Florence "Flo" Healy is the ex-wife of Ben "Little Ben" Healy Jr. in the first film, as well as Junior's ex-adoptive mother. In the second film, she doesn't appear and is only mentioned by several characters. It is revealed she and Ben got a divorce, with him moving far away to get away from her and any reminders of his former terrible life.
She is played by the actress Amy Yasbeck.
Personality[]
She loved her pets; a bird and a cat more than she loved people. She was also a social climber who wanted to experience everything life had to offer. Ben made a sincere effort to try to make her happy, but she screamed and complained when things went wrong. She was also adulterous, as she had no qualms making out with another man, despite her husband being in the next room.
When Junior came into her life, things got worse when he hurt her cat and taught her bird bad language. When Flo and Junior were kidnapped, she was placed in a suitcase, and after getting fed up with her ordeal eventually told Ben she wanted a divorce. All this led to Ben finally standing up to her by ordering her to shut up. Flo received her karma, as she was sent on an unwilling trip with the farmers and a pig.
Problem Child[]
Flo and Ben go to the gynecologists to find out that Flo is unable to have children. In the car while dropping Ben off at work, Ben tries to convince her of adopting but she tells Ben she doesn't want a "second hand" kid and rejects his plan for adoption. Later at home when Flo is envying the neighbors getting together for children's birthdays so she can acquire clout in the community, Ben is able to finally convince her that adoption is a quicker way to a social climb. They go to the adoption agency, and Mr. Peabody further convinces the married couple that they should adopt an older child instead of an infant.
They end up with Junior and as soon as they bring him home, hijinks ensue. The Clown room they made for Junior catches on fire and cat is "jumps" on Ben "Big Ben" Healy. Flo is upset that the cat is hurt and not Junior. Afterwards Flo starts making her moves in the neighborhood, trying to get as many invitations as possible to community events and such. She always presents Junior as her son when making these moves. They get invited to go camping but Flo isn't going so she can buy a dress for the birthday party they just got invited to. So she just asks Ben for money. Flo gets upset that Junior is teaching the parrot bad words and starts trying to convince Ben that they made a bad choice with Junior. At the Party, Flo gets starts showing sucking up to Marion the mother of the birthday girl.
As Junior causes havoc at the party after the other kids tease him and ostracize him for being adopted so he throws presents into the pool. The family gets kicked out of the party after Junior blows up the cake. At home Flo is brushing her hair and tells Ben to "Be a Man" and beat Junior for his behavior, giving him her brush. Ben doesn't follow through with it because he sees that Junior is remorseful for what he did.
At the little league baseball game that Ben is coach of, Junior gets taunted and teased by the other players because of Ben, and proceeds to beat the other kids using the bat; he then calls "Touchdown" despite the game being baseball and not football. This causes Ben to remark, "We've adopted Satan."
They go straight after to the church; as Ben makes confession, Flo chases Junior all around the church as she calls him a "heathen" and a "little creep". Ben is convinced that he wants to take Junior back, believing him to be too much of a problem.
Flo and Ben go back to the adoption agency and try to return him to Mr. Peabody. Mr. Peabody says he's been retuned thirty times already, in which Flo responds, "Well, this makes thirty-one, Charley."
Taken aback by the realization of Junior having been given up on by thirty different couples, Ben opts to keep Junior and make an "inspiring" speech, in which Flo berates him for.
Believing he is going to be returned to the adoption agency, Junior starts to drive the car and crashes it into Big Ben's store and does a lot of damage.
Ben is catatonic after the incident — especially when he is threatened with paying the damages to the store. Meanwhile, Martin Beck, has been exchanging pen pal letters with Junior, with Junior using the moniker "J.R" when signing his letters. Martin is disappointed when he notices Junior is actually a 7-year-old boy, as he thought Junior was another criminal and wanted to do a crime spree with him. Martin claims he's Junior's uncle and he wanted to reconnect with him.
Flo's Plot[]
Seeing this as a way to get rid of Junior, Flo invites Martin to stay for dinner. At dinner, Flo is really trying to convince Martin to take Junior. In the kitchen, she and Martin talk before he tells Flo how he hasn't been with a woman in fifteen years, once she says women love single fathers and they would just flock to him. Right then he passionately kisses her, and they embrace. She regains her wits and says "fifteen years?" and aggressively takes over as they make out in the kitchen, while Ben hears still catatonic and is heartbroken.
Flo's Karma[]
In the morning, Ben finds that Flo and Junior are kidnapped. Martin wants a $100,000 for their return which Ben says "He can keep them!"
Flo has been tied up with rope and cleaved gagged in the back seat of Martin's car. She sits up abruptly and spits out the gag. She starts yelling at Martin talking about "This is supposed to be our honeymoon!" She starts talking about how he gave her sweet nothings and he tells her "It is our honeymoon, you moron!". She then starts talking about how she isn't just a classless woman, and he tells her to shut up. She barks "I will not shut up!". Irritated, Martin puts Flo in a suitcase and drags her up into the trunk as she is still threatening to sue him and what-not. Later, Flo, still bound in the suitcase in the trunk, is screaming for help, only for a dog to hear her as the dog goes and get other dogs.
During the chase, Ben shoots open the trunk and as Martin's car hits a bump, the suitcase flings out and lands on the roof of the car Junior and Ben are riding on. While still bound in the suitcase, her screams alert Ben who says her name in confusion. From inside, she angrily calls out to Ben and says she wants a divorce; Ben replies by rudely telling her to shut up, out of resentment from her cheating and their terrible marriage. After the car comes to a complete stop, the suitcase with Flo flings out over the bridge they are on and lands on a truck full of pigs. Flo starts scream about the sudden change and the smell.
Watching both Ben and Junior see the truck carrying her drive off, Ben remarks "Flo always said she wanted to travel." He was ultimately pleased to be done with her.
Flo was able to open up the suitcase to see what is going on, only to find pig testicles in her face; she quickly recloses the suitcase with her inside yelling "Oh, My God!" as the credits roll.
Problem Child 2[]
Ben's decision[]
Sometime later, she was presumably able to get out of the suitcase and Ben granted her the divorce. She doesn't physically appear and is only mentioned by several characters. When Ben expressed nostalgia about leaving his hometown, Junior reminded Ben about Flo and how she was one of those who hated Ben for no reason, despite him doing everything to please her. With that mention, he and Junior move to a new town for a fresh start. Ben's divorce allowed him to realize he could find someone better after several women fawned over him.
Gallery[]
"Shut up! Flo"
Notes[]
- Amy Yasbeck who portrayed Flo Healy in the first film & Annie Young in Problem Child 2 would go onto marry John Ritter in real life and have a child with him, staying together until his death in 2003.