Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for August 20, 2016

Maybe Luann could take Shannon to the pool while Toni and “Bwad” are busy planning their wedding. Also, will Shannon be the flower girl?☺@cdgar (from yesterday)cdgar wrote: “I vote for alien cannibals.”Would that be “To Serve Man”, the twilight zone episode?

It looks like Toni is getting cold feet. Again.

A very good question between aunt and niece indeed (niece should’ve asked father instead).

It might not be cold feet on Toni’s part, but, rather the fact that Toni never wanted a big wedding, while Brad does.

Toni could have told Jonah no and cancelled the meeting. She would be much happier by now.

Choice #2 would seem to make sense…given yesterday’s last panel… –

Lots of people love to have fun things, like: weddings, fun group outings to the amusement park, cruises to Tahiti…. winning a game show… – It’s the part where you have to hash out all the details and pore over endless choices and daunting preparations. Yeah, stuff like that causes ‘allergies’ for some people….

Toni is the one who doesn’t want an elaborate wedding, so I think her thought about ‘why do I have to go’ is more because she’d prefer a small ceremony, and not because she’s having second thoughts about marrying Brad.

Hey in Toni’s defense wedding planning is only fun for wedding planners, and even they are generally neurotic. So relax, it does not mean cold feet. However when she gets there it should be interesting on several levels in spite of itself, and the situation.

Whoa, it’s snowing in a very warm place. I agree with you…

“The Drag Strip”

“Daunting For Aunt Toni”“Disconcert For Bangladesh” “Pan On Planning”“Less Before, More After’“Preparation #8 Is A Pain In The Butt”

“Blind Intimidate”“Dismay, Or May Not Seem Pleasant’“Pressure Pants”“The Weight Is The Hardest Part”“A Low Shoulder On The Road To Planning”“Once Upon A Midday Dreary….”’A Tale Of Details"“One, Two, Skip A Few…”“Hyper Fast Forward”or“Gruel…And Unusual Punishments”

Shannon: “Why do I hafta go?”Toni: “Ask your father to explain it to you.”

I never understood why Brad wants a big wedding. He doesn’t seem at all like the fancy ceremonial type.

Shannon is showing her age here. Difficult to explain all the fine details to her at this point. I hope soon, she will come to realize just who and what is doing this to her. Let’s hope when she is reminded of the flower girl job she will have, she will put a smile on her face again.

Child car seats are supposed to be on the right side where they’re better protected from the worst kind of crash, the offset frontal

It is the first, since now she is seeing some of the negative sides of having a kid around – and thinking of why her father can´t take his responsibilities more serious.

Because Daddy is a big looser Honey!

I think she is explaining to Shannon that there are times when you don’t get to do what you want to do, not that Toni doesn’t want to do it. Also I think she should level with Shannon and tell her that Daddy didn’t ask her if she could take Shannon to the pool and she already had this meeting.

Why does Brad want a big fancy wedding? It is because he is a fairly ordinary looking guy and he is marrying a stunningly beautiful woman. He wants to show her off and then tell all the other guys to eat their hearts out.

It’s just setting up for Toni and Brad to take the little girl permanently.

Is there an elopement in the future?

One could take that two ways:.1. Toni’s thoughts exactly on why Shannon has to go..2. Toni’s thoughts exactly on why Toni even has to go..Unfortunately, sadly, I am feeling it is the latter…

Sadly, my first reaction was also the latter. I hope she gets it together before it’s too late.

Uh Oh.

Oh Brad? Brad DeGroot!

Better get Ready, Son because I got a feeling that whatever happens next will somehow, be YOUR ‘Fault’….,

Not Brad’s fault,but it rhymes with Brad.Hmmm,let’s see,something like Dad?Time for Shannon to learn some hard truths.

To quote my mother on many many many occasions, “Life isn’t fair.”

you will find the answer to your question on your own someday, Shannon. let’s see if Jonah will find an answer to give you.

