For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for May 20, 2012

She baked it, she’s allowed.

Now why couldn’t George Washington do that? After chopping down a cherry tree, he’d eat all the cherries thereon.

Hey, spoils of parenthood…sorry, war.

If stepped out of that guilt trip, she would have eaten the cherry in full view of the kid, with a big grin on her face.

Hey, otherwise it just sits on the counter.

That’s what you get for sticking your fingers in other peoples’ food, Mike. Why should you be rewarded with that cherry? Try prying it out with a knife next time, don’t ask Ellie’s permission, and make sure she’s not looking when you do it.

it is said"you cant have your cake and eat it too"but i guess you really can.

Calling Dr. Mischel…oh, and you don’t need to bring the marshmallows.

Well, I don’t understand why she said no in the first place. Just to prove she’s the authority in the house? Because she wanted it? Just because she an uptight witch?

To demonstrate what kind of person I really am….I would have picked out that cherry, popped it into my mouth and swallowed before she would even notice that cherry even was there. Not only that, I would have tunneled into that cake and ate a few more while I was at it. And….not get caught at it.

Unreasonable….and you haven’t convinced me otherwise yet.

That’s a mom for you. I would have done the same thing, except i hate Marachino cherries. Aargh!

:p

Saying no was reasonable as he’d already had two pieces. If he were smart, he would have snuck more when Elly wasn’t looking instead of asking.

That said, it looks more like a mouldy loaf of bread than cake, not very appetizing. I realize it’s a loaf pan cake, not a frosted cake but it still seems unappealing.

Good grief people.He has two pieces, but he still wants more. Mom says no, because there are four people in the house, and she probably wants the cake to last more than 30 seconds after it comes out of the oven. Go mom.Michael says pleeeeeease and starts poking at the thing. A yummy cherry pops out and lands on the counter. Mom now has four choices:1. Let Michael have the cherry. Lets him know that whining and poking at other people’s food get him what he wants.2. Toss the cherry in the trash. Makes a point, but wastes a perfectly good cherry.3. Stuff the cherry back in the little hole in the cake. Umm, no. Gross.4. Send Michael away from the temptation, serreptitiously eat the cherry yourself. Point is made, no yummy cherries wasted. And no guilt necessary. Go mom.

Wow, that’s pretty mean of her. At least give the kid the cherry, what harm is there? It’s a fruit!

“I . . . discovered that my mother had picked all the visible cherries out of it.”Oh, that’s good, Night-Gaunt. Thanks for looking it up!

I agree with mdalton, one of the best bits of parenting I’ve seen for a long time!

Kid sees something. Isn’t supposed to have it. Decides he can have it if he pokes at it/licks it/steals it. Does so. Is NOT rewarded. Ahhh…. feels good. I think it actually feels good for the kid, too. It’s good to know rules are enforced. Nothing worse than either no rules at all, or rules that are allowed to slide when you whine.

Elly did not want the cherry for herself. She wanted it left in the loaf where it should be. She only ate it after Michael had pulled it out. And giving up for your kids Does NOT mean that you give them everything they want when they want it. Children are not born knowing the proper way to behave and it is the parents job to teach them.

LOL

@Susan NewmanHow do you infer that Elly is just being mean and wanted the cherry. She baked it and could have as many cherries as she wanted. Just becasue someone is a parent doesn’t mean they should let their children be disrepectful and disobey rules. But if she had allowed him to have the cherry I’m sure you would still have found some reason to hate Elly. I’m not sure why you read this strip.