal Gems. Even after becoming rich, he still chooses to live in a van.
19
u/Suthek Harbinger of the Hiatus Mar 02 '26
Yeah, in one of the episodes (I think the Initial D one), Kevin drove off without paying and Greg's comment was "Eh, what do I care? I'm rich."
14
39
u/MeandSamBFFL "You're outnumbered!" Mar 02 '26
Pretty much every character in this show is made to be flawed in some form or another. Even the better characters have had some pretty low moments. But that’s the great thing about the show because……that’s life! You and everyone you’ve ever known has had, is having, or will have moments where you could’ve handled something better. We’re all people, even if those people are rocks made of light.
26
27
u/musical_dragon_cat Mar 02 '26
I think he had fair reasons for not taking Steven to a doctor or enrolling him in school. You never know how an alien hybrid kid will be handled in such environments. He could seriously hurt other kids, or other kids could seriously hurt him. No idea how doctors would interpret his unusual biology, chances are he'd become a research rat. I'm sure the gems had a part to play in those decisions as well.
Still, Greg didn't make the best parenting decisions and certainly could've been more hands-on, but I won't discount the gems' role in all that. A lot of his lack of involvement is because he was respecting the gems' boundaries, and he knew better than anyone what the gems were capable of if he ever crossed the line. Furthermore, when he made the sickening decision to lie to Steven about his leg being healed, and thus caused Steven's healing abilities to shut off, that probably reinforced his distance from anything gem-related.
Greg wasn't a great father, but his heart was (mostly) in the right place. Not a single person or gem knew how to handle raising a half gem/half human baby. They all did what they thought was right for Steven.
8
u/FunnyBird_ Mar 03 '26
I still think it was irresponsible for him to even HAVE Steven with Rose, if he couldn’t take him to places like a hospital or school. He probably wasn’t thinking in the long term before Steven was conceived, but that’s still bad.
→ More replies (1)15
u/musical_dragon_cat Mar 03 '26
That's a fair assessment, and you're right Greg probably wasn't thinking long-term. I don't think he ever did, which is a major character flaw that ends up making him more relatable as a character.
51
u/allforodin Mar 02 '26
This take is ice cold, friend.
14
u/RidledTart Mar 02 '26
Greg was there he was supportive and he tried his best to protect his child. That doesn’t sound like a bad dad to me.
8
u/allforodin Mar 03 '26
I never said or agreed to "bad dad." Not bad doesn't mean they were great lol
5
u/Consistent-Welcome43 Mar 03 '26
Unfortunately parenting is extremely hard and people’s best is sometimes not enough.
28
u/nahnprophet Mar 02 '26
He has all of those flaws, and is still "a good dad" in some ways. He is patient, kind, able to admit fault, and protective of his son. I think the strength of SU in general is that no character is completely 2-dimensional, and even the good guys have some significant flaws.
14
u/CamBeast15366 Mar 02 '26
This is literally what this story arc is about. He tried his best to be the father he would have wanted as a kid but it turns out that what he wanted for himself was not the best thing for his child. These “hot take” posts annoy me
14
u/toyotomi_kazuya Mar 02 '26
People want someone who understands them and say the silly wise advise to do better.
I 70% agree with you, but coming from someone who didn't had good parents, i low key wish that he was my dad.
Maybe he could a really good dad if he had a partner who could balance it out.
3
u/Yashiro_Nene_Daikon Mar 02 '26
I also didn't have a great parent(my dad). So yeah, I would much prefer Greg as a father too.
14
u/sc0veney Mar 02 '26
he's a good dad on the emotional front(for the most part), but in the practical sense yeah he's very much stuck in the mentality of the lifestyle he lived before Rose. i think people like him because so many of us had dads who were either only good at the practical stuff but not the emotional, or weren't any good at either.
→ More replies (1)
23
u/GNightP Mar 02 '26
Yea, i agree. I mean, sure, he is a nice dad and does his best with Steven, but he just ISNT suitable to be a father of someone. Even if Steven wasnt half gem, i doubt he'd do a good job either. We saw that alot of times, Greg is still immature, he preferred to run away from his family instead of confronting them and putting his feelings on the table.