Brad and Toni are firefighters, probably with good salaries; sohigher a baby sitter for Shannon and be done with the brat’scrying and whining.

Remember just the other day Brad was telling TJ that there is nothing at all “girly” about Toni. She therefore doesn’t want ta big wedding with fancy trimmings. That means it’s Brad who wants a princess-style ceremony with all the frills. Toni, are you really sure you want to go through with this?

We both wanted to go small for our wedding. The parental units had different ideas, to some extent there were pressures from Steve’s parents, but my father really, really went overboard with steadily increasing demands that woukd have made it larger and more his choice than ours, so since the invitations had not gone out we decided to do it ourselves which led to scrambling and a location fall-through, but wound up eventually and happily with some goofs that produced longterm laughs with the small wedding in a town hall, the reception at a friend’s restaurant, and the guests being family and our friends. I am so glad we settled on something which suited us both.So, i do have to wonder if Brad might partly be trying to avoid pressures from others by going big. I think he and Toni soukd listen to each other more on this score, though.

Congrats to everyone who said yesterday that Shannon wouldn’t give up on the pool idea so easily.*Guess I was projecting on her— as a kid, I would any day have preferred talking about wedding to getting a wetting.

Oh yes, I am really hoping someone’s idea is correct— that Toni will see him out on a date or just messing around rather than going to an audition.*And unless it’s super hot, I’d still rather talk about a wedding— especially if cake is involved (carrot, with raisins and cream cheese frostiing, please)

Seems like Shannon gets her way all the time. maybe if she was told no once in while it might do her good.

I think she was hurried and excited before JonahShannon showed up at her door. Then having a fight with her brother and Shannon upset has taken the joy out of it. It sure takes the fun out of things for me when my husband and I get in a fight before we are to go somewhere.

Shannon is not a brat at all. This is how 6 year old girls often behave. I thought kids were in booster seats by age 6. Not still in baby car seats like the one Shannon is in.

For those who think Shannon is a “brat”, I find myself wondering: “What kind of child isn’t a brat to you?”.Shannon is constantly without stability in her environment, or security in her father’s devotion. She was abandoned by her mother, and is quite old enough to know it. Then her weeks seem frequently to have a lot of “little abandonments” where her father keeps dropping her at the drop of the proverbial hat. The talent show sequence showed that she knows full well what is priority in her father’s life, and it is NOT her. With all that life has handed and keeps handing her, what exactly does she have to draw upon for her own examples and strength? Without being treated by her own parents as having worth, how does she manage to EVER act in a worthwhile way? As far as I can see, she is intelligent, caring, resilient, and a survivor. She is a small child who chooses to see good and love, instead of dwelling on anger and hurt..As a small child, she of course wants what she wants, and can get complain-y and whiny when she doesn’t get it (especially after having been promised “it”). But, seriously folks, how many adults these days cannot lay claim to the same positive attributes she is shown as having? And, what effect would it have upon our world, if that number were significantly smaller?.If the child Shannon is shown as being is indeed a “brat”, well, then, may all real life children be such “brats” (and no few adults, too).

Unfortunately, sadly, I am feeling it is the latter….No, I’m certain that it’s the former. Toni is very much in love with Brad and wants this wedding. Shannon being pawned off onto her is making it very difficult.

The wedding meeting, as stressful as it may be for Toni and perhaps for Brad and any other participants as well, will in any case be a useful learning experience for Shannon. She will begin to realize that the gr’ups cannot do just anything they might please….

