Stone Soup by Jan Eliot for June 03, 2009

Save the drama for your mama. Oh, wait – she won’t buy it either!

I do remember being a kid and thinking my problems were sooo hard. Too bad we don’t know what’s to come, it would make our current problems seem almost enjoyable.

You want Alix to say “well, you imposed this one on yourself; I have only the simple one of possibly sprialling due to lost flipflop”?

I agree Lightenup. That’s why adults tell kids these are the best years of your life. It doesn’t seem that way at the time since it seems adults get to do so much more (like stay up as late as they want) but it’s true.

I remember my mom saying that, too, except I noticed that adults always looked way stressed out and tired so believed her and made the most of it.

Believe me, there are countless kids in the world who have it way tough.

Yep, Nozzi. But Holly ain’t one of ‘em!

We kept telling our sons that they had it easy. They believed us, and now they don’t want to grow up and start working.

Well, if you’d have done the work, you wouldn’t have to go to summer school! Lesson learned……..we hope! (but I’m not holding my breath!)

What’s this “spiralling”? Can anyone explain it to me?

A friend of mine once told me that his kid told him “That’s not fair!”.

He said he replied. “Yep. Life’s not fair. And most of it’s not fair in your favor.”

Rina, I think Alix’s line can be rephrased as “I have my own problem to deal with, and if I add your suffering to mine the weight will drag me down so precipitously that I might not recover.” I can’t decide whether Alix is being sarcastic or sincere, but it works (albeit differently) either way.

I think today’s strip has some deep, psychological implications. Look at Holly’s face, the way her hair is parted which resembles horns & her grumpy, morbid expression gives her a devilish disposition, whereas Alix finds the simple joys in life with merely a stick & butterflies & does not want to involve herself with negative burdens. It’s a matter of outlook.

I thought that ‘spiraling’ meant that having only one flip-flop would force Alix to walk in circles! Silly me!

Good point. Can’t drive, can’t buy beer.

for $20 you can get a Taxi to the nearest liquor store

Today, Holly wants all kids to be the angst-ridden. Sometimes, she wants to be the worst-off kid in the world. Alix has to search to find a worry in her life… Great role model!