I love Calvin’s expression in the last panel! I get down on my knees which is very close to Mom’s bend over position to get the point across when I’m being challenged. If things still don’t get done then I use the, “We were going to do this or that but now since you haven’t picked up your things I guess we can’t then.” Otherwise I use the, “I picked up all my things so we can so now it’s up to you to do yours.” I never paid my son to do something he should learn to do anyway for himself and I don’t for his daughter today. I lead by example which also works with healthy eating habits. I think too many parents don’t lead by example and that’s where they can avoid alot of problems they have trouble fixing with their kids that will go into adulthood!
@Gweedo Murray: He’s not five years old, he’s six years old. I seem to recall that fact being mentioned even recently.
That said, the last time I read of a child his age using such big words was in a famous account of a prodigy who regrettably got leukemia at a young age. He went into remission, but I don’t know whether he’s still alive (and don’t remember his name, alas).
@GreenJade,
FYI - my comment was entirely in jest pertaining to your name, your comment, and your penchant for puns. Your smile face indicates that you realize that. I thought that some people might not have caught the double meaning in ‘Chore’ean. I like to encourage fellow punsters. :o)
Calvin, you didn’t take my advice, yesterday. You could have saved yourself time and trouble. I’m looking out for your best interests.
Mom, how can you stoop so low? You go, Mom! “Tell him you mean business!” - Robert Vaughn in Mark E. Salomone commercial on TV
@WoodEye: If you are a hapless married man, then yes you sure do! Only instead of a Mind Scrambling Eyeball Ray (which only appears when she asks you if she looks fat) it’s called the Honey Do List! :-D
My evil mother had a magic incantation , 3 magic words consisting of my first, middle, and last names. Could always beat her with the words, “Hmph! I wanted to clean my room anyway!”
Actually my Mon wasn’t evil. Women can’t help it that they are born with this desire to control men. “Coming Dear.”
my friend’s son was into dinosaurs at a very young age. He could tell you the name (while looking at a picture) of everry dinosaur and if you asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up he would tell you he wanted t be a paleontologist. When I was three I had a very large vocabulary. People used to comment to my mother about it because they were amazed at the words I used. My mom never spoke to us in “baby talk.”
I could read when I was three and was a voracious reader. I would read six library books over the weekend (I could have read more but six was the limit you could take out at one time. There are many children who have great vocabularies at young ages.
In reality this strip isn’t about a little boy, it’s about adults and their inner child … an extensive vocabulary isn’t really out of place. I adore Calvin; he reminds me of a little guy my wife watches, but then a lot of what I see in the real kid is what I also see in myself at that age. That’s the source of the humor for me; that’s why he’s not Dennis the Menace so much.
LeslieAnne,
Oh the recogitations (is it even a word?)… Maybe recollections would suffice.
“Thanks for the Memories” - Bob Hope and Shirley Ross
“Memories are Made of This” - Dean Martin
Puddleglum is my favorite character in the Chronicles of Narnia series. You used the word ‘Classic’. Have you read The Silver Chair? I also liked The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, especially The Dark Island chapter, although I would shun the experience.
Mom’s just have that special look they put on when they let you know you have reached the end of the line. A wise child will heed that look. Calvin is brave but knows when it is time to retreat.
my mind often scrambles as i read these comments, especially by those who feel it’s necessary to explain in condescending fashion the excellent wordplay such as greenjade’s yesterday
My Old English Sheepdog uses this look on all other
animals she encounters, from other dogs to chickens
and kittens. It really works. All are intimidated.
TN-REDD,
Thank you for the “Cool… NICE! !” yesterday.
“Bloviating” is a great word here, especially since it’s hyperbolic in this context (for emphasis). You have shown a prime example of a BIG word that fits perfectly and is amusing as well.
