Greg’s Dad Character Analysis in Diary of a Wimpy Kid

While Greg’s mom tends to want Greg to explore different interests, Greg’s dad has more specific ideas about how he’d like Greg to spend his time. He encourages athletics, frequently telling Greg to go outside and exercise and buying him a weightlifting machine for Christmas. He is uncomfortable with Greg playing with a Barbie Dream House, and tells him instead to choose toys “more appropriate” for boys. In this sense, he is more concerned with a cultivating a particularly masculine identity in Greg than Greg’s mom is. However, he is also a supportive and engaged parent, as he encourages Greg to run for student government and plays pranks like spraying passing teenagers with water. Greg’s dad is also Roderick and Manny’s father.

Greg’s Dad Quotes in Diary of a Wimpy Kid

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid quotes below are all either spoken by Greg’s Dad or refer to Greg’s Dad. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Abrams edition of Diary of a Wimpy Kid published in 2007.

When Mom and Dad saw my wish list that year, they got in a big fight over it. Dad said there was no way he was getting me a doll’s house, but Mom said it was healthy for me to “experiment” with whatever kind of toys I wanted to play with.

Related Characters: (speaker), ,

Page Number and Citation: 117

Explanation and Analysis:

Greg’s Dad Character Timeline in Diary of a Wimpy Kid

The timeline below shows where the character Greg’s Dad appears in Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...he had slept through the entire summer and needed to get ready for school. Greg’s dad yelled at him for making breakfast at 3:00 A.M., but when Greg tried to tell... (full context)

Tuesday. Greg loves playing video games, but his dad thinks he needs to be more physically active and sometimes tells him to go outside.... (full context)

Wednesday. Greg’s dad makes Greg go outside again, and on his way to Rowley’s he runs into Fregley,... (full context)

...finally listens to Rodrick’s CD, but he forgets to plug in his headphones, and his dad catches him. Greg’s dad bans him from playing video games for two weeks. Greg reflects... (full context)

...running against Marty Porter, which is a problem since Marty is good at math. Greg’s dad is excited that he’s running for student government, since he had done the same when... (full context)

...to Halloween. He loves trick-or-treating, although his mom says he’s too old for it. Greg’s dad likes Halloween too, since he hides in the bushes and sprays passing teenagers with water.... (full context)

...Rowley on either side of it. Shane is terrified and hides underneath the bed. Rowley’s dad comes downstairs and shuts down the haunted house, but Greg is pleased that at least... (full context)

...tells him to take Manny with him on the trick-or-treating trip, which leads to Greg’s dad coming as well, along with a neighbor friend. Greg is frustrated by their slow progress... (full context)

...so they run home, this time narrowly escaping the pick-up truck. After this ordeal, Greg’s dad drenches them with water, ruining all their Halloween candy. (full context)

...more “well-rounded.” Greg protests that this will interrupt his weightlifting schedule and looks to his dad for support, but he is overruled. Greg arrives to try out for “The Wizard of... (full context)

...Dream House as a fort for his toy soldiers. Greg’s mom was supportive, but Greg’s dad was uncomfortable and asked Greg to choose toys that were “more appropriate for boys.” Greg... (full context)

...but Uncle Charlie simply gives him a large framed picture of Uncle Charlie himself. Greg’s dad gives him the biggest gift—a brand-new weight set—but Greg doesn’t have the heart to tell... (full context)

...snowball is so big that it tears up the turf on Greg’s lawn, angering Greg’s dad. Greg’s dad is annoyed even further when Greg throws snow at Manny, so he takes... (full context)