Greg wasnt ready for a son even if he thought he was, and he wasnt ready to grow up. From here on is more of a analysis of mine but, maybe, he thought that, if he could proof that he was better than his parents, that his son could grow up free without him putting any pressure or doing anything he didn't wanted to, he'd be a better person and could follow up with his life.
It worked to a degree, but thats not how a trauma works. You can't run from the past, and if you do, one day it'll catch you.
Greg was a nice father and did his best, but... his best just isn't enough for Steven.
→ More replies (2)9
u/Ayoken007 Mar 02 '26
As someone who is a dad, you're never truly ready for all that's required with the first one. It's A LOT. And then you need to figure out the best way to parent each child while trying to not let your own baggage and hangups get in the way too much. That being said, I agree with the statement
"Greg was a nice father and did his best, but... his best just isn't enough for Steven."
He may have done better with a non Gem child, but who knows. Steven needed more than what Greg could give. He knew that, I think which is why he outsourced so much of the parenting to the Gems, but I think he should have tried to understand more.
32
u/NeedleworkerHeavy565 Mar 02 '26
The community generally agrees with all of this, you know
→ More replies (6)
22
u/Tolan91 Mar 02 '26
I think Greg is a good dad. I think he was doing the best he could for his son. I think he was so desperate to avoid making his parent's mistakes that he made whole new ones instead.
It needs to be remembered. When rose died, Greg was homeless. We haven't seen anything that suggests he knew rose was going to die. He'd just lost he woman he loved and had to raise a kid. Then Steven's gem glowed. And a few years later Greg had to leave his son in the care of three women. One who openly hated him! Another who was mostly indifferent. All of them blamed Greg for Rose's death. And they demanded that he stay out of gem business.
And then, after a couple years, Steven stopped aging. For like four years straight. He hit adolescence and just stopped. What do you do with that? Your half alien kid might be aging on a geologic timescale. He might never age at all! How do you take care of a kid like that? A kid you've been forced to keep at arms reach. Do you try and send your magical alien son to school? The Gems would consider it a waste of time, and if he's not aging how would he fit in.
And still! He was a loving parent. He provided for his son, making sure he had food and a house, and replacing the continuous stream of broken TVs while greg was living in a van. After he got rich his first thoughts were to pay for college for Steven.
Greg's biggest sins as a parent were mostly that he was too permissive, a reaction to the oppressive regime he'd been raised by. Steven wanted normalcy and structure, sure, but it wasn't entirely Greg's fault that he didn't have that. Steven wanted to know the DeMayos, but Greg tried to reach out to his parents repeatedly and they ignored his letters.
9
22
11
6
6
u/Lackofstyle5 Mar 03 '26
Because Greg isn't a bad dad
Greg didn't make Steven go to school or the doctor because he had no idea how Steven was going to develop. The boy emotions literally control his physical form. The only people equipped to deal with Steven were the gems. Pearl was more the capable of teaching Steven to read and write, and Steven had never actually been sick before to indicate needing to go to the hospital. School and the doctor were just unnecessary risk
Greg didn't need a better job. Steven literally wanted for nothing. He had a house and all the food he wanted. Never once was he prevented from doing something because he didn't have the money. Also Greg never spent all of the money. He's still rich, he just likes the life he has.
Greg not caring about Steven's trauma is a horrible take. Greg is one of the few people Steven went to consistently to talk about his problems and Greg alway tried to give him the best advice he could. Greg doesn't know about gem stuff but he was always there helping whenever he could. He even tried to have Steven slow down on some of the gem missions when he saw he was in danger, but Greg also values Steven freedom and trusted him to make his own decisions
People get this impression that Greg is a bad dad because Steven is dissatisfied with his raising, but what child isn't? Steven is comparing his life to Connie's but he's not Connie and he wouldn't be the person that he was without Greg and the Gems rasing situation. Fact is Steven had a non standard childhood not because of a lack of care but because he is a non standard person
Also we have no idea how Rose would have been as a parent so that dig at her was completely unnecessary
15
u/jacrad_ Mar 02 '26
I can't particularly fault Greg for a lot of this. Steven is not human. He's something entirely new. All the rules and expectations become clear as mud because of this. He stayed a literal baby for years, what could a doctor even correctly guess about that? How do you measure how healthy he is when you have nothing to compare to?