BTW, I used ‘shown’ rather than exhibited. See, people, I’m manifestly capable of utilizing one-syllable words where they apply as well or better than bigger words. :o)
P.S. Does that sufficiently squelch the naysayers, at least for the moment, LeslieAnne? Don’t count on it! One, two, three, four…heh, heh, heh! - The Count on Sesame Street
Calvin is an extremely gifted child. It’s not that he does bad in skool–it’s just that skool is boring to him and his superior brain. Of course, it does help superior brains to study for their spelling tests.
I want to thank all of you who flagged the spam must have worked so far not on my interent site.
Dino for kids to learn it takes parents to learn so there are several generations of kids who become parents where parent’s didn’t learn about keep house clean. Or how to raise a child right.
somebodyshort - My youngest son was pretty much the same way. He was reading everything in sight at 5 (which gave him a large vocabulary), but he didn’t even start talking until he was 4. Had to take him to speech therapy too. What’s funny is that he also watched a lot of Winnie the Pooh videos when he was younger, so now people will ask him if he’s from England. He’s never even been out of the USA, and has lived in KS his whole life!
Speak of the devil and he ‘bloviates’. Maybe he is Humpty Dumpty, and every time he falls ‘off the wall’ his ‘mind often scrambles’. Nothing was intended to be condescending. Some people don’t have as much of a ‘penchant for puns’ as others. I know from person-to-person conversations that some things go over people’s heads for whatever reasons. It’s awkward when that happens, but that’s the risk we take when we attempt humor. Besides, I was trying to make sure that GreenJade realized that I was speaking entirely in jest.
Frankly, this one person, in particular, has become as obnoxious as two or three others that used to frequent these premises (this website). Since he has gone overboard with his words, perhaps he should walk the plank bodily as well.
BTW, it’s ‘by them, not by those’. Those is a modifying word.
PuddleGlum: I love all of CS Lewis!!! :D The Chronicles are some of my favorites of all times!!! The way he is able to spin the stories and make you feel what they felt is amazing… Classic is the best descriptive word!
As was mentioned I believe yesterday in the comic… there will always be people who don’t understand creativity! That is applicable to art of pictures as well as the art of vocabulary!
MIke Firesmith I think most moms do! Mine sure did! (And I picked it up from her! Mwhahahahahahahhahahahahahaha
i rest my case, the condescension continues; i am glad for the realization that humor is attempted. keep trying, but don’t quit the day job. actually the attempts are funnier than the results.
imo people who correct grammar and spelling on a forum such as this demonstrate perfectly condescension and lame, misguided pedantry.
Billdi: so we are condescending and you are what??? Rude, inconsiderate, or any one of a number of words that I can think of,
I do believe this all started because of what basically was an insult on Puddleglum for using big words… We are all different! I don’t criticize you for not using big words and you (or anyone else) shouldn’t do the same because we do.
my apologies to you and all other big word users. i enjoy big words. i enjoy short words. i enjoy long sentences and short sentences. i celebrate our differences and our different writing styles.
i also celebrate my right to express opinions and observations in my writing style.
the words we choose to use and the way we use them say volumes about who and what we are.
most writers know this: if they can’t handle criticism (or sarcastic fun) without feeling rudely insulted they should choose another endeavor.
i submit that someone who feels it’s necessary to correct spelling, grammar and usage on this informal forum is rude, inconsiderate and insulting.
My own opinion is that it’s great to ridicule someone else’s errors in English grammar, usage or spelling, *if* their flawed post was picking on others at the time for having done just the same thing.
khpage, as a lawyer I don’t think Calvin, or anyone else, is being very lawyerly by using big words. Proofreaders, pedants, malapropists and malcontents all love doing it. As well as little kids who just love feeling remarkable words roll off their tongues. Meanwhile, most lawyers seem to be merely in a rut, repeating the same old nonsense phrases like “in no way, shape or form” … and whoever heard of doing X in a form or in a shape, rather than in a way?
I say, if you’re gonna use big words, have some good creative fun with it! Especially if you’re a lawyer - life in the law would be way too boring without having some fun with words.
