As far as parental figures in Harry Potter are concerned, there really aren’t that many that function as reliable and healthy. Most of the parental figures in Harry’s life ends up dead, and the few other examples he has are either mostly absent from his life or nor the best examples. However, Molly Weasley is a consistent parental figure to Harry as well as mother to the seven Weasley children. Molly might not be a perfect parent since no one is, but she does do a lot of things right. There are times, however, where she takes her temper a little too far.
Here are the six times Molly Weasley was a great parent and the four times she went too far.
GREAT: WHEN SHE WELCOMED HARRY INTO HER HOME AND HEART
One of the most endearing things about Molly Weasley is how willing she is to open her home to others. She is kind to Harry from the beginning, and she is now happy to let him stay at her house during summers and holidays.
She also welcomes Hermione to her home many times. It’s clear that Molly is a very giving person, and she cares especially about helping Harry since she knows he is lacking parental care and supervision in his life.
TOO FAR: BEING TOO OVERPROTECTIVE AT TIMES
While Molly Weasley always meant the best, sometimes her interpretation of what her kids, and Harry, could handle wasn’t the best. She was too overprotective of Harry, Ron, and Hermione during the events of Order of the Phoenix. While wanting to protect them makes sense, Harry definitely deserves to know what was going on considering he was so often a target of Voldemort and his followers. These special circumstances meant he needed to know more than the average 15-year-old would.
GREAT: HOW SHE GAVE HER CHILDREN A GREAT LIFE AND SUPPORTIVE HOME
One of the biggest themes of the Harry Potter series is choices and how where you come from doesn’t matter as much as your choices. While the Weasleys might not have a lot of money, they make a loving home for their children where their needs are met. Their home is much happier than the Malfoys for example, even though they are quite rich. Molly and Arthur build a home that’s welcoming and supportive, and this is really the most important thing.
TOO FAR: WHEN SHE BELIEVED WHAT RITA SKEETER WROTE ABOUT HERMIONE
This is a moment from the Goblet of Fire book that doesn’t make it into the film which is probably for the best. When Rita Skeeter writes a piece about Harry, she lies and says that Hermione is a heartbreaker and promiscuous. Molly Weasley reads this and seems to believe it. She acts coolly towards Hermione and even sends her way less in her Easter basket than she does the others. It seems ridiculous that Molly would listen to a random woman when she’s known Hermione quite well, and it’s definitely one of her most disappointing moments.
GREAT: BEING FIRM AND PROVIDING DISCIPLINE
Having seven children is no joke, and Molly’s children weren’t particularly well-behaved either. While some were more behaved than others, dealing with Fred and George would be quite hard as a mother. Also, she had Ron who regularly broke rules and other strong-willed children like Ginny.
However, she was good at providing discipline and not being a pushover. This is definitely an important aspect of good parenting.
TOO FAR: LETTING HER TEMPER GET THE BEST OF HER
On the other hand, there were times when Molly’s way of discipline went a little too far. She could be a bit intense about her emotions, and she would sometimes let her temper go too far. Sending Ron the Howler might not have been the best approach to punishing him for taking the car, even though he did deserve punishment. And, yelling often at Fred and George might have been poor parenting even if it’s hard to blame her for getting frustrated with them.
GREAT: ALWAYS REMEMBERING THAT HARRY IS STILL A CHILD
While there were times in Harry Potter where Molly was overprotective of Harry, she was also right to remember that he was a child. While other adults in his life such as Dumbledore saw him as somewhat of a pawn and forgot how young he was, Molly always saw him as a kid who needed care and protection. This is definitely true, and while she might have gone too far occasionally, her heart was definitely in the right place. Harry needed someone like her in his corner.
TOO FAR: JUDGING FLEUR
This is another instance that’s rather unfortunate and points to some issues with sexism that Molly seemed to have. There were times she seemed to be more harshly judgemental of women than men, and she was too overprotective of her son here. While Fleur definitely has her flaws, it’s unfortunate that Molly didn’t give her the benefit of the doubt.
GREAT: PROTECTING GINNY FROM BELLATRIX
This is one of the most triumphant moments that Molly has in the books, and it shows just how fierce she can be. Molly is a capable witch and also a great parent, and when she goes after Bellatrix for coming after Ginny, it was the perfect moment.
Seeing Molly kill Bellatrix to protect her daughter was definitely triumphant.
GREAT: WHEN SHE WENT TO HOGWARTS TO SUPPORT HARRY IN THE TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT
This is a great moment from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that didn’t make it into the movies. Before the final task, the Triwizard champions have family visit them to support them and watch the event. Seeing as Harry’s parents are dead, Molly Weasley, as well as her son Bill, show up to support Harry. It’s very sweet how Molly acts as a stand-in parent here, and her support clearly means a lot to Harry.