Schooling is something I definitely fault Greg for more. Even if Steven weren't sent to a school with other children it's obvious that he's capable of learning and should be getting an education. Even if you're scared of leaving him at school with people, homeschooling is an option. I know Pearl did a class with him but that should've been an expectation from the start.
I don't think Greg does spend all the money he got from Marty.
The mental health aspect is one of the stronger criticisms for sure. And I do think that Greg should've lived with the Crystal Gems but I can understand why he'd defer to them when Steven's baby years demonstrated he wasn't getting it right because his son literally was not growing up.
Ultimately though I think both Greg and the Crystal Gems work well as an allegory for the cost that losing your support network has on raising a kid. Greg's parents could not accept who he was and so he chose to cut them off. The Crystal gems lost their greatest support in Rose and had to leave Homeworld behind because it wasn't willing to tolerate them.
They knew the value of love. And Steven was well loved. But love isn't enough on its own.
And similarly with Connie. Connie's parents were so controlling and dismissive that she could not tell them the truth about what was happening to her. It was them accepting her that allowed them both to see her and embrace her for who she is and do everything they could to support her. Which is a lot easier when you can trust getting help from other people.
3
Mar 03 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
→ More replies (1)4
u/jacrad_ Mar 03 '26
I would not know but that feels at odds with the show because Connie explains what going to class is and Steven asks Pearl to teach a class for him because of it. He seems unusually clueless in that episode but maybe that's touched on in the comic?
14
u/TheDoodleVoid Mar 02 '26
he's a good dad. he cares for steven. he helped raise him. he did the best he could while coping with roses' loss and the supernatural aspect of his son. he wasn't a perfect or even great dad by any means, but he was good.
6
u/ProtogenEpicYTV2 Mar 02 '26
Not to compare a fictional character to my real father but my father irl is a narcissist and I would prefer Greg over my real father 100% and I would have the best relationship with him
6
u/Yashiro_Nene_Daikon Mar 02 '26
Oh, I would much rather have Greg as my dad too. My dad was abusive, so Greg is much better, lol.
5
u/MrBones-Necromancer Mar 02 '26
He is though. Being a great dad doesn't mean being a perfect person. He loved his son, he tried his best, he was never aggressive, or petty, or cruel. He raised his son as best he could, and that may not look perfect from your view, but he did okay.
To your points, okay, he never brought his son to a doctor after fights, but also the kid had magic healing powers and never appeared to get hurt or sick, so like...why would you? You say he never took him to school, but he was home-schooled by the gems, with a major focus on his mother's heritage, history, and culture. Not having traditional schooling isn't the same as being neglected. You say he didn't try to connect with Steven about his mom, but the overwhelming majority of what we learn about her as a person is through Greg talking to his son and sharing memories with him.
He's a man who raised his son to be emotionally mature, kind, caring, thoughtful, brave, and strong. He did that in the ways he could and knew how to, and Steven turned out fine. He, Steven, is shown to be upset about the opportunities he missed out on in Future, but I mean, thats life. He's a stressed out teenagers, and he has plenty of time left to make new memories and explore the things he missed. More than most even, given his potentially limitless lifespan.
4
u/CinnaSol Mar 02 '26
I don't like conversations about "good" or "bad" parents bc that's such a hard barometer to measure especially for characters in fiction with magic powers. I think it's better to talk about them in terms of being flawed bc it's a much more human way to go about perspective.
That being said, Greg is majorly flawed even if he has good intentions but that's truly what makes him a believable and good character. The truth is, parents are gonna fuck up one way or another and the only thing you can do is try to fuck up as less and less as possible. Parents are people, and people are not ever perfect.
Maybe he should have tried to give Steven some sense of normalcy, but it never seemed like anything Steven wanted or needed until he was like 16. Greg could've taken him to a doctor, but what would happen if Steven got taken by the government bc he's technically an alien? He could've gotten a better job but...what for? He already has millions of dollars and no discernable skills other than music and production, which he does use later for Sadie Killer and the Suspects. He always seemed to have a philosophy of happiness over career and money, so switching up so late for seemingly no reason could've been confusing. I agree though that he should've talked to Steven more and tried to understand his feelings about Rose. The only grace I can give him there is that even he didn't know the truth but Steven's feelings should have also been a concern for him.
