What would Daria be like as a parent? A number of fanfics have explored this idea, and there are hints about this future in the TV series. Amy Barksdale, widely seen as a possible adult Daria, leads a child-free, spouse-free life and is content with that. When Quinn tries to get Daria to babysit in "Pinch Sitter," Daria replies, "Forget it. I don't like kids. I didn't even like kids when I was a kid." When Daria writes out her vision of the future in "Write Where It Hurts," her story includes a scene in which her mother asks, "Has there been any further discussion about expanding your little family?" "Mom," Future Daria replies, "you know I'm not ready for kids. The whole idea makes me uneasy and I'm not sure why." At this point Future Quinn appears with her loudly argumentative children and Future Daria adds, "Oh yeah, now I remember."The sharpest and most negative view of Daria as a parent was voiced by Daria's best friend, Jane, in Is It Fall Yet? When Daria describes her inability to reach out to a young boy at camp, Jane asks, "This Link situation really bothers you, huh?" "Serves me right for breaking my cardinal rule and trying to reach out to a lost soul," Daria glumly responds, to which Jane says, "Any kid who looks to you for nurturing is more than just lost." Ouch. Maybe Jane was giving Daria a shot back over the Tom thing, but as Jane adds a moment later, "I call 'em like I see 'em."
Despite Daria's remark about her "cardinal rule," it is true that, as was pointed out on PPMB by legendeld, "Canon Daria has a weak spot for anything helpless." She offers help and advice to Tad and Tricia, Brittany, Link, her sister, and a broad array of others. Though hostile and sarcastic toward authority figures, often playing them for fools, she does have a nurturing nature buried under that scowl. One might say even Amy has this, as she takes the much put-upon Daria out for cheese fries and bonding in "I Don't." Daria does good deeds even if she professes not to, but this doesn't automatically mean she would be a good parent.
Would she make a good mother, given her teenage view on the subject? Or should she follow her Aunt Amy's path and avoid the patter of little feet?
