For Better or For Worse Comic Strip, February 23, 2013 on GoComics.com

templo SUD said, 3 months ago

I hope Gordon got a better punishment than what Michael’s gonna get.

legaleagle48 said, 3 months ago

I know mothers are supposed to know everything, but do they always have to prove it? How did Elly know where Michael had been?

Nabuquduriuzhur said, 3 months ago

Striking that parents back then worried about the unlikely, but would ignore what was going on under their noses. For example, the video games of the 1980s were a constant topic, with this or that claim that never panned out, but at the same time, how many people got into the drug scene and ended up invalids, dead, in crime, or otherwise crashed and burned?
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Or D&D. Back then it seemed like any type of role playing game was either “satanic” or would “make kids kill themselves.” None of those claims panned out, either.
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My least favorite example was how churches in the 1980s were against all sorts of things that were hearsay or fads, or had ideas like “dancing causes impure thoughts” but had a “wink wink, girls will be girls” when most of them abandoned the churches, started sleeping around , did drugs, etc.
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Well, you can guess what happened.
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It never pays to worry about next year when the bus is about to hit you.

howtheduck said, 3 months ago

@legaleagle48

How did Elly know where Michael had been?
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My guesses are:
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a. One of the long-haired boys is actually a spy for Elly.
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b. Elly knows that’s the only warm place Michael can go when he leaves the house in cold, cold February
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c. She followed him there.
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d. Contrary to what Michael believes about Gordon’s parents, it’s obvious Gordon spilled his guts to his mother and she called Elly to let her know where they went and to call Elly on the carpet for creating the situation in the first place
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e. Elly has been secretly having a business transaction with Crazy Eddy (the real reason why she made Michael leave was to get time alone with him), and when Crazy Eddy got back to his arcade, one of his employees reported to him Michael was there.
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f. Subcutaneous tracking device implanted under Michael’s skin and the reason for Michael’s unusually-shaped head

sandra mackin said, 3 months ago

@Nabuquduriuzhur

We all feel the need to learn from our past which is a good thing, but too quickly form generalizations from some of our experiences. I could give many examples from my experience that would contradict your experiences. This world contains many people and unfortunately it is impossible to reliably generalize on anything concerning people. All we can do is learn from our experiences and how they affected us.

SUSAN NEWMAN said, 3 months ago

Gordon’s parents don’t care because they’re a couple of drunks.
But Gordon grew up to be happy and successful.
That’s the difference between the comics and real life.

frugalnotcheap said, 3 months ago

@howtheduck

Love the ‘Subcutaneous’ part…

Jean said, 3 months ago

any mom worth her salt knows that if she tells a child they can’t go to a particular place, that is the one place that becomes the one place they MUST go at least once. And since he was out with Gordon, and he already told her that Gordon is allowed to go there, then it stands to reason that thye went there. Also was maybe a good guess. lol

Night-Gaunt49 said, 3 months ago

Lynn’s Notes:
I had a couple of friends who were latchkey kids. Their parents worked and after work, they’d spend time at the bar before going home. Both girls were the guardians of younger siblings. They literally raised their brothers and sisters because their parents were never home. I remember being jealous of my friends’ freedom. We played “house.” We’d put the little ones to bed and pretend we were grown ups. For me, it was a wonderful game…but later, I could go home and be a kid again.

Night-Gaunt49 said, 3 months ago

Playing adult can help for when you become an adult and have children.

Elsie Ross said, 3 months ago

if they allowed smoking in the arcade…Mom would have smelled it on his clothes. Especially since they have a smoke free house.

riverhawk said, 3 months ago

I had a friend who’s parents let him do anything, I was always jealous , over 60 years later he moved from his room to his fathers room, that’s how far he got in life , no wife no kids no nothin , I ain’t jealous no more.

So Lonely said, 3 months ago

That is not lucky at all to have parents that don’t care and make rules because they care.

Macushlalondra said, 3 months ago

I used to have friends who claimed they could “do anything they wanted” but as they said that they sounded very sad. I think they wished their parents had established some boundaries because it would’ve showed they cared.