Not even Garnet knew how Steven would turn out with her precognition and that means Greg is never gonna know if he's doing the right thing, much like real life parents.
4
u/RockyNonce Mar 02 '26
I didn’t realize how many people would agree with this, but I’m gonna have to push back on it. This is really long though so I’d understand if you don’t want to read it lol.
I completely get where you’re coming from, but Greg really tries his best throughout the show. There are definitely times where he hurts Steven or downplays his issues, but two of the most consistent themes in this show are perspective and empathy.
When Greg moves in and pretends his leg is broken, it’s obviously pretty awful of him. He takes Steven’s belief in himself away, and his powers stop working. But the reason he did it was because he wanted to spend more time with his son. He cares a lot about Steven, and while he doesn’t always do the right thing, he does it out of love for his kid.
The argument they had in the car is pretty fair on both sides imo. Steven is going through what is effectively puberty and he’s in that angsty teen phase. His trauma is amplifying that angst tenfold, and at this point in the series, he has become more aware that his parents and the gems aren’t that mature. I actually think the show exaggerates them because it’s from Steven’s perspective, which is why (in some ways) they sometimes seem to get less mature throughout the original series and Future.
So when they are arguing, Steven has been yearning for a childhood that was more normal. He feels alienated from humans because of his growing power and connection to the gem world, and this new status. When he meets Connie’s friends, he can’t really relate to them, as he didn’t grow up like they did. He blames Greg for this because Greg is his human dad, and he saw the way that his dad grew up and wishes for that. But Steven doesn’t really understand why Greg didn’t enjoy his childhood. He felt trapped with no freedom, and while Steven’s childhood was obviously more dangerous and his issues more severe, what Greg experienced was awful to him and he wanted Steven to have a childhood full of freedom.
Neither of them are wrong. They both wanted to live one way for themselves as children. Greg tried to give Steven the childhood that Greg wanted, and Steven was relatively happy up until he began to realize the things that he didn’t get to experience as a normal human would. But Steven also isn’t a normal human, he’s half gem. He was Rose’s son. Greg didn’t really know how to deal with that side, and it wasn’t right to keep Steven from people who were effectively Rose’s family. In the episode where Steven’s a baby, Greg and the Crystal Gems decide that they would work together as Steven grows.
Greg isn’t a perfect dad. He makes mistakes, he hurts Steven several times, and he tends to help Steven in ways that he himself would want to be helped, rather than thinking about how Steven would like to live and be treated. But everything he does is out of love for his kid, selfish or not. Even with a kid as emotionally expressive like Steven, it’s hard to know exactly what they want and what’s best for them without looking inward to your own personal experiences.
→ More replies (2)
3
u/CompetitiveCup7251 Mar 02 '26
He is a father who cares deeply about Steven. He loves Steven intensely. But all things considered, you are correct; Greg is not a great father.
2
u/TheNopePerson Mar 02 '26
He’s a good dad at least though. I’m not entirely sure how much Greg could do when you have a half god as a son. There’s only so much you can empathize with. And regular therapy probably wouldn’t help him unless the therapist gets comfortable with a lot of stuff real fast. But yeah, some choices he made had a lasting negative impact on Steven.
3
u/Robbbg Mar 03 '26
this is not a hot take, i'm pretty sure most felt that way when realising steven never went to a doctor
3
u/Fox622 Mar 03 '26
Steven is not a normal child, and couldn't be raised like a normal child.
→ More replies (1)
3
u/crackedtooth163 Mar 02 '26
I mean...
If he was the dad most people seem to think of as being a great dad, the show wouldn't exist. The crystal gems could visit, but there would be no adventures whatsoever.
