When you fit the age demographic of a kids or teen show, you don’t always realize how strangely absent (or incompetent) the characters’ parents seem to be. However, when you get older and rewatch some of your older favorite shows (or if you’re grown but watching new kids or teen shows) then you’ve probably questioned where the adults are…or what they were thinking.

For example, in Victorious, Cat lived in the school because her parents moved away. She was supposed to live with her “mean” aunt and uncle but decided to run away instead. Neither her parents nor her aunt and uncle questioned where she’d disappeared to.

Or the episode where the students had a sleepover at their teacher’s house???

Or, in Pretty Little Liars, Aria’s parents didn’t really do enough when they found out she was in a relationship with a teacher. Rather than report Ezra, they just tried to ban her from seeing him.

So, what moments from kids or teen shows made you think, “Where are their parents?” Why? What do you wish the show had done differently? Share your answers in the comments, and they may be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community post!