Which of the mane six would make the worst mom?

[toonbat 28]

Gotta go with Rarity myself.  She's my favorite, but definitely has a record of being terrible with kids, with the inconsistent exception of Spike.  I do think she could be a wonderful mom, but it's gonna be an uphill battle for both.

[Something Floaty 1,333]

Rainbow Dash, by far. I see her as the 'plop the kid down in front of the TV with some mac and cheese while I run to the gym' kind of mom. Not that I dislike RD or anything, I just think she's a little too enamored with her life of freedom and frequent laziness to be adept at taking care of someone else.

[TheMarkz0ne 962]

I would have to Twilight Sparkle. Her duties as  a princess would get in the way. Twilight was raised by Cadence practically. so how are we to assume she can raise a child, when her own parents never raised her?

Edited May 1, 2014 by TheMarkz0ne

[Megas 27,069]

Pinkie Pie, Nothing but junkfood. Not a good diet for kids

[Fender 1,283]

In truth, I think it could be any or all of them.

 

Someone stated that Rainbow Dash is too in love with her freedom. Well, yeah, but I think she would also be smart enough to realize that once somepony becomes a mother, it's time to grab responsibilities by the tail and drag them around behind you. Or...maybe Dash wouldn't do that. Maybe. Who knows? This same thing could apply to any and all of the Mane 6.

[Something Floaty 1,333]

Pinkie Pie, Nothing but junkfood. Not a good diet for kids

 

I think Pinkie would be the kind of parent who was too lenient with her kids. She would pay a lot of attention to them; they would never suffer neglect or anything, but she might have a difficult time disciplining them. I think she'd eventually settle in to motherhood and be fine at it, but she's more suited to being the fun, crazy aunt. Fluttershy would likewise have problems being strict as parents need to, but we know she can be stern infrequently and her talent for caring for wild animals should serve her well. Rarity can definitely have moments of insensitivity, as we've seen with Sweetie Belle, but they aren't terribly traumatic and she always realizes what she has to do to remind her sister that she loves her. Additionally, all of her problems with Sweetie Belle in the show stem from her being busy trying to do stuff for others, so she is at least setting a good example. Plus, she helps a ton with raising her sister, so she has the experience. Twilight would almost certainly base her parenting style on books about the subject, but she would temper her reading with her own personality and be a loving mother, too.

 

I think Applejack would be the best mother. She has considerable experience, strong family ties at home, a good work ethic, and is very kind and loving. Her children would learn the value of friendship, family, and hard work, yet still be able to enjoy playtime.

[Spartan 433]

i put my money on Rarity, shes more into herself than anyone else.. regardless of her Element..

 

Now, in my opinion, Apple Jack would be the best mom. My reasoning is that she is hard working, and might have raised Apple Bloom (with the help of everyone else).. so she'd know what to do.. maybe.

[Ribbonfree 2,383]

I think Dashie is the only one who hasn't actually handled a child in a mothering fashion, from what we've seen so far. AJ has Applebloom, Twilight's had Twilight Time, Rarity has Sweetie Belle, Pinkie has the Cake babies, and Fluttershy was the CMC's babysitter. I think Floaty hits the nail on the head when it comes to what each could offer... As for Dash, she just needs to learn the ropes. I don't think any of them would be especially bad parents, to be honest. I think Equestrian society as a whole probably just creates good parents naturally.

 

And anyone who said Rarity prepare yourself. He's coming.

[Pineapple Bloom 511]

For some reason, Pinkie Pie is the first Pony that came to mind. Maybe it's because of her short attention span and her lack of awareness when it comes to danger.  She'd be great at entertaining her kids but I don't think she'd be good at keeping an eye on them at all times.

[Truffles 2,033]

I think they would be all OK, but I guess from past episodes I would vote Rainbow as having the highest chance of failure, mainly for the same reason stated above - she's too independent and carefree. As for the others:

• Twilight is Spike's surrogate mom, so we know she can handle kids.
• Rarity cares for Sweetie Belle, so we know she's good with kids (not sure she'd be interested in ever having any foals/dragon hybrids of her own though due to her career).
• AJ's been helping take care of Applebloom since their parents died, so she's in the mom category.
• Pinkie Pie was able to take care of the Cake's kids (she should look for 666's under their manes. )
• Fluttershy, well, shoot... She's a no-brainer for being a mom due to her nurturing instinct. Don't know if she'll ever be a mom, either, mainly because she's too shy to ask a stallion out.