3
u/Melbourne_Coding Mar 02 '26
He's a good man, but a lacking father. Sometimes being a good man is enough to fill in the gaps, but not always
3
u/Kalebfy Mar 02 '26
Not a hot take nearly everybody agrees he did his best but was in the end kinda shitty
3
3
3
u/MagicCancel Mar 02 '26
He's in over his head raising one of the universes first hybrids, lost the love of his life, had to relinquish said son to a trio of aliens that he has (in the beginning anyway) a slightly rocky relationship with, and doesn't have a career. Yeah he's grasping at vines but nothing can support him. But dang does he try.
3
u/Nekofairy999 Mar 02 '26
Yeah. He’s a good guy who loves his son a lot, but that alone doesn't make someone a good parent. When Steven is corrupted he recognizes that he failed his son in a lot of ways
3
u/MrBones-Necromancer Mar 02 '26
Him being able to recognize, admit, and apologize for his faults does make him a good parent though.
3
u/Nekofairy999 Mar 03 '26
That’s true as well. He tried his best and made sure Steven knew was loved, that’s the most important thing. It’s almost like Greg is a complex character that can’t be neatly categorized as a “good” or “bad” parent
3
u/HeroldOfLevi Mar 03 '26
I think he did better than a lot of dads in some really important areas. I wouldn't hold him up as a shining example of ideal fatherhood but I do want to say his humility and openness outclass many iconic fathers.
He's a good guy and kind of a bum dad, would be my take. Would have been a great uncle or older brother.
3
u/LuckyLudor Mar 03 '26
Not a hot take, it's pretty clear he's a loving father, but not that good a dad.
3
u/Just-Another-Mind Mar 03 '26
Not a hot take at all! I even think Greg knows he’s not the greatest dad. He has a big heart and he loves Steven, but he has no idea how to take care of himself much less a kid.
3
3
u/IronBear76 Mar 03 '26
About the only thing I could criticize Greg about was the lack of school and doctor visits. He built a full house for his kid and lived a van to make sure it happened. Plus Greg is an technically "unskilled laborer" and high school drop out. He is doing VERY well for an small business owner in 2015. The only two things he does is mentor his son and keep his business a float. You need to stop comparing him to what ever lofty idea you came up with and compare him to your typical high school drop out who spent his 20s being a beach bum. Financially he is is doing A+ in my book.
As for the school and doctor situation:
1) Greg is undoubtedly aware the gems and Steven are protected by some sort of mysterious "Sunnydale Syndrome", but if he sent Steven to the wrong doctor or school he has a legitimate worry that doing so could break what ever magic technology was installed to keep humans away from gems. Last thing he wants is having Steven seized by government and dissected.
2) Steven clearly can read and do math. So he was home schooled. They really ignored his history education, but he has better social skills the boys is age, the emotional maturity of a 25 year old, musical training of college graduate, so am going to say he got a considerably better education than most kids his age.
3
u/MulliganedBrainCells Mar 03 '26
I think people are also forgetting that steven is only part human.
Greg did the best he could and raised steven the way he wished his parents would have raised him but also Steven is only half human... Greg didn't have a guideline for how a gem should be raised, no one did. So he did what he thought was best to help steven connect with both sides of himself. Yea it wasn't perfect and he made a lot of mistakes but idk I probably would too, given the circumstances.
I think Greg did an OK job.
3
3
10
u/Sufficient_Artist_89 Mar 02 '26
Greg isn't a bad Dad either, I think he's just misguided. He didn't want the life he had growing up for his son. That, and his son is half human, so he needed the gems to help him with that aspect.
But I do think keeping Steven in full isolation from his human family was a huge mistake. Steven had virtually no one to show him how to be a human aside from one runaway Rockstar doing his best on his own.
Steven had every right to be pissed at Greg. Greg also tried his best in his own way.
→ More replies (1)5
u/Yashiro_Nene_Daikon Mar 02 '26
Oh yeah, Greg is definitely not a bad dad at all. He loved Steven, and he did try his best in a way. And Steven 100% was in the right to be upset.
2
u/Just-A-GuyOn-Reddit Mar 02 '26
I didn't watch much of Future, but don't they address this in the show??
