The relationship between Haley (Sarah Hyland), Phil (Ty Burrell) and Claire (Julie Bowen) is one you would find in any Modern Family. When fans first met Haley, she was a stereotypical teenager who just wanted to party and rebel against her parents’ wishes. Claire and Phil had to apply the good cop/bad cop routine with her often as this proved to be the most effective.
However, there are times where fans have to question their parenting methods when they have gone to extreme measures to prove their points. Sometimes, you have to wonder if they did it to get revenge. Keep reading to see the 5 worst things Haley did to her parents (& 5 they did to her).
Haley: Smashed up the car
In the episode “Punkin Chunkin”, Haley manages to show her irresponsibility when she causes a dent in Claire’s car. This was due to Haley being distracted by Alex researching Phil’s longtime friend. She makes the irresponsible choice to look at Alex’s phone when she is driving, which causes the teen to drive into a trash can.
Instead of admitting her indiscretion, Haley forces Alex to keep it a secret from Claire. The pressure gets too much for her younger sibling, which causes Alex to stress and act differently. On the other hand, Haley is much comfortable with lying. At least we know now why Claire doesn’t trust her.
Claire & Phil: Almost sent her away with a stranger
One of the first instances where fans have questioned Claire and Phil’s parenting came in the episode “Party Crasher”. Haley, Phil, and Claire engage in the weirdest game of Chicken when Haley reveals she is going on a date with a co-worker. To everyone’s surprise, her date looks the same age as Phil.
Claire and Phil are going to put a stop to the relationship until Mitch points out that Claire used to date an older man to get a rise out of Jay. Claire convinces Phil to play the game, believing Haley was doing the same thing she did. Claire even gives Haley her credit card to pay for dinner and a hotel room. Phil was the only one with common sense to end the charade.
Haley: Kicked them out of her dorm room
There have been many moments in everyone’s lives where you have been embarrassed by your guardians. However, fans couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Claire and Phil when Haley tries to rebuff their attempts to help her move into college.
In the episode “Schooled”, Phil and Claire embarrass Haley by wearing a ‘Haley Moving Co." t-shirt. They also embarrass her further when Phil accidentally hits on her roommate and Claire ends up ordering a Hello-Kitty bedspread. Haley ends up asking them to leave because she’s worried about her reputation (again). It came to a point where Haley was starting to look shallow.
Claire & Phil: Used the twins to get a deal on a job
In the recent episodes, fans have watched as Haley has adjusted to motherhood. With the help of the Dunphys, she seems to be doing okay. However, in “Perfect Pairs”, fans see them trying to avoid the new parents because they are exhausted from helping them out.
Yet, Claire seems to change her mind when a business opportunity arises. She offers to take the twins to Haley’s Mommy and Me yoga class to get closer to a potential client. As expected, Haley is furious with her mother because she genuinely believed Claire wanted to spend time with her grandkids. What’s worse is that Phil still wants to use them after she told them off.
Haley: Made Claire do her work
Haley may not have been academically smart, but she showed her intelligence in other areas. This was prominently seen in “Starry Night” when Haley asks Claire for help in creating 40 cupcakes for a school project. Claire ends up sending Haley upstairs when she notices Haley putting eggshells into a bowl.
However, Haley reveals this is part of her plan to manipulate Claire into doing the work for her. For the rest of the episode, fans see Haley talking and messaging her friends on her phone. The plan would have worked until Claire saw how Luke succeeded in doing the project by himself. In revenge, a horrified Haley watched as Claire binned all the cupcakes.
Claire & Phil: Too overprotective
It’s usually Claire who messes up the most. However, for this entry, it is actually Phil as fault as his overprotective tendencies are seen to be smothering. In the episode “Go Bullfrogs!”, Phil offers to give Haley a tour of his old alma mater to give her a better understanding of college life.
When Haley is invited to go to a college party with other students, Phil has no issue with it. However, fans soon realize that he is only comfortable with the idea because he is tracking her phone. When he sees that she is at a fraternity, he jumps to conclusions ends up embarrassing her in front of her classmates. It’s not one of his finest moments.
Haley: Lied about having a job
It is obvious to all that Haley takes her parents for granted, which is why Claire and Phil harp on about her getting a job. However, Haley tries to cheat her parents’ system when Alex realizes that she hasn’t got a real job and has been hanging out of the mall (“Regrets Only”).
It’s an ingenious plan as Haley has been using her old birthday money to con her parents into matching the amount. If Claire and Phil continue to give her money, she would be given a car for nothing. Even though Alex tries to expose her plan, it’s annoying that Claire and Phil never find out as they are too caught up in their own drama.
Claire & Phil: Abandoned Haley in the middle of nowhere
In the episode “Treehouse”, fans have to question Claire’s parenting skills once again when she puts Haley in harm’s way to prove a point. In the beginning, Haley reveals to Claire that she is struggling to write an essay for school relating to the “Biggest obstacle she has had to overcome”.
After Haley accuses Claire of molly-coddling, Claire tricks Haley into going for a drive. Here, Claire drives them into the middle of nowhere and tells Haley to get out of the car to inspect a tree. As soon as she if far enough, Claire drives off and leaves Haley without a phone or money. It’s a plan that could have backfired and had major consequences.
Haley: Nearly ruined Mother’s Day
When it comes to Mother’s Day, the least Haley could do was to try and give Claire no grief. Yet, she couldn’t even do that. In the episode “Mother’s Day”, Gloria and Claire decide that they want to spend the day going on a hike with the kids. However, they soon ditch them when all the kids do is moan and whine.
Instead of apologizing for the way they behaved, Haley decides not to as she believes that Claire is trying to make them feel guilty so she can continue to pick the places they go to. Although Luke feels bad, Haley remains adamant that they do not give in. For all the things Claire does for her, she only had to stay quiet for a day. It’s just not the time to make a stand.
Claire & Phil: Disapproval of Dylan
Fans agree that Claire and Phil don’t always treat Dylan right when it comes to Haley. For years, they have watched Claire harp on about how Dylan wasn’t good enough for Haley or that he was too stupid. She even made the choice to decline Dylan’s proposal because she didn’t believe Haley would make the right decisions. It’s not as if Phil hasn’t done his fair share of disrespecting Dylan, he just allows Claire to be the bad guy.
Even now that Dylan is Haley’s husband, you can tell that Claire hasn’t fully embraced him into the family yet. What makes matters worse is how he remains polite to them all.