[Doctor XFizzle 8,651]

Pinkie Pie because of her terrible diet and because she'd be the type to try and be friends with her kids instead of being a parent and being stern and a disciplinarian when needed.

[Adorkable 2,737]

I would have to say Rainbow Dash, please forgive me Dashie fans! ^^"

 

Let me explain why, though. If you don't mind. ^^

 

Twilight Sparkle (aka, best pony in existence), first off, I think would be an excellent mother. Due to her being very knowledgeable, and being extremely responsible. I'm sure she only has a few hundred books or so in her giant library she's memorized about being a mother. ^^

 

Applejack, I also think would be a great parent. One of the reasons would be because of where and how she lives. Southern people usually have an excellent tendency to have tremendous amounts of trust and connections in their family. Another would be because she practically raises Apple Bloom on her own, so she would have an excellent amount of experience with children/foals.

 

Fluttershy, yes. Need I explain? You can argue that in the episode "Stare Master", we learned that Fluttershy taking care of animals and foals were two distant worlds, but doesn't she figure it out in the end? She has so much love built up inside of her she usually equally shares amongst her animal friends. Think of how much love her foal would receive!

 

Pinkie Pie, were were shown in "Baby Cakes" that she makes an excellent babysitter. So who's to say she couldn't focus that love and care to something greater to care for her own foal?

 

Rarity was a close tie for second with Fluttershy. I can understand what most people think about how from her personality is, she wouldn't make a good mother. But I think her experience with Sweetie Bell could help her skills. She does get angry a lot, but shows plenty of love towards Sweetie Bell, as seen in a recent episode, "From Whom the Sweetie Bell Tolls".

 

As for Rainbow Dash, I decided she would make the worst mother. Mostly because of how she seems to be one of those parents who wouldn't care that much, but still some! Those touching moments between her and Scootaloo tell me otherwise, but I still stick with my gut instinct on this. ^^

 

This is just my opinion, though! ^^

 

~Best to Worst~

 

1. Twilight Sparkle (surprised?)

2. Applejack

3. Pinkie Pie

4. Fluttershy

5. Rarity

6. Rainbow Dash

[ghostfacekiller39 23,857]

i put my money on Rarity, shes more into herself than anyone else.. regardless of her Element..

Jeez, kid, don't make me explain to you why that's wrong...even I'm tired of doing that, so I know everyone else is  

 

I'll do it, though, just got to ask.

 

 

Anyway, I'd have to go with RD; she seems like the type that'd be absolutely clueless in that situation; sit 'em in front of the tv with a bowl of cereal. Rarity seems to have some trouble with the little ones, but I think she'd be excellent as they got older. Pinkie would be a bit chaotic and maybe have trouble with discipline, but she'll genuinely care about her kid. 

 

RD, while she'll care about her kid, I think she's the only one I'd say would be a terrible mother. I can see her being a pretty cool extended aunt to some of the other mane 6's children, but she'd struggle a lot with child care and really slow down development.

Edited May 1, 2014 by ghostfacekiller39

[toonbat 28]

To everyone who picked Dashie, I gotta say.... she WOULD be one of the worst options as she is right now, but I still gotta hand it to her, we're dealing with a very different Rainbow Dash now than we did in Season 1.  Throughout her character-focused episodes, we've seen her grow more disciplined, and respond better to authority, not to mention seeing her wield some authority of her own, and proving that she can be very good at it.  Being patient and understanding doesn't come naturally to her, but she's proven she can be both, as shown in Hurricane Fluttershy.

 

She's also shown that she's much more willing to be nurturing and affectionate, courtesy of Tank and Scootaloo.  Don't get me wrong.  I still wouldn't trust her with a potted plant, let alone a foal, and it doesn't help that she's shown no indication of wanting to be a mother in the first place, but there's no denying she's far more suited for the role than she was when we first met her, and everything indicates she'll only be moreso in the future, should she finally incline to take on that task.

Fluttershy's a great pick for best mom, being kind, loving and nurturing.  The biggest concern here for me is that the whole point of parenthood is to prepare children to face the challenges of the real world... and she's not exactly the most qualified to teach anybody that . 

 

I also would foresee a lot of trouble dealing with teenage kids, as she is very vulnerable to confrontation, and it's awfully easy to hurt someone in anger when you're young and frustrated and start to steer away from your parents' beliefs.

 

That being said, Fluttershy is stronger and wiser than she herself believes, and I trust she'll do quite nicely on the whole.  I think all the Mane Six would, in the long run, but I'm pretty sure some would stumble more than others, and I'm really enjoying all your theories so far.

