Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for December 17, 2016

It will be a long time before Joanie returns to THAT park.

When I take my grand-nieces to the park (too far to just make them walk) I am dismayed by the number of parents who tell their kids how to play. Just turn them loose! Once they can swing themselves, just sit on a bench and complain about the price of gas or something.

“Y-mother”? I was in high school in ‘87, but I don’t remember this term.

Yuppie?

Ohhh, now I get the term ‘affluenza’. I suppose it is the natural progression of the ‘Y’-uppie infestation of the 80’s.

Of course, the “y” in yuppie is for “young.” “Young upwardly-mobile professional,” as coined by some demographic authority (probably an advertising analyst). So whether Marc was young at 35, in addition to being professional, matters.

This strip stuck with me for years. When our son was born, we officially named him “Richard”, but he has been Ricky ever since. (He’s now in college.)