Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for March 16, 2016

Next time, just send them a text.

I used to play soccer, and I honestly can’t say whether my mother was there during the game because I really didn’t care — I was playing the game.

The only year my dad went to all my Little League baseball games was the second year I played. But then he was coaching the team that year so he kinda had to be there.

Maybe Nancy should distance herself form her parents now since they’re not giving a darn about anything she does.

If I had parents like that I’d buy them airplane tickets to a far away exotic destination, one way of course.

I went to hockey league for years and my parents never came to a single game. I even had to walk there carrying my equipment bag.

Of course, if you tell that to kids today, they won’t believe you.

I believe parents today just get in the way, as they don’t want their precious children mentally scarred by not being a winner. I enjoyed not having my parents to cheer me on, I was there to have fun, winner/loser be damned!

Nancy’s parents are right… Time to kick the habit Nancy.

She needs to go to enough if his games to make him feel appreciated, but not so many that she makes him feel crowded, so probably about one in four.

I coach a high school rowing team, and the parents are upset that I post the times of each of the rowers. They think that I am scarring their children by showing where each stands on the team. They don’t realize the kids know each other’s times.

Attending your child’s or grandchild’s events is way more important to you than to them. I can attest to that, I didn’t attend many of my son’s games, and now 40 years later I still feel guilty.

AYSO… All Your Saturdays Occupied.

Rules for sports parents: Attend the games, allow the league to keep score, NEVER say ANYTHING negative about the officials or coaches, and win or lose, your kid still has fun, and that’s important.

… didn’t this used to be a comic strip about an #Adorable Pig and his friends? :P

(If memory serves correct) … I think there used to be:a Piga Zebraa Goata Ratand some ’Gators.

Stephan must be taking a break from them …apparently,he finds the task quite arduousas revealed in this shocking video!

… I are a guud draw-er :S

I think parents need to worry about more serious problems with their children than if they need a hobby!

@Mermaid

My guess is that this strip is REALLY about “Pearls before Swine.” Clearly the parents/grandparents are the swine in this circumstance and The daughter and grandson are the pearls. Some people enjoy family and like to spend time together. I feel very sorry for those people that get old and end up lonely and alone because they’ve ignored their own family.

Neighbor Nancy, can you say “helicopter”?Grandma and Grandpa are much wiser….

I am loving this series. Thank you, Stephan!

No she’s just dedicated to her children’s lives and activities.

Unlike you two.

(Awaiting to get a lecture on how this is only a comic strip)

xxx

Compared to the dud of a daughter they’ve turned out, they are great parents.

It’s been a while since I played sports as a kid, but parents weren’t considered a necessary component…nice to have them there, of course (as long as they didn’t do anything to embarrass us), but we had the game to play whether they were there or not. And playing sandlot ball with my buddies, we were happy to NOT have parents there so we could be ourselves without having to worry about being grounded for something we did or said.

My parents went to all my brother’s games and all my performances when we were growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, unless my dad was working. . . he was a police officer, so sometimes he had to work odd hours. But if he could be there, he was. I even went to a lot of my brother’s games. . . his teammates had siblings who were my friends and we would hang out.

I have 4 adult kids who have been in all sorts of activities, including sports, drama, choir, scouting, Bible quizzing, dance. . . my husband and I tried to go to all of their performances and big events. The only thing that would keep us from one is unavoidable work, illness, or two kids doing something at the same time in which case we would tag team.

I’m with you, Stephan. I’ve seen terrible “withdrawal” when parents who go to EVERY thing their kids do see them off to college or elsewhere and have “nothing” to look forward to. THAT is just plain sick.

… lol! k, but the real reason I posted it, was because I myself found it so delightful to see cartoonists-at-play. (I thought that Stephan was actually kinda #adorable.)… just thought that any readers who hadn’t seen it, would also get-a-giggle, too. … (or two). ;)

@david_reaves said "Clearly the parents/grandparents are the swine … "… the origins of the strip imply that the main characters are animals, and well, there is the actual description: (see right-hand side of this page):About Pearls Before SwineAt its heart, Pearls Before Swine is the comic strip tale of two friends: an arrogant Rat who thinks he knows it all and a slow-witted Pig who doesn’t know any better. Together, this pair offers caustic commentary on humanity’s quest for the unattainable."… I just miss the original cast.

After reading so many comments and then listening to parents, I’ve come to the conclusion that the best person to figure out how many of their kids events to go to is – the kids parents. Every kid is different. Some do not care if their parents show up. Some care a great deal.

I have three brothers and one year, we were all playing Little League at once. When I think about all the nights we spent at the fields, eating dinner out of old yogurt containers, moving between field and field. . .