Is Harrison Abbott’s Attachment to Claire Grace Unhealthy or Just Trauma Response? Y&R Hot Take
The Young and the Restless fans are FED UP with Harrison Abbott’s intense clinginess toward Claire Grace, with viewers demanding Kyle Abbott ship his son off to boarding school and accusations flying that both Kyle and Claire are enabling an unhealthy attachment.
The Only Kid in Genoa City and He’s Driving Everyone CRAZY
Look, I get it. Harrison Abbott has been through absolute HELL. His bio mom Tara Locke is rotting in prison for embezzlement. His presumed dad Ashland Locke is six feet under after that whole confrontation-gone-wrong situation with Nick Newman. And his beloved stepmother Summer Newman — the woman who actually RAISED him and moved him to Milan — is now conveniently living on another continent.
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So yeah. This kid has abandonment issues on top of abandonment issues.
But here’s where things get messy. Ever since Claire Grace entered the picture — and especially after Jordan kidnapped BOTH of them together — Harrison has latched onto her like she’s the last lifeboat on a sinking ship. And I mean LATCHED. The kid cannot function without her in the room. He demands her presence. He rejects every other soothing agent. And Kyle? He just stands there defending it like this is totally normal behavior.
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Kyle Abbott Is Getting ROASTED for This
The Young and the Restless fandom is not holding back on Kyle Abbott right now. And honestly? He deserves every bit of criticism being thrown his way.
Fans are calling him an enabler. They’re saying he’s using Harrison’s attachment to keep Claire close — because let’s be REAL here, if Harrison wasn’t obsessed with her, what excuse would Kyle have to keep this woman in his orbit 24/7? The kid is basically doing Kyle’s romantic legwork for him at this point.
And the worst part? Kyle REFUSES to parent. He won’t set boundaries. He won’t acknowledge that maybe, just MAYBE, his son needs professional help instead of a nanny who orchestrated her own aunt’s death via poisoned tea. (Yeah, we remember that, Claire. We ALL remember that.)
The comment sections are BRUTAL. “Ship him to boarding school already!” “Kyle needs to set that kid straight!” “There’s only one onscreen child in Genoa City and he’s ANNOYING!”
Harsh? Maybe. But when the same Harrison-demands-Claire-Kyle-enables-her-Claire-arrives loop plays out episode after episode after EPISODE… can you blame viewers for losing patience?
Claire Grace Isn’t Innocent Here Either
Now let’s talk about Claire Grace — or should I say Eve Nicole Howard, stolen Newman baby turned brainwashed attempted family murderer turned rehabilitated nanny turned… whatever she is now.
Fans are pointing fingers at Claire for enabling Harrison’s obsession instead of setting healthy boundaries. And they have a point. This woman went through psychiatric treatment. She KNOWS what unhealthy attachment looks like. She LIVED it with Jordan. So why is she feeding into this codependency instead of gently encouraging this traumatized child to build connections with other safe adults?
Could be she needs to be needed just as much as Harrison needs her. Could be she sees herself in this lonely kid clinging to whoever shows up consistently. Could be the writers are using Harrison as a convenient plot device to keep Claire entangled with the Abbotts.
Whatever the reason, the dynamic feels OFF. It feels loaded. And fans aren’t buying the heartwarming music the show keeps playing over these scenes.
Is This Trauma Bonding or Just Bad Writing?
Here’s the thing that’s dividing the fanbase right down the middle.
On one hand — Harrison’s behavior tracks. Clinically, psychologically, it makes SENSE. This kid has watched every parental figure in his life disappear. His mom’s in prison. His dad’s dead. Summer’s across an ocean. Of COURSE he’s going to cling to the one adult who showed up during his worst moment and stayed. That’s textbook trauma response.
On the other hand — the way the show is WRITING this attachment feels manipulative. It feels like they’re using Harrison’s cuteness and vulnerability to force audience acceptance of Claire. “See? The innocent child trusts her! YOU should trust her too!” And fans are rejecting that emotional manipulation HARD.
The calls for boarding school aren’t really about hating a child character. They’re soap opera shorthand for “We’re done with this storyline. Age him up. Reset the character. Give us something NEW.”
Because right now? Every Harrison scene plays exactly the same. He wants Claire. Kyle defends it. Claire responds. Rinse. Repeat. Nothing evolves. Nothing gets addressed. The trauma just… festers.
Summer Newman Erasure Is REAL
Can we also talk about how Summer Newman’s entire maternal bond with Harrison is being systematically erased to prop up Claire?
Summer RAISED that boy. She moved to Milan with him. She was his mom in every way that mattered. And now we’re supposed to believe he only wants Claire because they survived one kidnapping together?
The Team Summer fans are NOT having it. They see Claire as an interloper who conveniently displaced their favorite’s established relationship with her stepson. And every scene where Harrison rejects Summer’s attempts to connect — or worse, every scene where Summer isn’t even MENTIONED — is salt in an open wound.
This triangle is using a child as a pawn. The audience sees the strings. And they’re calling it out.
What Needs to Happen Next
If the writers want to salvage this storyline, they need to do ONE of three things:
Acknowledge the obsession as a legitimate medical issue. Get Harrison into therapy. Let a professional diagnose the attachment trauma. This vindicates the fans who’ve been screaming “this is unhealthy!” for months AND allows Claire to transition from enabler to part of the solution.
Give Summer a WIN. Let there be a crisis where Claire’s soft approach fails and Summer’s protective instincts save the day. Balance the scales. Remind us why Summer and Harrison’s bond mattered.
Or just… send Harrison to boarding school. Reduce the screen time. Let the adults figure out their mess without constantly using this kid as justification for their proximity.