Of all the mysteries left standing after watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy, none has evaded a clear answer quite like the question of Frodo Baggins' parents. After all, Frodo is introduced right at the beginning of the first film by Bilbo, yet there are no hints as to where his parents are. It's just assumed that Bilbo, his uncle, is his primary caregiver and has been for some time. And, like any good hero, the missing parents only add to his heroic origin story.
It's true that Bilbo Baggins is Frodo's real uncle, and he's taken care of Frodo ever since he was twelve years old. As to why: J.R.R. Tolkien's books provide an answer that the movie didn't have time to answer.
Frodo was born to Primula Brandybuck and Drogo Baggins, making him a cousin of Meriadoc Brandybuck, more commonly known as Merry. Together, the three of them lived in Buckland, often staying at Brandy Hall. As far as the books are concerned, Frodo's childhood was undisturbed until the age of twelve, when Primula and Drogo went for a boat ride on the Brandywine River and drowned, never to return to their son.
Initially, Frodo continued to stay at Brandy Hall until Bilbo came along and formally adopted him, bringing him to Bag End and officially making him his sole heir. Even though his parents' accident was done and past, people were still apt to discuss it, as nothing terribly important seemed to happen often in the Shire. Fans of the trilogy even theorized that Gollum could've been behind Frodo's parents' untimely demise.
In J.R.R. Tolkien's books, even the Hobbits had theories about what happened to Frodo's parents. Some of the theories are wild, but to be fair, Hobbits have a lot of free time on their hands outside of gardening and planning their many meals throughout the day. Some think that Drogo's weight pulled the boat down, drowning both him and his wife. Others suggest that Primula pushed Drogo off the boat, and he pulled her in after him. Either way, it was an open discussion for years in the Shire, much to Frodo and Bilbo's distaste. But they had other things going on.
Even though it's a tragedy that Frodo lost both of his parents in one fell swoop, it fits the stereotypical fantasy character origin story. Being raised by Bilbo also instilled an unlikely sense of adventure in Frodo, which is atypical of Hobbits in general. Without having Bilbo as his caregiver, it's likely that Frodo would not have wanted to leave the Shire for any reason. Thankfully, this doesn't happen, and Frodo completes his quest to destroy the One Ring and, ultimately, save Middle-earth from the wrath of Sauron -- all thanks to Bilbo's unique style of parenting.
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