Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson for January 23, 2014

Mind your language, dear, or you may get two frowny-faces!

Well the point is, “friggin” is itself an “F” word, just not in America. There’s probably a book on foreign swear words, and it’s probably already out of date.

Don’t forget Phoebe, you still have to show your frowny face and bad grade to you parents whom I’m sure will have their own words of wisdom to share with you.

Just goes to prove, Unicorns are part cat.

Well Phoebe, what was you expecting if you was writing in it all the day?, I mean, you’re very smart, I think you’ll have had not problem remembering what you didn in a half hour to write it later.

From the look on her face, Marigold planned this

I don’t mind “friggin” as a general rule, but coming from Phoebe, it seems out of character.

Hey its a valuable lesson so don’t blame Marigold because you spent ALL your time on the journal. Isn’t that how these kinds of days always end? with a young girl telling an ageless magical unicorn the lesson she learned and what is important in life?

What I learned in class today:

Next time, use a tablet

GASP! Phoebe said “friggin’!”

That’s awful!

Nope, won’t do. That’s too close to a politically-charged word having to do with mining.

I love seeing Marigold on that wall. It adds such an intriguing element to her.

Is this the wall from Peanuts?

It does seem inappropriate for Phoebe to use an “F” word. Most exclamations using “F” as the initial consonant seem to be euphemisms for “The F word” About the only one I that readily comes to me is Andy Capp’s “flippin” but that is too “British” for Phoebe. On the other hand you would be surprise (or not) at what words kids learn at what age. We had a 14 month old in the Unit last week for hypothermia-did okay and went home the next morning but the 5 year old sister woke mom up and told her that the 4 year old put the baby in the “effing” tub. We have also had parents of toddlers barely able to speak who though it was hilarious that the child could say “Mommy is a B****”. I sometimes wish we could have some retroactive birth control because some people are just not parental material. Fortunately Phoebe’s parents do not fall into this class nor for that matter do Ozy and Millie’s parents-I would suspect that Phoebe has never let that word slip out of her mouth at home although the day will come (Think of “A Christmas Story” and the tire changing incident.

Wow, where did you guys grow up? When I was 9 I was considered a goodie-goodie for saying ‘frigging’ instead of the harder alternative. Phoebe has a remarkably clean tongue when it comes to kids cussing.

No more than using “crap” or “darn,” which are used the same way as “frigging” is used here (replacements for the actual word), and I see no serious harm in using it.

Well, I don’t see the problem them, because Phoebe seems decently angry here.

Oh well. It’s a comic, not a work of literature, so I really don’t see the need to get so worked up about it, especially seeing that most of us is going to forget all about it tomorrow.

one must suffer for one’s art.post late again

PHE is spouting a rhythm she’s heard broadcast. KHAT is right about ChristStory effect if her parents are interested in parenting..Kids speak in iambs or trochee when they understand what they are saying – I know you are but what am I? .She has no idea what either word means, she just likes the the Ba-dah DUHdadahDUH rhythm.

Phoebe seems out of character overall in the last panel. Like Clayton from Adam@Home snuck in and deployed a CheapShot Grenade™.

LANGUAGE, Phoebe!