Evil Eye Fleagle used to use one evil eye to give you the whammy which was equal to beating you to a pulp. If he used both his evil eyes, this was a double whammy which was equal to getting the pulp beat up too. The kid is lucky mom only gave him a single whammy.
In the time Calvin (aka: “Stupendous Man”) has been goofing off and arguing with mom (aka: “Evil Mom-Lady”), he could have had his messy room cleaned up by now … even if it meant just shoving it all either into his closet or under his bed, getting it all out of sight and, therefore, giving his room the appearance of being clean (as long as mom didn’t look around too closely)!
billdi rests his case by perpetuating his case. He has been doing this sort of thing for some considerable time. He is the expectorating image of Vonnegut (if not the same person). Sarcasm in good fun is one thing, but billdi is mean-spirited and nasty.
billdi writes, “the words we choose to use and the way we use them say volumes about who and what we are.” Amen! Based on that statement I (hope to) rest MY case.
Wow! What a power! Do you think if Stupendous Man were to hold up a mirror at exactly the right moment, he could get Evil Mom Lady to zap herself and do his room for him?
I know someone who didn’t say a word until she was 3 going on 4. Then, according to her mom and older sister, her first words were, after spilling her milk, “Don’t worry mom, it’ll evaporate!” (Notice adult scientific knowledge didn’t come with the vocabulary.) Folks at church were often confused when they heard a question or comment with adult vocabulary - they would look around for the speaker, not noticing the 4 year old in her mothers arms. So Calvin is not the only kid with precocious vocabulary.
pouncingtiger over 13 years ago
Calvin values his life.
rentier over 13 years ago
Do her nefarious bidding!
PetrusS over 13 years ago
Even stupendous man has his enemies which he can’t conquer
vibjyor over 13 years ago
Now, isn’t that stupendous !
MontanaLady over 13 years ago
Mom sinks down to Calvin’s level……
and gives him the…………..Evil Eye!!!
GreenJade over 13 years ago
Love Calvin’s grin in the first panel. Evil Mom-lady strikes again !! LOL
@Puddleglum –FYI - I am not from China or Korea :)
moronbis over 13 years ago
I see terror in Mom’s eyes and Stupendous Man’s heart. Love his expressions in panel 3 and 4.
Evil Mom-Lady…. hahaha…
WoodEye over 13 years ago
Mind scrambling eyeball Ray… I know that guy!
kreole over 13 years ago
Evil-Mom Lady? Even Stupendous Man is pushing it with that one!
Dino-1 over 13 years ago
I love Calvin’s expression in the last panel! I get down on my knees which is very close to Mom’s bend over position to get the point across when I’m being challenged. If things still don’t get done then I use the, “We were going to do this or that but now since you haven’t picked up your things I guess we can’t then.” Otherwise I use the, “I picked up all my things so we can so now it’s up to you to do yours.” I never paid my son to do something he should learn to do anyway for himself and I don’t for his daughter today. I lead by example which also works with healthy eating habits. I think too many parents don’t lead by example and that’s where they can avoid alot of problems they have trouble fixing with their kids that will go into adulthood!
Rakkav over 13 years ago
I don’t remember ever seeing this one!
http://www.dramabutton.com/
Rakkav over 13 years ago
@Gweedo Murray: He’s not five years old, he’s six years old. I seem to recall that fact being mentioned even recently.
That said, the last time I read of a child his age using such big words was in a famous account of a prodigy who regrettably got leukemia at a young age. He went into remission, but I don’t know whether he’s still alive (and don’t remember his name, alas).
Hobbesbud over 13 years ago
I remember the Evil Eye. I also remember Cooties and Rat Fink. A kid had a lot to worry about at that age.
