For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for September 26, 2020

not that kind of help, Michael

Active vs. passive.

Look at John’s posture! It is hilarious. Clearly the man has never vacuumed before in his life. If Michael really wanted to help his dad, he might explain to him that you don’t run while you vacuum. Both feet on the ground and you take nice slow steps.

Clueless.

They call them CHORES, pop. Time to assign some.

Pick up a broom and sweep

With a remark like that, I would be handing the vacuum to him.

I guess John got the hint from yesterday. It is a good thing he has Mike there to supervise.

That’s the precise moment when I would hand him the vacuum and say, “Here, go over the entire house and get all the spots that I missed.”

John, Didn’t see that one coming, Mike just for a WA crack .ike that you get to clean the Bathrooms and the diaper pail !

I think Michael should be sent to the kitchen to do the dishes ! ! ! Would not trust him with the laundry ! ! ! !

Mike is learning the fine art of supervision. Lesson #1, find work for other people to do.

No one mentioned any amount.

Now you know what Elly goes through.

Give your son a rag and tell him to start dusting.

Obviously he’s forgotten the bathrooms need cleaning.

The absolute worst way to parent is to instill guilt for not doing something he hasn’t even been asked to do.

Good old dad did ask for it.

Shall I mention here that I love my Rumba? Great invention. Not available yet for John, mores the pity.

My Uncle said I should always offer to help my mother with the dishes. When I complained he demonstrated in a whisper from the living room. “would you like me to help with the dishes?” Of course I said it too. I was 13.

Dad give the vacuum to Mike. Elizabeth is old enough to help out.

It’s hard to work with a vacuum hose up your ass. But he would have one.

And the next panel (not shown) is of Mike removing the unit from his anatomy.

That remark would have earned my Mike a consequence, and a long list of specific chores (in addition to the ones for which he was already responsible).

Just an aside, we did insist that Mike did chores, and he learned a lot of useful skills in the process. When he went off to trade school one state over, he was the only one in his shared apartment that knew how to do laundry. He earned some pocket cash by doing it for his roommates.

Poor Mike doesn’t seem to have had much in the way of what my dad used to call “fetchin’s up”.

John, be specific, you’re dealing with a teenager. Say, “go do the dishes” or “wash a load of towels” or “go clean the toilet” or “take Farley for a walk.” if you want some actual help.

I’m still trying to understand what Elly had on her mind. She never taught her kids to do any chores,( from the look of things). She has to take them to their various activities. She has a new baby. Her house is not kept. She cannot cook as she once did. How did she get so bored that she just HAD to go back to work? I seems to me that she had ENOUGH to do. Or am I going off the deep end?

There’s one in every crowd. I remember an episode of “Futurama” where Bender, the robot, shouts “Use teamwork!”.

My husband is like Mike not the good Doctor.

Wrap that hose around his neck…

Typical asshat St. Michael.