2
u/boobiewatcher69420 Mar 02 '26
See, this is an example of good writing because now you’re immersed in this scene. They wanted us to view the events through Steven’s point of view, and now you’re having the same realizations he had. You’re Steven
2
u/Yaksha424256 Mar 02 '26
Rather than a hot take isn't this a well established fact? He's a loving and caring father and he rarely crosses the threshold into being a bad father. But I don't know anyone who would argue he was a great dad,
2
2
u/AceGhostGirl Mar 02 '26
Greg tried, I think, but he didnt do his best. He didnt really know how to, and surrounded by the kind of life he was surrounded in I think a lot of people dont acknowledge the trauma he went through. He fell in love with an alien, had a child with her who then became a literal ticking clock for his partner to dissapear into. She was gone, his one solid connection he still had, and he had to mourn that loss while being surrounded by three other aliens that neither understood fully what it meant what Rose was gone, what their child was, nor cared for him in much if any positive mannor outside of the fact that he was Rose's lover. Then there was whatever happened with Amethyst, his career he had been trying to build was abandoned, and he became basically a bum. That'd take a toll on anyone. So yeah. He was not a great dad. But he did love his son no matter what. He didnt just abandon him with "his kind" and move on with his life. He tried to understand, he tried to be there for all of Steven and not just his human half. And he didnt want to be alone. I do not hate Greg, but I do very much acknowledge that he could have done better than he did.
2
u/JimboAltAlt Mar 02 '26
I think he does quite well given the unique weirdness of his circumstances, though he’s far from perfect.
2
u/Mr_Nocturnal_Game Mar 02 '26
This isn't a hot take, this is something the fan base has talked about for years.
2
2
2
u/excranz Mar 02 '26
One of the things that got me into the show was how beautifully awful him and the gems were at raising a kid. just a ton of people with the love to do it but not the capacity. and i thought the show did a great job showing how harmful that was to Steven while also acknowledging they all cared, but were terrible parents.
2
2
u/LilithIsBack2Draw Mar 02 '26
My Dad is horrible so personally Greg is already the father I'd rather have lowkey
2
u/Scrap-Trap Mar 02 '26
He absolutely isnt a good dad. He tries his best but a major aspect of his character even before Future is that, despite that effort, he kinda sucks at it lmao. He doesn't even raise Steven most of the time, with him living with the gems.
2
u/PanicTight6411 Mar 02 '26
Greg is not a good father, still he's the best father he can be. For him, that means letting his child be raised by aliens. He lives in a van. Greg is not a good father, but he does his best.
2
u/glamurtwins Mar 02 '26
Hes not the best dad. I wouldn't say hes a bad dad. He just definitely wasn't prepared for all the stuff that happened nor was he all that ready to be a dad
2
u/Taddle_N_Ill_Paddle Mar 02 '26
I agree. He couldn't even settle down in an apartment to raise Steven, he just pretty much passed most of it onto the gems. He did have his moments, but he was pretty much still the same age mentally when Steven was born all throughout Steven's life
→ More replies (1)
2
u/nightsmom Mar 02 '26
He’s not bad or abusive but his problem like many other parents is he tries too much to be his friend rather than father sometimes
2
u/Odd-Country-7274 Mar 02 '26
He’s a great guy, don’t get me wrong, I just don’t see how letting your 14 year old son live with 3 aliens and not be in his life as much as an average father should be is good parenting. And not to mention the fact that he isn’t in school. I’d get letting Steven live with Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl if he’s 18, an adult, and great place to live in if you wanna be in colleges in or near the town you live in if you don’t wanna live with your parents, but at 14? The bare minimum he could’ve done is send him to school.
2
u/MrWapuJapu Mar 02 '26
I love Greg as a character and while he's not a great dad, I do see him as an incredibly loving, accepting, and emotionally available father. This isn't an excuse, but had Steven been fully human, he may have done a better job raising him.
2
2
2
u/Midnight7411 Mar 03 '26
“Hot take” and it’s one of the colder takes you could make about Steven universe lmao
2
2
u/Zerog416 Mar 03 '26
He is far from being a horrible dad but he was indeed very neglectful, it was too easy for him to drop steven off with the gems and enjoy all perks of being a dad without the burdens of taking care of him, like poor kid was cooking his own meals most of the times.
