For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for December 17, 2012

  1. B986e866 14d0 4607 bdb4 5d76d7b56ddb
    Templo S.U.D.  over 11 years ago

    Based upon John’s facial expression in the final panel, it looks like he has gone sad too.

     •  Reply
  2. Dsc00030
    alviebird  over 11 years ago

    He doesn’t really look all that angry to me. But, thinking back, I believe I’d rather have had my dad angry than disappointed.

     •  Reply
  3. Marina and cruise ship from dick s resized for avatar
    kfccanada  over 11 years ago

    Unfortunately, as parents, we’re more inclined to act like John in such a situation rather than the understanding parent we should be. I remember a lot of words I should have eaten. Yes, John should turn around and go help Michael find another angel for his mom. After all, Ellie doesn’t deserve to pay the price for MIchael’s mistake by not having a gift from her son.

     •  Reply
  4. Missing large
    rusty gate  over 11 years ago

    Can’t help but think of parents in CT this morning who regret if their last words to their 6 yr. old were ones of anger before sending them off to school last Friday.

     •  Reply
  5. Missing large
    calabrok  over 11 years ago

    He’ll remember all right… not sure if that’s the memory John would want Michael to have of him.

     •  Reply
  6. Missing large
    Katiekicks  over 11 years ago

    He’s crying. When a kid does something that makes them cry, they never forget that feeling

     •  Reply
  7. Missing large
    Beleck3  over 11 years ago

    do you actually think John has a clue? that would be astounding. John is so clueless.

     •  Reply
  8. Missing large
    gordmary  over 11 years ago

    Tough lesson, but I agree, you can’t let him off that easily. Get a replacement but at his cost. If he can’t afford it right now a loan is the only solution. I would not want to see his whole Christmas with a dark cloud over it or a little boy who has to give mom a broken ornament, but there does have to be a consequence for his action.

     •  Reply
  9. Maggie simpson
    hcr1985  over 11 years ago

    I would say try to repair it, and if he can’t just give Elly the ‘broken’ angel. I am sure she will appreciate the thought and the fact that he thought of her. I did a similat thing as a kid, and my mom still has the “broken” statue on her mantle!!!!

     •  Reply
  10. Missing large
    peytie Premium Member over 11 years ago

    I realize that the writer is bitter over the divorce, but I wonder if her ex was really that bad a father? However, he does sound just like my kids’ father.

     •  Reply
  11. Missing large
    peytie Premium Member over 11 years ago

    ps, that wasn’t from Peyton Lingle, I am his wife, different father to my kids, not him.

     •  Reply
  12. Thumbnail
    Marko56  over 11 years ago

    I’m with Bwana on this one. Michael may actually take this lesson to heart with his Dad being stern & firm.

     •  Reply
  13. Missing large
    tuslog64  over 11 years ago

    Mom?Yes—You know that vase that’s been handed down from generation to generation?Yes?Well, this generation broke it!

     •  Reply
  14. Missing large
    tuslog64  over 11 years ago

    A man (ex boyfriend, as it will develop), wanted to buy his girlfriend a present, but was short on cash (or just cheap).He noticed a vase that had been dropped, and was in several pieces. Hmmm – he thinks, I can salvage this, have it sent to my girl-friend and she will think it was broken in shipment!So, he gets it at a 95% discount, and has it mailed.Later, he gets a letter from her saying how thoughtful he was for buying the vase.He thought he was off the hook, until reading the next line.And it was also so thoughtful that they wrapped each piece sepatately!

     •  Reply
  15. 14
    Redhead55  over 11 years ago

    @ exturkOmg! I’m sure it wasn’t funny at the time for the man (ex-boyfriend), but the story is.

     •  Reply
  16. Missing large
    angusdad  over 11 years ago

    Lynn sounds like she had a very good dad and I agree with her. There is nothing worse as a kid when you accidently break something.

     •  Reply
  17. Missing large
    newworldmozart  over 11 years ago

    As with anything, one advise does not fit all. In this case Michael has learned his lesson, he feels horrible. This is the perfect time for his Father to show unconditionally love and save the day, and teach him how working off debt is rewarding. My son did learn the opposite regarding his grandparents. He’d break something, I tell him,’ sorry you have to be more careful with you’re toys. Now you have to work off getting it replaced.’ But comes along my in-laws. And just replaces everything without the work. Then they wonder why he was super lazy as a teenager and young adult.

     •  Reply
  18. Ivymucha
    rowena28 Premium Member over 11 years ago

    I have zero tolerance for kids not listening & breaking stuff. I do NOT believe in corporal punishment, so I would not have spanked Mike, but I would ground him til well past New Year’s, and he’d find that Santa put him on the naughty list this year. He could watch his sister open her gifts & learn not to be so careless again.

     •  Reply
  19. Missing large
    beyondnow777  over 11 years ago

    WOW!!! People saying get another angel, people saying he should learn a lesson, and not a single one of you notice how stupid it is to spend your money on dust collectors.

     •  Reply
  20. Coffee and book 1
    Cofyjunky  over 11 years ago

    You’re a Republican, aren’t you?

     •  Reply
  21. Me on trikke 2007    05
    pam Miner  over 11 years ago

    I can remember feeling exactly like Michael way too many times! Parents can make an already sad and sorry kid feel So much worse! I’ve forgiven, but sorry to say, I haven’t forgotten.Shaming a child in that way is not loving, constructive critisism, it’s just mean spirited.

     •  Reply
  22. Missing large
    bevgrey  over 11 years ago

    Yeah, he’ll remember that he did something careless because he was a young kid and his father never let him hear the end of it. I told you so is one the nastier things you can do to someone, especially if repeated many times.

     •  Reply
  23. Cathy aack
    lindz.coop Premium Member over 11 years ago

    I just tuned in to see how the Elly-bashers would turn this around and blame her. Instead they found a way to just bash Lynn for an honest portrayal of how many parents would have handled the situation — at least at first — then some might have been sorry and tried to remedy afterward.

     •  Reply
  24. Img 0373
    Deborah N Lurie  over 11 years ago

    Firstly, saying “you never” to a child gives much different meaning than the lesson of the moment. I like the suggestion of getting another angel and letting Michael work to repay the cost. There is lesson with consequence and there is punishment. What lesson would punishment (no replacement) teach in this case? Punishment usually leads to resentment. The key is how the consequences of the action are presented to the child.

    While it is true that an inanimate object is “just” an object, I was not happy when many years ago a friend’s young son was fooling around and broke a cherished wedding present. Not all items are replacable. Some have meaning beyond the atoms of which they consist.

    This was an excellent strip. Thank you.

     •  Reply
  25. Ivymucha
    rowena28 Premium Member over 11 years ago

    I do agree that punishment should focus on restitution. That is the main thing that is lacking in our criminal justice system. Michael needs to be taught by his father how to glue the angel. I do not think he should buy another one with his allowance because, even though that would teach him a lesson in itself, it is wasteful, and that is a bad lesson for a kid to learn. Fix it, and give it to mom anyway.

    I also don’t believe in buying bric-a-brac but I realise it is a common choice for small children who don’t know what to get their parents. If Michael had been shopping w/his mom for a gift for his dad, she would have steered him to something more practical than a knick-knack, such as a new tool for his workshop, etc.

     •  Reply
Sign in to comment

More From For Better or For Worse