For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for November 09, 2020

some responsible oldest child Michael is

Why, you little…….

….. RAT

The baby is 7 months old, and still referred to as “the baby”? Why not “April”, or “your sister”?

He’s shirking responsibility.

Learning early how to get out of “women’s work” eh, Michael? Shame on you.

It should have said Dear Michael since he’s older and more capable of handling April

Lynn’s Comments: I got a letter telling me I should have written “whomever” in the first panel. Maybe that’s grammatically correct, but…it’s just not the way we actually talk!

Devious Michael! Pretty typical of male children.

That’s the best way to get meals that you don’t like. Have your sibling make it.

Michael is no Eagle Scout, that is for sure!

I’m sorry… maybe I’m the only one…

but since I don’t know what time this is supposed to be,

or when John comes home…

I don’t like the idea of either of them picking up the baby…

especially with Michael ratting out and leaving Lizzie alone in the house with her.

I’d feel better, if I KNEW it was only for 45 minutes,

or they’d promised to care for April together, and John would be home soon too…

but either is too young to be home alone, handling a possibly fussy or hungry baby….

I mean, there’s no guarantee of what state she’ll be in, is there?…

And cooking at the same time?

I’ve known young mothers who’ve had a hard time with that, much less a preteen girl.

I’d probably leave April with Annie till an adult got home.

No matter how old you make it to, you will always be your Mom’s baby while she is still alive.

Hmm, wouldn’t Liz see Michael’s fresh footprints?

A strong sense of responsibility is a sign of good character. Michael is just a character.

What would happen if Farley knocked the note flying off the table?

I think Mike shows great initiative in his sneaky retreat.

Pre-texting.

What interesting message threads on here! Made me work on my division/multiplication AND think about cats…

Called passing the buck to sister.

St. Michael of Asshat, doing what he does best…. be an asshat.

Elizabeth will leave the house too and visit a friend until 6 pm. No dinner will be made.

What it SHOULD have said is “Here are the two tasks: Pick up April and start dinner. Whoever gets home first, pick which one you want to do and mark it. If you’re second, do the other.” Not only does it split the workload more fairly, it avoids this deception.

If Elizabeth did not take the time to goover her science notes, why is she going to question the veracity of whether Michael goovered Elly’s note before she did?

She should have been more specific (and fairer): Michael – start dinner when you get home; Elizabeth – pick up the baby when you get home (or vice versa).

Off topic: Happy World Freedom Day! This is the 31st anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall (1989).

Latchkeys. I would NOT instruct my boys to COOK as in turn on a stove. I would allow microwaved dinner or sandwiches. I would consider those their after school snacks until I get home and make dinner. If I know I’d be quite late like get home 8 or so, I would make dinner the night before and have kids warm up in the microwave. 6 o’clock is early enough to make a quick dinner.

I think she could have worded that differently…..

The note should have instructed one of them to pick up the baby, and the other one can start dinner. Why should the first one home do both?