For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for December 17, 2012

Based upon John’s facial expression in the final panel, it looks like he has gone sad too.

He doesn’t really look all that angry to me. But, thinking back, I believe I’d rather have had my dad angry than disappointed.

Unfortunately, as parents, we’re more inclined to act like John in such a situation rather than the understanding parent we should be. I remember a lot of words I should have eaten. Yes, John should turn around and go help Michael find another angel for his mom. After all, Ellie doesn’t deserve to pay the price for MIchael’s mistake by not having a gift from her son.

Can’t help but think of parents in CT this morning who regret if their last words to their 6 yr. old were ones of anger before sending them off to school last Friday.

He’ll remember all right… not sure if that’s the memory John would want Michael to have of him.

He’s crying. When a kid does something that makes them cry, they never forget that feeling

do you actually think John has a clue? that would be astounding. John is so clueless.

Tough lesson, but I agree, you can’t let him off that easily. Get a replacement but at his cost. If he can’t afford it right now a loan is the only solution. I would not want to see his whole Christmas with a dark cloud over it or a little boy who has to give mom a broken ornament, but there does have to be a consequence for his action.

I would say try to repair it, and if he can’t just give Elly the ‘broken’ angel. I am sure she will appreciate the thought and the fact that he thought of her. I did a similat thing as a kid, and my mom still has the “broken” statue on her mantle!!!!

I realize that the writer is bitter over the divorce, but I wonder if her ex was really that bad a father? However, he does sound just like my kids’ father.

ps, that wasn’t from Peyton Lingle, I am his wife, different father to my kids, not him.

I’m with Bwana on this one. Michael may actually take this lesson to heart with his Dad being stern & firm.

Mom?Yes—You know that vase that’s been handed down from generation to generation?Yes?Well, this generation broke it!

A man (ex boyfriend, as it will develop), wanted to buy his girlfriend a present, but was short on cash (or just cheap).He noticed a vase that had been dropped, and was in several pieces. Hmmm – he thinks, I can salvage this, have it sent to my girl-friend and she will think it was broken in shipment!So, he gets it at a 95% discount, and has it mailed.Later, he gets a letter from her saying how thoughtful he was for buying the vase.He thought he was off the hook, until reading the next line.And it was also so thoughtful that they wrapped each piece sepatately!

@ exturkOmg! I’m sure it wasn’t funny at the time for the man (ex-boyfriend), but the story is.

Lynn sounds like she had a very good dad and I agree with her. There is nothing worse as a kid when you accidently break something.

As with anything, one advise does not fit all. In this case Michael has learned his lesson, he feels horrible. This is the perfect time for his Father to show unconditionally love and save the day, and teach him how working off debt is rewarding. My son did learn the opposite regarding his grandparents. He’d break something, I tell him,’ sorry you have to be more careful with you’re toys. Now you have to work off getting it replaced.’ But comes along my in-laws. And just replaces everything without the work. Then they wonder why he was super lazy as a teenager and young adult.

I have zero tolerance for kids not listening & breaking stuff. I do NOT believe in corporal punishment, so I would not have spanked Mike, but I would ground him til well past New Year’s, and he’d find that Santa put him on the naughty list this year. He could watch his sister open her gifts & learn not to be so careless again.

WOW!!! People saying get another angel, people saying he should learn a lesson, and not a single one of you notice how stupid it is to spend your money on dust collectors.

You’re a Republican, aren’t you?

I can remember feeling exactly like Michael way too many times! Parents can make an already sad and sorry kid feel So much worse! I’ve forgiven, but sorry to say, I haven’t forgotten.Shaming a child in that way is not loving, constructive critisism, it’s just mean spirited.

Yeah, he’ll remember that he did something careless because he was a young kid and his father never let him hear the end of it. I told you so is one the nastier things you can do to someone, especially if repeated many times.

I just tuned in to see how the Elly-bashers would turn this around and blame her. Instead they found a way to just bash Lynn for an honest portrayal of how many parents would have handled the situation — at least at first — then some might have been sorry and tried to remedy afterward.

Firstly, saying “you never” to a child gives much different meaning than the lesson of the moment. I like the suggestion of getting another angel and letting Michael work to repay the cost. There is lesson with consequence and there is punishment. What lesson would punishment (no replacement) teach in this case? Punishment usually leads to resentment. The key is how the consequences of the action are presented to the child.

While it is true that an inanimate object is “just” an object, I was not happy when many years ago a friend’s young son was fooling around and broke a cherished wedding present. Not all items are replacable. Some have meaning beyond the atoms of which they consist.

This was an excellent strip. Thank you.

I do agree that punishment should focus on restitution. That is the main thing that is lacking in our criminal justice system. Michael needs to be taught by his father how to glue the angel. I do not think he should buy another one with his allowance because, even though that would teach him a lesson in itself, it is wasteful, and that is a bad lesson for a kid to learn. Fix it, and give it to mom anyway.

I also don’t believe in buying bric-a-brac but I realise it is a common choice for small children who don’t know what to get their parents. If Michael had been shopping w/his mom for a gift for his dad, she would have steered him to something more practical than a knick-knack, such as a new tool for his workshop, etc.