Could lack of presence of biological parents slow cutie mark gain?

[cider float 2,539]

The cutie mark crusaders as we know were late bloomers that took longer than the others their age to get their cutie marks. They had something common and that was there was a lack of presence of their parents.

 

Apple Bloom's parents are presumably dead. Sweetie Belle's parents seem to be the type to be a bit absent minded, and Scootaloo so far we haven't seen her parents at all... is she an orphan? Not sure about that. And of course there's also Babs Seed who seems to have never been taught proper manners or how to treat others was somewhat neglected by her parents so she sought the attention of others by being a bully. 

 

Could lacking the contact of their biological parents slow down the gain of the cutie mark?

 

What does conflict with all this is Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash did gain their cutie marks away from home but if we've seen their parents they seem to be very loving and caring of them so it's more about the connection with the parents and the children that play an integral part of their cutie mark gain.

Edited October 20, 2016 by cider float

[BadHorse 39]

 

I think you could be on to something.

[Glacies Frost 428]

Well, I hate to speculate, but... What am I saying, that's what all these theories are anyway! Tally-ho!

 

It's possible that without the guiding influence of an adult figure one can trust, it would be harder to "find oneself" so to speak. Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle seem for the most part to be unsure of their own unique talents, along with their shared skill at helping other ponies see their own cutie marks differently or in other cases finding their own cutie mark.

 

It is possible that due to the absentee parents, whether absent due to circumstance or through their own choice, they had less of an authority figure to rely on who would be able to push them in the right direction. 

 

However, as the cutie mark is more of a personal journey, I'm not entirely convinced that the role of the parents is so critical. As an example, Rarity's cutie mark... she pretty much literally got hers because her horn dragged her to a rock full of precious gems. I greatly doubt that had anything at all to do with her upbringing or her parents in general.

Edited October 20, 2016 by GlaciesFrost

[Red Cedar 1,408]

Scootaloo has a room of her own, rather than living in a dorm, so I'm guessing she has a family of some sort. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle do still have guidance figures in their lives, so I doubt that had much of an influence, either. It was simply a matter of figuring it out for themselves.

 

That said, I could easily imagine the disadvantaged nature of having no family could mean a lack of opportunities to discover one's talent and thus delay a foal from getting their cutie mark.

[K1539 47]

When did Babs seek anyone's attention by being a bully? I was under the impression is was a one time thing she jumped into in order to avoid victimization in a place she thought would be a safe haven. I would agree she did it for a certain kind of attention, or to avoid a certain kind of attention, but I wouldn't say she did so for attention in general. And as far as her manners go, nothing she did before and after that particular episode seemed to suggest she had bad manners. She wasn't a jerk until she felt threatened.

On a separate note, I believe I once heard about Lauren having said Scootaloo's parents were always away on business, or some likeness, and that Scootaloo was just really good at eluding the babysitter.

And onto the point of the post. I think it's feasible that gaining a cutie mark is related to knowing one's own purpose, or talent, and it is easy to see how having parents around would hasten this. Parents, usually, are among the biggest supporters of our lives. They are mentors, educators, and providers. Someone without that influence wouldn't have that support. Applejack and Big Mac are almost always busy, Granny Smith never wakes up from her nap. Sweetie Belle seems to live with Rarity primarily and Rarity is always busy with her lines. Scootaloo has Rainbow Dash, after a point, but I honestly have to question Rainbow Dash's influence on Scootaloo's self-realization quest.

Apart from their immediate counterparts, all those three would have are their peers, the most prominent being Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon (who obviously are as helpful in this matter as would be a pile of sand in a greased baking tin) And then there's Cheerilee, who might have been a huge influence if the Cutie Mark Crusaders would have had a "Twilight Time" with her. But Cheerilee's schedule might not have allowed it, though she seems like she would be more than willing to act a mentor. And then there's Twilight whom I believe played a nice role in their cutie mark acquisition but it is probably a subtle and general role. Luna is probably one of the biggest aides (their selves notwithstanding) as she was able to directly see their fears and guide them through them.

All in all, I think it's less related to biological relationships and more about the emotional ones.

Edited October 20, 2016 by K1539

[SolarComet 26]

It is possible that due to the absentee parents, whether absent due to circumstance or through their own choice, they had less of an authority figure to rely on who would be able to push them in the right direction?

It is possible that the Cutie Mark Crusaders could've had some issues finding their own special talent/cutie mark hence of no father nor mother around to provide additional ways of finding their unique cutie mark. I think if their parents had been around then the Cutie Mark Crusaders might have not been a thing. That being said I also think Sweetie Bell could've mastered Magic stuff like Twilight, Scootaloo could finally fly like Rainbow Dash(and maybe became a WonderBolt in a later episode), and that Applebloom would carry on the family tradition of having some sort of Apple related Cutie Mark.

[cmarston1 5,964]

I don't really see the connection here.

[Peppermint Larry 203]

Fluttershy had parents and she got her cutie mark way later than the CMC's did.

 

I don't think the magic itself understands or cares if there have been parental figures around or not. However, it's hard to discover your talent when you have nobody motivating you or coaching you to figure it out.