Stone Soup by Jan Eliot for December 13, 2010

13-year-old in crisis! 13-year-old in crisis!

Give her some scissors and let her work on her own bangs - She’ll be OK…

Clean up in aisle 3!

Code Red as in the blood Val spilled when she cut her finger half way off after Mom scared the behoozits out of her.

And so it begins…

This why you don’t do one thse stupid meet the boyfriend things.

I predict Holly’s grades will plummet right back down to the basement, their usual place….

Karma really sucks sometimes but alas it helps teach us the lessons of life.

Poor thing. Maybe this dinner can be used as a “cheer Holly up” event to show her some support and love.

No, nothing can cheer Holly up except time….just like anyone who loses a relationship. Jordan likes Ashley ever since he found out he was going to have to come to dinner and be a spectacle.

Oh great…now her grades are going to plunge for sure. Val should have left well enough alone.

It’s unlikely he switched his attentions merely because of dinner plans, especially since he wasn’t informed of the dinner plans up until the last strip.

Holly’s grades will most likely drop, though.

I agree bad timing for Holly. Val will have her hands full. Though 13 years should not be dating. Group of friends is one part of life boyfriend is different.

It’s a comic strip story line. Laugh or don’t laugh and move on. “She” doesn’t have any feelings. If a 13 year old character in a comic strip is depicted as dating, try and get over it.

TAGAL, it’s a comic strip comment space. Comment or don’t comment and move on. “She” may not have feelings, but the people posting here do, so if you don’t care, why take the time to bash people who do?

Kab, in theory I agree with you. In practice, sometimes it’s better to have her in a restricted dating situation under supervision, than risk her doing it secretly and making serious mistakes. My third daughter wasn’t allowed to have a boyfriend at 13 either, so she went behind our backs with a boy from her group of friends, which landed her in situations she wasn’t ready for. Now she’s 15 and has a steady boyfriend under our VERY watchful eye. That way we know that (a) she’s not doing anything with him she shouldn’t and (b) there isn’t some other boy we don’t know about.

TAGAL, you obviously don’t have kids. Parents take even fictional children personally.

I see Ebeneezer Scrooge has invaded Stone Soup! Well, ‘tis the season I guess!

Why didn’t the adults leave things alone to work themselves out? I think they kind of jumped the gun in trying to push a little crush into something more.

Screams and cries rend the night Giving voice to Holly’s plight The boy she loves cares not for her Within her breast is an awful stir Unrequited love rears its head Its very existence is to dread Though a 13 year old girl I may not be For all I think it is plain to see The fear, sorrow and pain she does express Has been part of us, if we truly do confess So chastise not those who with her commiserate For you may one day share Holly’s fate.

This isn’t the first time neurotics have caused a breakup. Anyone who’s seen a Woody Allen movie knows this.

Take Holly out for blended coffees, dinner, and a movie, and find other methods to get her grades up-like threatening to send her to charm school.

Boy, wouldn’t it have been embarrassing if Jordan came for dinner, took one look at that ham, and said: “Sorry, I keep kosher”?

Well, there go the grades. Are you happy mom?

On the other hand, it is better that she found out sooner rather than later.

I agree on parents commiseration AND the poem ;-P

wndrwrthg…

I read your poem, Boy, It was great! I read it right here, Round about eight. Then took to bed, But, oh dread, Bad dreams I had, In my head! So, on awaking, I resolved, Read no more poems by Wonder Wart Hogs.

Great poem WWH. Very good angst going there.