[Venomous 18,813]

I think RainbowDash would make the worst mother. She is arrogant and way too caught up in herself to raise a baby. Now, before you say "Well, RainbowDash has changed since season 1!".

 

No. She hasn't. She still acts the same in all aspects. I see her totally neglecting a child.

[Jammo 986]

Rainbow Dash would be a great mom. She'd act more like a stereotypical dad getting her kids into sports but gender roles aren't set in stone anymore. She'd also be a capable disciplinarian if she needed to be. C'mon. Who doesn't want a cool parent? People seem to think Ms. Loyalty would just neglect her kids.. No she wouldn't.

 

I'd actually go with Twilight. Her studious, OCD behaviour would create a lot of problems. Why do you think so many scientists are asexual? They have compassion for their fellow man/pony but often care more about progressing their craft than slow, patient sentimentality.

[Kay Dreamer 884]

Ooh, fun topic. Coming at this with a little knowledge of child psychology and behaviour management here, from best to worst I'd have to go...

 

Best

Fluttershy

Applejack

Twilight

Rarity

Pinkie Pie

Rainbow Dash

Worst

 

Fluttershy: People will probably think this one is a strange choice, but I know how well this approach with children and young people works. Fluttershy may not have much experience with kids, but her gentle, nurturing nature, patience and kindness would all contribute to being a fantastic mother. She is capable of putting her hoof down when need be, we've seen that. She'd be democratic, fair, and while she would have boundaries, those boundaries would allow her children plenty of space in which to grow into their own people.

 

Applejack: She has a lot of experience with Apple Bloom and is very family focused. She'd put her all into raising her kids. She's patient, honest, and very loving. She may have a few problems being a tad overbearing and not letting her children have enough independence, but as we saw with Apple Bloom, she forces herself to step back once she realises how much frustration she's causing. I also see her as a democratic parent who values her children's input, though her boundaries would be narrower than Fluttershy's.

 

Twilight: Twilight would absolutely want what's best for her children. She'd be very 'by the book' and would probably raise them well in a loving and nurturing manner. She'd give them plenty of attention and guidance. Where I think Twilight would struggle is when her idea of what's 'best' conflict with her children's view of themselves, their future and what they want to grow to be. I think she'd have a tendency to project herself onto her children. They'd lack the same freedom as their peers and may feel constricted. Her focus on achievement may also cause a bit of resentment.

 

Rarity: While I think Rarity would prove to be a capable parent if she chose to, I don't see Rarity as wanting kids. That may just be me projecting myself onto her character; we're very similar. But from what I've observed, Rarity is so focused on her own life, her art and her career that I can't see having children as ever being something she'd prioritise. If she did decide to, I think she'd demonstrate good parenting skills, though she would struggle with juggling her work and providing time for her children. You can see this with Sweetie Belle. It's obvious Rarity loves Sweetie Belle very much, but she doesn't spend as much time with her as she ought to.

 

Pinkie Pie: Two words: NO BOUNDARIES. Pinkie would love her children, but she lacks an appropriate sense of responsibility, and would be terrible at discipline. She'd be way too laissez-faire, expecting her children to just magically behave on their own, and when they don't, I expect she'd get angry and punish, or simply give up and let them carry on being naughty. (You see this ALL THE TIME with teachers.) Hot/cold discipline like that is not only useless, it confuses children. They don't learn how to self-manage their behaviour, which becomes a liability later in life. (Also, Pinkie has been shown to be absolutely terrible at self-managing her own behaviour. Not a great example to be setting.) She would spend a lot of time with her children though, which is why she's not last...

 

Rainbow Dash: Rainbow Dash is way too independent and self-absorbed to be a good parent. Like Pinkie, she lacks responsibility, but while Pinkie may compensate for that a little by spending time and effort on her children, Rainbow just wouldn't. She's not a nurturing personality, at all. Her kids would probably feel resentful, like Rainbow doesn't care enough to make time for them. Like others have said, she'd be the 'hands off' parent who pops them in front of the TV and is subsequently surprised when they grow up and don't show her affection or respect her authority. She'd also suffer from the same laissez-faire discipline problem as Pinkie.

 

Rainbow would be an awesome aunt, or Godmother. Her personality would come across as 'totally cool' to a child, and they'd look up to her as a big-sister-type role model. But you wouldn't want her raising kids.

 

By the way, I'm theorising here based on the idea of them raising kids alone. Particularly in Rainbow's case, her 'hands off' lack of parenting skills could be well compensated for by her partner being the one to spend a lot of nurturing time with them, and setting their boundaries. That leaves Rainbow to be the 'cool parent' who's into sports and playing kick-around and spending fun time. It'd also lessen the possibility of her becoming resentful at her kids cutting too much into her personal freedoms. Same with Pinkie. She'd be the 'fun' parent while her partner is the 'responsible' one.