Puddleglum2 over 13 years ago
@GreenJade, FYI - my comment was entirely in jest pertaining to your name, your comment, and your penchant for puns. Your smile face indicates that you realize that. I thought that some people might not have caught the double meaning in ‘Chore’ean. I like to encourage fellow punsters. :o)
Puddleglum2 over 13 years ago
Calvin, you didn’t take my advice, yesterday. You could have saved yourself time and trouble. I’m looking out for your best interests. Mom, how can you stoop so low? You go, Mom! “Tell him you mean business!” - Robert Vaughn in Mark E. Salomone commercial on TV
Bittermelon of Truth over 13 years ago
@WoodEye: If you are a hapless married man, then yes you sure do! Only instead of a Mind Scrambling Eyeball Ray (which only appears when she asks you if she looks fat) it’s called the Honey Do List! :-D
lewisbower over 13 years ago
My evil mother had a magic incantation , 3 magic words consisting of my first, middle, and last names. Could always beat her with the words, “Hmph! I wanted to clean my room anyway!”
Actually my Mon wasn’t evil. Women can’t help it that they are born with this desire to control men. “Coming Dear.”
Tineli over 13 years ago
Unfortunately, he’s only stupendous man - he’d better be Chuck Norris.
cdward over 13 years ago
Bending down that low shows real backbone on Mom’s part.
GROG Premium Member over 13 years ago
That was stupendous. :-)
Good Morning, Marg, Mike & ♠Lonewolf♠
milano99 over 13 years ago
Here in the Midwest, we call that the stinkeye.
linsonl over 13 years ago
Boy….that panel sure brings back memories of…..the LOOK!
LeslieAnne over 13 years ago
Oh the memories…
madampresiden12 over 13 years ago
my friend’s son was into dinosaurs at a very young age. He could tell you the name (while looking at a picture) of everry dinosaur and if you asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up he would tell you he wanted t be a paleontologist. When I was three I had a very large vocabulary. People used to comment to my mother about it because they were amazed at the words I used. My mom never spoke to us in “baby talk.” I could read when I was three and was a voracious reader. I would read six library books over the weekend (I could have read more but six was the limit you could take out at one time. There are many children who have great vocabularies at young ages.
jonathan.james over 13 years ago
In reality this strip isn’t about a little boy, it’s about adults and their inner child … an extensive vocabulary isn’t really out of place. I adore Calvin; he reminds me of a little guy my wife watches, but then a lot of what I see in the real kid is what I also see in myself at that age. That’s the source of the humor for me; that’s why he’s not Dennis the Menace so much.
TN-REDD over 13 years ago
After all Calvin’s bloviating ,MOM shuts him down with a mighty “OH YEAH ?”
Puddleglum2 over 13 years ago
LeslieAnne, Oh the recogitations (is it even a word?)… Maybe recollections would suffice. “Thanks for the Memories” - Bob Hope and Shirley Ross “Memories are Made of This” - Dean Martin Puddleglum is my favorite character in the Chronicles of Narnia series. You used the word ‘Classic’. Have you read The Silver Chair? I also liked The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, especially The Dark Island chapter, although I would shun the experience.
fsrstarr over 13 years ago
Mom’s just have that special look they put on when they let you know you have reached the end of the line. A wise child will heed that look. Calvin is brave but knows when it is time to retreat.
cleokaya over 13 years ago
My wife has this look and it is just as effective on me as it is when used on Calvin
dcmatthews over 13 years ago
“Great Zok”? Stupendous Man’s idol is the laser-ray dragon from the old “Herculoids” cartoon? Cool!
billdi Premium Member over 13 years ago
my mind often scrambles as i read these comments, especially by those who feel it’s necessary to explain in condescending fashion the excellent wordplay such as greenjade’s yesterday
agpeter over 13 years ago
My Old English Sheepdog uses this look on all other animals she encounters, from other dogs to chickens and kittens. It really works. All are intimidated.