Years ago Steve had a car modified by Andy King in NJ (probably retired by now). Among the many things done was the installation of 5 point racing seatbelts. Toddler seats are not the only car seats in the world w five points…

I wonder if, before this arc ends, Brad and Toni end up saying “oh, the hell with it” and eloping instead.

i think the brother needs to have a foot shoved up his arse

Might have missed this, but where is Shannon’s mother?

people have said that Shannon is 6. But a 6 yr old child wouldn’t need to ride in a child seat. Shannon seems more like 4.

in general, simple booster seats are not as safe as forward facing harness seats, and “generally” kids have to use one of the 2 until they are big enough to use regular car seat belts that adults use (usually sometime between EIGHT and TWELVE, so if a parent has a forward facing harness seat, they should use it UNTIL it becomes too small for the kid……………… Shannon’s seat looks perfect for her, so she should use that one instead of a simple booster seat

OK…maybe she is 5 or 6. If 6, then she should be in school.

I have to defend Shannon too I guess, as others have here. She is not a brat, particularly in the strip. She was a bit of a brat, earlier in the strip, and I will explain that, before she met Brad, and progressed as a character, now she is more a normal 5 or 6 (a little willful) year old girl, in a situation that affects her specifically. She is mad about a promise made by her dad’s carelessness that is not her fault, and it could be argued that Toni is doing something necessary for her by going to what she is obligated to herself, although not crazy about. In terms of BRAT as a classification of child, other than the term military brat, which is a term of affection, she is only a BRAT to extent she might be annoying at some point in time. My capitalized BRAT is for those posters who probably think all children are BRATS a priori, basically and from the start. It takes one to know one, and maybe those who subscribe to the BRAT denomination, were BRATS themselves as children, condolences to the parents.

“….and, in September, she might be…”-—————————————————————————-

That would be good. It would change the dynamics of Jonah’s need for child care help. But it is hard to imagine that such plot line would be a priority for Evans… we will see..

This stuff is starting to get a little too heavy for me. But, at least its staying out of politics, unlike some of the other strips. The overall feeling lately has been kind of sad. I need my Tiffany-Gunther fix, and they have to do something romantic together.

the main difference is “obligatory” vs “Elective” as kids have to go to 1st grade, but not necessarily have to go to kindergarten, and right now we talking summer time plus I think in a past strip they “insinuated” she goes already to school, as she went to the library for “after school” program when Lue and gunther were there

why is shannon in a car seat, isn’t she like 12 years old?

“The Incredible Sulk”^Nope, that’s reserved all for Gunther! – “The S’Posta Child”^“It’s A Pout Time”^Nice one! – Though I have to say, Shannon has previously pouted worse than this. If the car ride continues, is there a chance that she’s just getting warmed up, or is she just “getting soft in her young age”???

Alternate explanation for why a 6 year-old is strapped into a car seat for a younger child: artist’s mistake

politicians always say we’ll see but it always means no ;) in 7 years ?Shannon will be in AGT

We have made Shannon unhappy by promising rhings we did not intend to deliver..It occurs to me politicians have been known to promise things they never intended to deliver and then blame others for the failure..“If I am elected, I will end poverty.”“How will you do that?”“I will require employers to pay more.”“What if they can’t afford to pay more?”“They are just greedy. I will incarcerate them.”“Wouldn’t that create more poverty, with former employers in prison?”“Go away kid; you’re bothering me.”

Thank you.

One can purchase a contractor bag and some cinderblocks for a reasonable price. Surely there is a bridge nearby.

SPOILER 2.5

Or a need for glasses?

Toni doesn’t really want to get married. It has nothing to do with the size, or planning of the wedding. She is damaged goods. Brad should move on ASAP.

Jonah thinks every audition is a big audition, but he never seems to get the job. If he ever did become a successful actor, he’d be an even worse father, and take no responsibility for it. I see the day coming when Brad has had enough and punches Jonah in the nose, hopefully not in front of Shannon.

Every time I go to my webcomics folder to check this place out, the phrase ’Hasn’t got a C-luann’ runs through my mind. Shameful, but there it is. The perpetual naivete’ of even the oldest of characters is, I suppose, necessary for the punchline-a-day format. But it does get tiresome.One day I will delete the bookmark and that will be that. I did it with Penny Arcade and PvP and Wapsi Square and Megatokyo. Lazy writing will drive me from here, too.