Breaking Bad: 5 Times Walt Was A Great Father (& 5 Times He Wasn’t)
While every parent makes mistakes, many of Walt's on Breaking Bad are major ones, but he does have a few shining moments in there as well.
When people think about Walter White, they instantly think of his amazing lines or his incredible intelligence that make him such a great character. However, at his core, he is just a family man who makes a rash decision to get involved in cooking meth to provide for them.
He tries his best throughout the series to be a role model and a good father to both of his children, but he certainly has a mixed experience. While every parent makes mistakes, many of Walt’s are major ones, but he does have a few shining moments in there as well.
Great Father: Working Multiple Jobs
When Breaking Bad first begins, Walter White is just a typical family man who works as a science teacher during the day, and then puts himself through an extra job at the car wash during the evening. The fact that he does two jobs on the same day just proves how much he wants to provide for his family.
He is a breadwinner and he does everything in his power to earn as much money as he can. All he wants to do is get as much money as possible to ensure that the family has the nicest life possible.
Terrible Father: Misses The Birth
The birth of a baby is supposed to be a magical moment for both parents and something that they’re desperate not to miss out on. Yet when Holly is born, Walt is nowhere to be seen, despite the fact he is phoned and contacted about the situation.
To make matters worse, the reason Walt missed the birth of his daughter is that he was frantically putting together a drug deal, moving product. He gets the text message while he has meth in his hands, and chooses the drug deal over his baby.
Great Father: Keeping The Family Together
When tensions first start growing between him and Skyler, she wastes no time in throwing him out of the family home. However, Walt refuses to give up on it and his family and he is persistent with getting back into the house and being the father that he wants to be.
While it might not be great for Skyler, and it certainly isn’t for their relationship, that determination and loyalty to his children really is something that proves he’s a great father deep down.
Terrible Father: The Driving Lesson
A father taking a son on a driving lesson seems like a great idea and something that would make him a great father, however, a driving lesson with Walter White isn’t that simple. Because his son does things a different way to him as a way of getting around his disability, Walt instantly freaks out.
He demands that his son does it a different way and they get into a major argument in the car to the point where they end up crashing it. It becomes a total disaster of a moment together and isn’t the fun experience that it could have been.
Great Father: Buys Him A Car
On the flipside to his terrible attempts at being a driving instructor, when his son does manage to pass his test, Walt proves himself as a great father. He takes Walt Jr out and purchases him his first car, and of course, he ensures it’s a flashy sports car.
Despite the fact that his son is oblivious to what his father actually does to be able to afford the car, it’s certainly a nice bonding moment for them and shows he can treat him.
Terrible Father: Forcing Walter Jr. To Drink
At some point in time, every young adult wants to try alcohol and be like their parents and Walter Jr is no different. At a family BBQ, things start off nicely with Walt proving himself to be a sensible father, allowing his son to have a drink with him and Hank.
It’s a controlled environment, Walt can keep an eye on him, it all makes sense. However, things quickly turn sour when Walt just starts pouring more drinks for him seemingly to prove he’s a better authority figure than Hank, and it backfires as his son throws up everywhere, being unable to handle so much alcohol.
Great Father: Dealing With Bullies
During one scene inside a clothing store, Walt Jr is unfortunately bullied because of his disability. A group is happily mocking him and, in the end, Walter White snaps and heads out of the store, making his way around from behind to deal with them.
He stamps down on the leg of one of the bullies and hurts his leg, proving that he is happy to stand up for his family and children no matter what. It was a totally new way of behaving for Walt and showed that his darker side might have some benefits for his family.
Terrible Father: Kidnapping
While Walt does this out of love and his desire to keep someone in his life that doesn’t think he’s a monster, the moment he kidnaps Holly is a real low point for him. She’s the only family member he has that doesn’t hate him and his plan to be with her is because he wants to be a good father.
However, the fact that even a young baby cries and screams about the situation proves it was a major mistake on Walt’s behalf. The emotional toll it puts on Skyler is harsh and it just makes him out to be a bad dad.
Great Father: A Final Goodbye
Thankfully, Walt does take Holly back to Skyler, but his connection to his daughter is clear right at the end of Breaking Bad. He goes to see Skyler one last time, knowing that he is about to die, and before he goes he gets one last moment with her.
He returns to his old-self how he was originally, just one last time. He’s soft and gentle and even Skyler appears to be remembering him in a fond way, proving that deep down, everything was still always about the kids.
Terrible Father: Fighting Skyler In Front Of Them
When it comes to Walt’s worst moment as a father, there is no doubt that it is when he and Skyler have a full-blown fight in the living room in front of the children. Tensions have firmly reached boiling point by this stage in the series and the fact Skyler even has a knife on her showcases how dangerous she believes Walt is.
With Walter Jr having to get involved himself, it just proves that nobody feels safe in the situation and when that happens it’s clear that he is a terrible father.