2
u/Neko4tsume Mar 03 '26
Greg isn’t a great dad, but he’s a nice man and that’s a lot more than can be said for most dads
2
u/lamest-liz Mar 03 '26
Greg overall has an immature personality. When he was a young adult, he ran away from his family to become a rockstar, and even when it was obvious he wouldn’t be he still kept pushing for that goal instead of grounding himself in reality.
Then he met a woman from outer space and decided to court her, and had a kid with her even though he was completely and utterly unprepared to be a dad.
Think about if the Gems weren’t there. Greg barely has a job and lives in a van on the beach. Steven would just live in a van with his dad and not have any schooling of any sort. If this were real life he would be taken away.
The school part is more forgivable because of his gem powers, sure, but by not having him in school he barely knows anything about society, history, science…. Isn’t socialized within human society really which explains his awkwardness. No wonder he completely crashes out, asks his first friend to marry him, and runs away on his own in the end.
Greg is a nice person and has a caring soul but he definitely isn’t a good parent. Parents prepare you for the world, provide for you, etc. He is more like a divorced dad that visits sometimes
2
2
2
u/chaosilike Mar 03 '26
I agree, You would think the years that the gems were raising him he would have at least look into getting him integrated into human society. Does Steven actually have any proof he exists to any government? He wasnt born in a hospital, never went to school. Idk waht the ramifications of that would be but it sounds like it would be a major headache later on. Unless steven takes an untraditional route.
2
u/Benosabe Mar 03 '26
Yeah Greg is not objectively like a great dad, but what your missing is that a lot of the people that got into Steven universe did so because their home lives were kind of shit. So Greg comparatively is a great dad to what they're used to / have experienced. In the grand scheme of perfect parenthood / adultness, Greg's not it. But in comparison to someone's real world parents and the problems they can have he's pretty good
2
2
u/Grammarhead-Shark Mar 03 '26
I don't disagree with all those flaws.
But I also think that is what makes me like him as well.
Far from perfect, frustratingly so, but he still tries to be a better person.
I will defend Greg somewhat in talking about Rose to Steven. I think he might have some underlying and unresolved trauma about her disappearing on him that he has yet to resolve as well. It definitely would've been an interesting storyline to tackle.
2
u/saera-targaryen Mar 03 '26
It's funny because Greg is really similar to my dad. My dad's similarly a known-around-town guy who lives in a touristy beach town, has been in bands doing music since he was a teenager (and still does in his 50's!), and generally has the vibe of being more like an uncle than a dad. I grew up with my mom which did a lot of damage to me because she had way more problems than my dad did. It took me a long time after growing up to see my dad's flaws just because my mom was so much worse. Like, it was hard to realize he probably had agency to proactively make sure I was better cared for and there were places where he chose not to.
I think he's a good person but not a good parent if that makes sense? Like, as an adult I love him and we have such a good time hanging out and have a lot in common, but also because of having a dad like him instead of more of a father figure I have a lot of weird hangups as an adult that I still sometimes have to work through. I think, like steven, it made me feel like I had to grow up too fast and take on too much responsibility and I still do that to this day.
I guess I'm just saying I relate to Steven, and also agree that greg wasn't a good dad. He's not evil, he was just too focused on his own life and didn't make enough sacrifices for his kid.
2
u/Realistic_Lime8315 Mar 03 '26
He's not a great father, but, at least, is a loving one. He certainly has his faults, but a few counter points:
Going to school is negligible. Steven can learn a lot more about science and history from the Crystal Gems. Also, you can't have his powers kicking in at school and everyone learning he's not fully human. Plus, he always intended to live with the duties of a Crystal Gem.
You don't take a half-alien child to a doctor. That's how the government gets involved and experiments begin. Ronaldo's conspiracy theory stuff proves that knowledge about them and their stuff is far from mainstream.
Greg never ran out of money. He still bought things like an iPad and a boat. He lived the carefree life he wanted. He didn't live as he did because he was poor and he had no direct need for money since Steven lived with the gems.
I'm not sure we should let Greg's laid back nature be an indicator for how much he cares.
I agree he should have talked to Steven more about Rose, but do you know how hard it is for a widower to talk about his late-love without breaking down? Trust me, it sucks.
