For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for May 10, 2015

Will do something for a neighbor, but not for the family? Thou art lazy, Michael Patterson!

According to her bio on he FBOFW website, Mrs. Baird has no children. Except for her dogs.

Yeah, that’s the way it was with my family. But apparently, not with this one. In the Patterson family, anything done by the kids for the family is only done after much protest…

What an interesting way of criticizing a mother on mother’s day, suggesting that she needs to learn from someone else how to make chores seem like fun. It could never be possible that a child in a family simply has no interest in doing chores, or resents them, or thinks that they are someone else’s responsibility (as in getting veggies ready for dinner).-No, it’s 100% the fault of the mother if her son doesn’t perceive of chores as ‘fun’. Funny. We did chores at home without thinking of them as ‘fun’. We did them because we knew our help was needed, since both parents worked. And our mother (now deceased) was not an ‘older, more-experienced mom’.-So, a very happy mother’s day to you, duck…

“Work consists of whatever a body is OBLIGED to do, and … Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do” – Mark Twain

Why couldn’t Elly just be happy that Michael has a generous heart and let it go at that (for now).

When I was 7, my family moved to a new neighborhood because we were expecting my younger brother (child #7). Next door was a young couple with a poodle. I soon became a fixture next door, the couple becoming like another set of parents to me, giving me the opportunity to be an only child, if only for a few hours. I would help them do yard work and such. When they did have children – a boy, then a girl – I was pretty much a big sister to them, and would readily babysit. To this day, I still call the wife “Mom”, and acknowledge her on days like today.

That’s my brother! :D

I know a lot of kids just like that!

Lynn’s Notes:

I toyed with the idea of making the punch line something like: “But, Mom, you don’t PAY me!” But then, I thought back to the times in my own childhood when I hated doing menial tasks at home but would help a neighbour just for the fun of it. I didn’t actually enjoy doing things for my parents until I was well into my teens! When it comes to understanding kids, it’s a good thing we have our memories to rely on. We just have to admit that we did the exact same things.

it,s all in how you look at it

I think Elly’s was terribly wrong with her comment. She should have praised Michael profusely for helping an elderly neighbor. And yes it is more fun to do “the chores” of others before your own house. I’d much rather clean someone else’s home rather than my own.

Shades of Tom Sawyer and Aunt Polly’s fence!

When I was a kid I enjoyed mowing the lawn. I was a very strange kid…lol

mischugenah: Reminds me of an illustration from the ’70s when people were seriously considering the nature of work. It showed a man sitting in a chair, reading a book; and one sawing a board. The caption read, “Which man is working, which man is playing?”. Having had jobs and hobbies involving each – even one (museum modeler) which involved both sawing wood and original-source research – I understood it quite well.

Another idea:Elly: I volunteered at the soup kitchen. I helped serve meals to the poor.Michael: Good work Mom, that was thoughtful. Now how about cooking me dinner?Elly: Here? But Michael, that is WORK!

There was a strip where John was a lot more brusque. It snowed and Michael made money shoveling out the neighbors’ driveways. When Michael told his father about this, John did not say anything like “Good work, glad to see you are taking some initiative.” Instead, he snarled “How about doing OURS??!”

Happy Mother’s Day!!! :-D

If you do it with them, the kids will help. Other than that, you show how lazy you are.

When it’s your house, cleaning is a chore. When it’s someplace else, it’s favor to someone else. Feeling good about doing things for someone is often a greater reward than the feeling of cleaning your house. It’s expected of you at home. It’s a pleasant surprise when you do it for someone else.