Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for July 01, 2022

Maybe they can compromise and let Calvin watch a nature documentary.

“There’s no air-conditioning outside!”

“It’s too buggy!” Says Calvin the bug.

Buggy weather builds character.

Summer is my least favorite time of year for the reasons Calvin mentioned.

You can tell this is old, Calvin doesn’t have his face glued to his phone. Calvin doesn’t HAVE a phone. And mom can put him outside without constant supervision.

HD fun

Hey Calvin, da mama don’t care as long as you are O U T !.

Really?!? Wait till you get to the virtual world of today…

For once, the TV wasn’t jumping.

It’s too bad.

Get out, Calvin—Mommy wants to watch her soaps.

At least until the mailman arrives!!

Some days are like that.

Life is too real, Calvin!

This comic strip hits too real.

Reality bites!

During summer break from school, you couldn’t keep the kids in my neighborhood inside(unless it was raining) but, of course, back in those days there weren’t many TV programs for kids during the day what with soap operas, game shows and the like ! ! ! !

That looks like a good six foot toss out the door. She must have taken a running start.

But Calvin loves exploring the outside.

Go outside and improve your immune system!

I didn’t fail to notice as a kid that whenever my Mom shooed me outside to play, she stayed inside.

I hike, a lot. People sometimes ask my favorite season and I answer “Winter”. “But you love hiking, so why Winter?” Answer: “No heat, no humidity, no bugs, no pollen, no rocks, no roots and less tourists. What’s not to love?” Beside, Winter is gorgeous.

At his age I preferred being outside. But then there were only 4 channels to watch.

Panel 3: Suitable for framing.

AUGH!! NATURE!!

Always loved this one.

Too buggy? That’s the whole point…now Calvin isn’t inside bugging mom!

before the epidemic of sedentary obesity

Oh how prescient….

Just wait ’til he gets a phone…

It is important for kids to learn that there are some things that take time to appreciate. I’m sure there are still some kids out there who get to ramble in the woods, run away from snakes, play on ridiculously long ropes hung from tall trees, ride their bicycles to a place where you could hide in the bushes at the end of the runway, play in a treehouse where the walls were constructed to conceal a beehive, take old radios apart … I hope so.

To quote the guy from Ready Player One: “Reality is the only thing that’s real.”

I always love when she throws him out the door!

I’m with Calvin. Reality is overrated.

Since when did Calvin object to bugs?

Too much air.

Most shows on prim time is now game shows. I remember my mom doing that with me, her dad my Grandpa was at our house, he loved sitting on the porch and she send me outside to be with him, not my sister.

Mom would say ‘Come home when you figure dinner’s ready, no later than the streetlights come on..’

Calvin has been too immersed in VR.

Who hasn’t been there before. Outside may have people. People!

All children need that shooing. And Calvin could utter 4 sentences before gravity took over.

I remember when Nickelodeon would also do that in the early 2000s, playing one of these bumpers before one of their canceled series reruns was about to begin, to try and lower the ratings and justify taking them off the air… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRsvW8X97ys