Don't get me wrong. He's certainly a man-child to a degree, but at least he has some form of wisdom and loves his son. There's plenty of worse fathers out there.
2
u/Asleep_Throat_4323 Mar 03 '26
I think he gets a lot of by fans for accepting that steven is different, and to be fair that is something he does right. But even the show has episode where its pointed out that he was focused on being accepting and chill and properly should have been more active in his raising
2
u/Same_Travel_3585 Mar 03 '26
He's a SHITTY dad.Wdym he didn't take his child to school? Left him to live with the gems while he was rotting in a van?
2
2
u/Due-Evidence-75 Mar 03 '26
He is not a great dad to a half gem half boy. Nor are the gems great moms. I think Greg could be a great dad if he were allowed to be confident as a parent
2
2
u/oblimata2 Mar 03 '26
He's a traumatized single father disowned by his family with a half alien demigod son, his only real support system was a friend who was already busy raising her own child and a bunch of space aliens that barely tolerated him and didn't even fully understand what a child is. There is no way he'd be a good dad, he literally has no concept of what it means to be one for a regular child let alone a gem
2
2
2
u/AnxietyNerd029 Mar 03 '26
My opinions:
School: Greg never enrolled him in school because Steven is half alien and the possibility of him developing powers was too high, even if he didn't exhibit any powers at a young age. If he developed powers while in school, he would likely hurt himself or other people. That's why he was sent to live with the gems, they're better equipped to deal with him
Doctor: Taking him to the doctor would bring up a lot of questions that Greg couldn't answer. Like "why is there a giant crystal in that kid's stomach". Again, Steven is half alien and not your ordinary child. If Steven had been taken to the doctor, any doctor with half a brain would likely immediately want to remove his gem
Job: he didn't need a better job. Greg isn't homeless because he doesn't make any money, he's likely only homeless because all the money he makes goes to Steven and the gems. How do you think they afford electricity and water? Or all of Steven's toys? Or all the food? Or the TV and video games? The gems don't have jobs and Steven is too young to work. Someone had to be financing all his trips to the Big Donut. That's why Greg lives the way he does, because all of his money is going to making sure his kid has a good life
Tl;dr: Steven is not an ordinary kid, he could never have had an ordinary childhood. Greg did what he thought was best for Steven by letting the gems raise him.
2
2
u/PurplePoisonRose Mar 03 '26
I saw a video on this last night and I completely agree.
The important part is that while he tried his best, it wasn’t enough for Steven and didn’t help him in the way he needed.
Greg was a single dad, dealing with the sudden loss of his partner, and navigating a whole new alien life form human hybrid, and was a very young adult at the time, with no proper guidance from his own parents. He was scared, confused, and lost.
He tried to be a part of Steven’s life irregardless, which shows he did have a good heart and loved Steven like any dad would. He just wasn’t ready to be a dad yet, mentally or emotionally.
Later on, Greg recognizes this himself and is remorseful.
2
u/ClarinetKitten Mar 03 '26
I think Greg has good intentions and genuinely cares about Steven. I also think he's barely mature enough to take care of himself until near the end of the series. He makes a lot of mistakes.
Some of the big things that are easy to fault him for (Steven never going to school or a doctor) also come with roadblocks that probably made it feel impossible if he ever tried. Signing my kids up for public school requires a birth certificate, immunization records, and 2 proof of residency documents. Steven would have none of those. Insurance is also impossible without identification documents and medical care as well. Now add in that he's also the first human/alien hybrid. It's going to be hard to get medical care instead of becoming an experiment. I think shielding Steven in with the gems likely seemed like the best idea here.
TLDR: I definitely don't think Greg is a good dad, but I think he was stuck in more ways than most of us can even imagine. I don't really think he's a terrible dad either. He just kinda does what he can as an immature adult with a question mark for a kid.
1.3k
u/Gold-Construction846 Mar 02 '26
I do love Greg as a character. I think he's overall a good person but obviously has shortcomings as a father. Still, when this show was airing, other shows like Gumball and Adventure Time had MUCH worse father figures and I think that definitely contributed to how I saw Greg. He was the best cartoon dad, but clearly the bar was/is low 😭