Edited May 1, 2014 by Kay Dreamer

[Pastel 7,627]

Interesting question.

 

From Best to Worst:

 

1. Applejack (best)

2. Twilight Sparkle

3. Rarity

4. Pinkie Pie

5. Rainbow Dash

6. Fluttershy (worst)

 

Fluttershy would be the worst in my opinion, she's way too tolerant and doesn't have enough authority to be a good mother.

Her "stare" doen't seem to be a good idea when it comes to raise children (plus I believe it only works on animals).

I can already see Fluttershy hesitating to say something ("ehm...please... ) when her kids are making a mess in the house.

 

Best would be Applejack, as @@Kay Dreamer already said, she has experience with Apple Bloom and a lot of authority but she can also be kind and caring. She'll definetly be a good mother.

 

...Though I said Fluttershy would be the worst mom out of the mane 6, she wouldn't be the worst mom ever, she has some good qualities too (her kindness...)

Edited May 1, 2014 by Blobulle

[Forlong 1,725]

"Worst" is such a negative word.  It's very dependent on how they became mothers, how many children they have, what their children are like, ect.

 

For example, if Twilight's daughter was studious and loved magic, she'd be a perfect mother for her.  However, if her daughter was athletic, she'd have a lot more trouble connecting with her.

 

You see, none of them would necessarily be a "better" mother than the others, just different.

[Larkybird~ 734]

"Worst" is such a negative word.  It's very dependent on how they became mothers, how many children they have, what their children are like, ect.

 

For example, if Twilight's daughter was studious and loved magic, she'd be a perfect mother for her.  However, if her daughter was athletic, she'd have a lot more trouble connecting with her.

 

You see, none of them would necessarily be a "better" mother than the others, just different.

My thoughts exactly. It just depends on all of that. Saying one would be worst just doesn't seem all that right to me yknow. :/

[Soundscape 33]

Aye, I agree with Applejack being the best mother as she basically mothers Apple Bloom.

Pinkie would be the fun mom, despite the junk food, she'd be quite good I think.

Twilight would be caring and rather responsible, but her duties would get in the way

Rarity also looks after Sweetie Belle, though Sweetie Belle usually gets into trouble.

Rainbow Dash. I agree with the "plopping them in front of the TV" thing. But I reckon she would be good, if her daughter or son was like Scootaloo.

Fluttershy. Yes. Although caring and loving she'd have rings run around her. I think she would disapline, but apologise straight afterwards. 

[Ianpiersonjdavis 512]

Rainbow Dash, as much as I like her I have to admit that I don't really see her as being a good mother, especially since being a Wonderbolt would take up just about all the time she has, not to mention I can't see her really wanting ​to have kids in the first place-given that they would slow her down and complicate her life.

[Truffles 2,033]

 

 

Particularly in Rainbow's case, her 'hands off' lack of parenting skills could be well compensated for by her partner being the one to spend a lot of nurturing time with them, and setting their boundaries.

 

That's an interesting thought! So what would you say, if perhaps, Soarin' ended up being the father of her foals? Would he be enough of a nurturer to take up the slack? Or would Foal Protective Services end up being called out only after a few moons?

 

I think he could be nurturing, but he's so much of a goofball I wonder if between him being laid back and Rainbow not wanting to deal with the nuts-and-bolts of parenting would cause their foal to not get sufficient attention by either of them?

[toonbat 28]

That's an interesting thought! So what would you say, if perhaps, Soarin' ended up being the father of her foals? Would he be enough of a nurturer to take up the slack? Or would Foal Protective Services end up being called out only after a few moons?

 

I think he could be nurturing, but he's so much of a goofball I wonder if between him being laid back and Rainbow not wanting to deal with the nuts-and-bolts of parenting would cause their foal to not get sufficient attention by either of them?

 

Silly Truffle Shuffle!  Everypony knows Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy is OTP. 

[Truffles 2,033]

Silly Truffle Shuffle!  Everypony knows Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy is OTP. 

 

Heh, actually I love that ship, too! And I agree there is more evidence for it than SoarinDash. Ok, so maybe it's fair to also ask whether Fluttershy and RD would be good parents together - presuming they got somepony to "donate" the necessary material to them , or they adopted? I imagine FS would be the main parent in that case, maybe with RD being the disciplinarian when things got out-of-hoof!