Since its debut in 1979, For Better or For Worse has touched comic strip readers as few cartoons ever do. Cartoonist Lynn Johnston’s eye for detail and her uncanny sense of what real parents and children struggle with daily are a big part of her success. The world has watched the Patterson family grow up in real time, and to many readers, the Pattersons feel like family!
Parents and children alike will relate to the obstacles that the Patterson family faces. Curfews, parent date nights, babysitting, pets and distractions are all hurdles that the Pattersons must overcome in order to enjoy each other as a family. They face the same obstacles that real life families do, which is what makes them so loveable.
© Lynn Johnston Productions, Inc. - All Rights Reserved.
Foolish Mortals by Tom Horacek
For Heaven's Sake by Mike Morgan
Comments (28) (Please sign in to comment)
kfccanada said, 6 months ago
I’m sure thousands of moms can identify with this strip today. It certainly touches the heart.
legaleagle48 said, 6 months ago
@kfccanada
And they never really do let go completely, even when the kids are adults with families of their own. That’s just the way parents are! :-)
pouncingtiger said, 6 months ago
A different form of separation anxiety.
Night-Gaunt49 said, 6 months ago
I’m not sure who gets the feeling more the mothers or the children.
Night-Gaunt49 said, 6 months ago
Lynn’s Notes:
Aaron and Katie were both independent children. Trusting and eager to explore, they enjoyed Kindergarten, Saturday art classes, junior skating, and other activities that required them to be separated from Mom and Dad for a period of time. I credit this not just to parenting but to the wonderful daycare workers, playschool teachers, babysitters, and other caregivers who worked with them during their formative years. Together, we instilled confidence in themselves and confidence in us. We were really fortunate to have such a responsible, trustworthy team of people to back us up and give the kids a healthy, enjoyable, and safe environment to grow up in.
luckylouie said, 6 months ago
@legaleagle48
There was a movie called “Parenthood” in about 1989. It was a comedy, but Steve Martin had one line that said it all: “There’s no end zone in parenthood. You’ll never get to cross the goal line and spike the ball and listen to the crowd cheer. You just get on a roller coaster and you NEVER got off.”
Gator007 said, 6 months ago
@kfccanada
And Dads too
K.C. Fahel said, 6 months ago
I can relate to this strip. Our daughters are 7-1/2 and 10, and the letting-go doesn’t get easier as they get older, but is necessary. We just keep the old saying in mind: roots & wings.
SUSAN NEWMAN
said, 6 months ago
Most parents try to infantalize their children (especially daughters) as long as possible.
It usually isn’t until adolescence that the kids finally rebel and gain some independence.
NightShade09 said, 6 months ago
Your kids are children for only a few years.
But you are a parent forever.
howtheduck said, 6 months ago
Lynn Johnston has done several comic strips along these lines before with generally the same punch line, i.e., the mother is more anxious than the child about being dropped off. At this time her life, Lynn’s daughter Katie would have recently started kindergarten, and this is the source for her to redo this joke another time.
wndrwrthg
said, 6 months ago
“Mothers are like that…yeah they are”.
summerdog said, 6 months ago
Wasn’t this the same kid that pitched a fit about going there not that long ago? There is a lesson somewhere in that for mothers, I think.
Perkycat said, 6 months ago
@K.C. Fahel
Wait until they start driving. That was my hardest letting go point. You want to give them wings but please keep the tires on the road.
legaleagle48 said, 6 months ago
@summerdog
Yes, but when Elly came to pick Elizabeth up at the end of the day, Elizabeth’s response was “Who?”