Puddleglum2 over 13 years ago
TN-REDD, Thank you for the “Cool… NICE! !” yesterday. “Bloviating” is a great word here, especially since it’s hyperbolic in this context (for emphasis). You have shown a prime example of a BIG word that fits perfectly and is amusing as well. BTW, I used ‘shown’ rather than exhibited. See, people, I’m manifestly capable of utilizing one-syllable words where they apply as well or better than bigger words. :o) P.S. Does that sufficiently squelch the naysayers, at least for the moment, LeslieAnne? Don’t count on it! One, two, three, four…heh, heh, heh! - The Count on Sesame Street
photoman022 over 13 years ago
Calvin is an extremely gifted child. It’s not that he does bad in skool–it’s just that skool is boring to him and his superior brain. Of course, it does help superior brains to study for their spelling tests.
kab2rb over 13 years ago
I want to thank all of you who flagged the spam must have worked so far not on my interent site.
Dino for kids to learn it takes parents to learn so there are several generations of kids who become parents where parent’s didn’t learn about keep house clean. Or how to raise a child right.
Smiley Rmom over 13 years ago
somebodyshort - My youngest son was pretty much the same way. He was reading everything in sight at 5 (which gave him a large vocabulary), but he didn’t even start talking until he was 4. Had to take him to speech therapy too. What’s funny is that he also watched a lot of Winnie the Pooh videos when he was younger, so now people will ask him if he’s from England. He’s never even been out of the USA, and has lived in KS his whole life!
dahawk over 13 years ago
See my post yesterday about a smart azz response from my eldest son:
“I’m getting tired of telling you - - - !”
“Well, I’m getting tired of listening!”
He’s in his mid 40’s now and we still laugh about that.
coffeeturtle over 13 years ago
use your stupendous powers to clean the room… hehe
bald over 13 years ago
superman had kryptonite, calvin has his mom
Puddleglum2 over 13 years ago
Speak of the devil and he ‘bloviates’. Maybe he is Humpty Dumpty, and every time he falls ‘off the wall’ his ‘mind often scrambles’. Nothing was intended to be condescending. Some people don’t have as much of a ‘penchant for puns’ as others. I know from person-to-person conversations that some things go over people’s heads for whatever reasons. It’s awkward when that happens, but that’s the risk we take when we attempt humor. Besides, I was trying to make sure that GreenJade realized that I was speaking entirely in jest. Frankly, this one person, in particular, has become as obnoxious as two or three others that used to frequent these premises (this website). Since he has gone overboard with his words, perhaps he should walk the plank bodily as well. BTW, it’s ‘by them, not by those’. Those is a modifying word.
mike.firesmith over 13 years ago
*Good morning Marg! Good morning Fran and Kizzzy! Good Morning L’Wolf! Good Morning Grog!**
Wow, my mom had that super power too
LeslieAnne over 13 years ago
PuddleGlum: I love all of CS Lewis!!! :D The Chronicles are some of my favorites of all times!!! The way he is able to spin the stories and make you feel what they felt is amazing… Classic is the best descriptive word!
As was mentioned I believe yesterday in the comic… there will always be people who don’t understand creativity! That is applicable to art of pictures as well as the art of vocabulary!
MIke Firesmith I think most moms do! Mine sure did! (And I picked it up from her! Mwhahahahahahahhahahahahahaha
billdi Premium Member over 13 years ago
i rest my case, the condescension continues; i am glad for the realization that humor is attempted. keep trying, but don’t quit the day job. actually the attempts are funnier than the results. imo people who correct grammar and spelling on a forum such as this demonstrate perfectly condescension and lame, misguided pedantry.
alan.gurka over 13 years ago
That’s why he’s Stupendous Man: even his nefarious nemesis he defers to, referring to her as “Evil Mom-Lady.”
khpage over 13 years ago
The erudite lawyer keeps showing up in Calvin’s penchant for words such as “nefarious”. Calvin just doesn’t know he’s in there, of course…..
