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 (37) (Please sign in to comment)
templo SUD said, 6 months ago
I don’t like that look on Michael’s face; he’s thinking his mother has gone nuts
Bailey said, 6 months ago
… but she may be right. It worked for me.
MAC45 said, 6 months ago
@templo SUD
I agree.
LFate
said, 6 months ago
Elly might have somethinghere. Brad probably isn’t used to someone being nice to him.
SUSAN NEWMAN
said, 6 months ago
Elly’s advice is as stupid as “Just ignore them and they’ll stop”.
Believe me that does NOT work.
Kasper said, 6 months ago
A soft answer turneth away wrath.
Yeah, right …
On the other hand, standing up to bullies only works when you’re bigger than them.
K.C. Fahel said, 6 months ago
In Junior High, there was a girl who was constantly picking on me, beating me up, etc. One time, after an altercation, we were called into the principal’s office. I got there first. The principal asked me what the issue was. I said, “I don’t know. One thing I know about V is that, I’ve seen her with her friends; she’s a good friend, but a bad enemy.” When V got there, the principal made me repeat that. After school V gave me the worst thrashing of my life. Soon after, she disappeared. Years & years later, I was at work at a store when she came in, headed right to me (I had a moment of panic), and hugged me. It turned out that she had to spend a long time in a psychiatric hospital. A number of times she contemplated suicide, but it was MY words – that I said that she was capable of being a good friend – that she held on to & got her through.
Hedgehog52 said, 6 months ago
The problem with turning the other cheek is that you only have two cheeks. Neville Chamberlain comes to mind on this plotline.
riverhawk
said, 6 months ago
Some places have a youth officer on the police force. Might be worth a try.
Night-Gaunt49 said, 6 months ago
Lynn’s Notes:
I confess- I was a fighter. My mother suggested I try and get to know the kids I was fighting with, to try and understand them, see where they lived, find some common ground. In a couple of instances, this worked. Carol, the girl whose finger I broke, became a friend of sorts. We continued to have our differences, but with few kids our age in the neighbourhood, we eventually got along. Another truce was made with a boy called Murray, whose mother was a widow and was raising four kids. I felt sorry for him.
Night-Gaunt49 said, 6 months ago
@SUSAN NEWMAN
Sage advice. The bully mentality is learned. They act as if they must show their strength by hurting others. Always the weaker fearful ones they go after. Just like any predator. So they too need help. But it doesn’t do any good to just be nice.
algurka said, 6 months ago
Being nice to a bully just makes them think that you’re weak, capitulating to them, and that they have won. You are REWARDING them for their bad behavior.
sjsczurek said, 6 months ago
@algurka
Exactly!
Allan said, 6 months ago
@K.C. Fahel
That’s a great story.
Allan said, 6 months ago
There was a story from years ago, (not me!) but a boy in a church was being ‘bullied’. He spoke to his youth pastor, but nothing was done. He spoke to his dad, who was the Senior Pastor. His dad sat him down and said “You can fight him, but that would not only disappoint me, but God as well. OR, you can do what I did when I was your age – give him a candy.” On Sunday, the boy took two candies, and when the bully started in on him, the kid offered the candy to the bully. This went on for 3 or 4 weeks, before the bully stopped the kid in the hall and said “look, what gives?! Why, when I want to hurt you, do you give me candy? Why would you treat me this way?” The little boy answered “you get more flies with honey, then vinegar.” From that point on, the two became inseparable, and best of friends.
.
Moral? Kill your enemies with kindness, love, and happiness, and they’ll become friends.