LeslieAnne over 13 years ago
Billdi: so we are condescending and you are what??? Rude, inconsiderate, or any one of a number of words that I can think of,
I do believe this all started because of what basically was an insult on Puddleglum for using big words… We are all different! I don’t criticize you for not using big words and you (or anyone else) shouldn’t do the same because we do.
billdi Premium Member over 13 years ago
my apologies to you and all other big word users. i enjoy big words. i enjoy short words. i enjoy long sentences and short sentences. i celebrate our differences and our different writing styles. i also celebrate my right to express opinions and observations in my writing style. the words we choose to use and the way we use them say volumes about who and what we are. most writers know this: if they can’t handle criticism (or sarcastic fun) without feeling rudely insulted they should choose another endeavor. i submit that someone who feels it’s necessary to correct spelling, grammar and usage on this informal forum is rude, inconsiderate and insulting.
avonsalis over 13 years ago
I thought we settled this several days ago!
My own opinion is that it’s great to ridicule someone else’s errors in English grammar, usage or spelling, *if* their flawed post was picking on others at the time for having done just the same thing.
khpage, as a lawyer I don’t think Calvin, or anyone else, is being very lawyerly by using big words. Proofreaders, pedants, malapropists and malcontents all love doing it. As well as little kids who just love feeling remarkable words roll off their tongues. Meanwhile, most lawyers seem to be merely in a rut, repeating the same old nonsense phrases like “in no way, shape or form” … and whoever heard of doing X in a form or in a shape, rather than in a way?
I say, if you’re gonna use big words, have some good creative fun with it! Especially if you’re a lawyer - life in the law would be way too boring without having some fun with words.
BigBobzilla over 13 years ago
Evil Eye Fleagle used to use one evil eye to give you the whammy which was equal to beating you to a pulp. If he used both his evil eyes, this was a double whammy which was equal to getting the pulp beat up too. The kid is lucky mom only gave him a single whammy.
Gretchen's Mom over 13 years ago
In the time Calvin (aka: “Stupendous Man”) has been goofing off and arguing with mom (aka: “Evil Mom-Lady”), he could have had his messy room cleaned up by now … even if it meant just shoving it all either into his closet or under his bed, getting it all out of sight and, therefore, giving his room the appearance of being clean (as long as mom didn’t look around too closely)!
Ushindi over 13 years ago
BigBobzilla’s “Evil-Eye Fleegle”:
Puddleglum2 over 13 years ago
billdi rests his case by perpetuating his case. He has been doing this sort of thing for some considerable time. He is the expectorating image of Vonnegut (if not the same person). Sarcasm in good fun is one thing, but billdi is mean-spirited and nasty. billdi writes, “the words we choose to use and the way we use them say volumes about who and what we are.” Amen! Based on that statement I (hope to) rest MY case.
JTGAM over 13 years ago
Wow! What a power! Do you think if Stupendous Man were to hold up a mirror at exactly the right moment, he could get Evil Mom Lady to zap herself and do his room for him?
marvee over 13 years ago
Mom is just glad that her nefarious bidding is being done. She doesn’t care what words he uses as long as he cleans his room.
stopgap over 13 years ago
I love this comic.
bmonk over 13 years ago
kreole said, about 18 evil eyes ago
Evil-Mom Lady? Even Stupendous Man is pushing it with that one!
I think Evil-Mom Lady is satisfied as long as Stupendous Man just gets hiss stupendous little butt upstairs and get cleaning.
stuart over 13 years ago
I know someone who didn’t say a word until she was 3 going on 4. Then, according to her mom and older sister, her first words were, after spilling her milk, “Don’t worry mom, it’ll evaporate!” (Notice adult scientific knowledge didn’t come with the vocabulary.) Folks at church were often confused when they heard a question or comment with adult vocabulary - they would look around for the speaker, not noticing the 4 year old in her mothers arms. So Calvin is not the only kid with precocious vocabulary.
boykatlover over 13 years ago
Makes me want to sing, “Something in the way she looks…”
Barnacle_Boy over 13 years ago
Twisted fiend…he he