Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for July 04, 2017

Jonah sure taught his daughter to be spoiled because he too is spoiled.

all hail Shannon bossypants!

Reminds me of me when I was a child. ;)

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

she’s too old to be throwing tantrums Greg, she needs some discipline :)

Another actor in the family!

Is she in training to become the next Anthony Fremont? The Twilight Zone 4th of July marathon is on right now and they showed that episode almost an hour ago.

The REAL actor in the family.

Proper response: “Because I love you, I’m NOT giving you ice cream now.”

From what I have read about their history Toni and Jonahs’ past hardly was spoiled. They lost their parents at an early age, and that implies they did not have the most pleasant childhood. I think there might have been abuse to, which is why Toni was attracted to that brute, Dirk, but why she fell in love with and married a much more loving and gentle man Brad.

And I’m proven right yet again about Shannon being a spoiled brat who can’t hear the word No without throwing a tantrum. And some readers were fooled into thinking she’s gotten better when really it’s just her being placated all the time.

I mean seriously, you guys can’t really!think we’re meant to believe that she’s acting reasonable here, right?

Poor Shannon is going to be a miserable adult if she isn’t ever told no.

Jonah apparently spoils Shannon out of guilt and to compensate for his frequent absences. Tough job for Toni and Brad to undo all what Jonah started. Because he was only babysitting, Brad caved in. If he were to adopt her or be her guardian, he better change his position.

Some other people on this board almost convinced me that maybe Shannon is not a brat. That she’s been deprived at home, and thus is over-excited to be at her aunt’s, where she has fun.

But with this, it’s obvious that she is not deprived at home, but rather is spoiled to the point of being depraved. And until that whole situation is corrected, she’ll effectively be a brat.

I’m thinking that as long as she’s living with her dad, her dark side will continue to be reinforced.

Shannon is about to have a bowl of Greg. Look closely at the ice cream container…

Brat. Are we sure that Ann Eiffel isn’t her real mother?

Greg Ice Cream, peach possibly?

I like Shannon, but sometimes you have to show a kid that what they think they want, they really don’t want. She wants 6 scoops? Give her 6 of the largest scoops you can. She can get up from the table when the last bite (or drink, if it has melted) is gone. She might not want ice cream for a while after that.

“It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Girl”

“With Six Scoops, You Get Egg Roll”

“Dance To The Beat Of Your Own Ultimatum”

“Out-burst Case Scenario”

“The Breakfast Of Chumpions”

“I Am The Very Model, Of A Major Meltdown, Generally” (♪)

“Yo, Ho, Ho! And A Bottled Up Tantrum”

“Stand By Me….Or Else”

“Tried And Incredulous "

“Bawl In The Family”

“By Hook Or Crook…ed Face”

“A Song, A Dance…And A Few Tears”

“Have Tantrum, Will Travel”

“Better Manipulate, Than Never”

or

“Spin The Tale On The Wonky”

(♪) "Well, I…know you… expected Custer’s Last Stand

….So, when I refused, I knew you wouldn’t understand

I told you twice, I was hoping you’d ‘play nice’ (why can’t you ‘play nice’?)

Eh, I didn’t mean to turn you off!…" (♪)

-Jonah (singing “I Didn’t Mean To Turn You Off”, from his failed triumphant comeback debut album, “Simply Resistable”)

I’ve always been partly puzzled about why Jonah kept Shannon with him, when he really doesn’t want to spend time ‘parenting’ (which is challenging work) and also wants the freedom to leave for a ‘gig’ the minute one appears. Some folks think that Jonah kept Shannon with him because he actually loves her, or feels a sense of responsibility that her mother didn’t have. I have concluded that Jonah holds onto her more because she always admires him and is a built-in audience that will applaud anything he does. Narcisstic types need others around to admire them. As long as he gives her anything she asks for (or promises her that Aunt Toni will do it), Jonah has his devoted admirer. The fact that constantly giving in to her childish demands isn’t good for her is not a problem for Jonah…

(♪) "Whoa, you like to think that you’re immune to this stuff, oh yeah!

It’s closer to the truth to say you let her get away with it, cos she can’t get enough

You know you’re both gonna have to face it, you’re addicted to something like love"(♪)

-Ronald Palmer (semi-pro golfer, who retired early, to get into a singing career… and did a medley of covered up tunes, from his album: “A ‘Fore Gone!’ Conclusion”)

I have a bad feeling that if Shannon pushes Brad the wrong way with “My daddy loves me because…” he may end up dropping the “If your daddy loves you so much, why does he always leave you here with us and run off to do his own thing?” That’s gonna leave a mark, but could prompt Shannon to ask Jonah the same question and maybe he’ll finally grow up.

Time to mention Childhood Obesity – a major issue these days. A lot of busy working parents give their kids cokes, cookies, ice cream and fast food in place of taking time to interact with their kid. So a lot of kids are hooked on video games and eating crap. It looks like Jonah “rewards” Shannon with well timed junk food presents. Brad should not give in next time – and he could show Shannon some photos of fat girls.

Gee Brad, what Happened to Your “Deft Touch” with This BRA…., Uh I MEAN, “Child??”Marriage Made You Soft or Something??

Look, go down to the Toy Store and Buy the Kid a Wading Pool. Or Better Yet, Take the Kid to the Water Park. Then Drop by the fire station and put Her on a fire truck. Then take Her to the Local Amusement Park and put Her on ALL the rides. Then tonight take Her to Park so She can watch the fire-works.

By the Time She gets Home, She’ll be so WORE Out, that You and Toni will be able to DO what You planned to DO in the sack last week, UNINTERRUPTED.

And Tomorrow, I’ll show the Kid how to make Good Old Fashion Pea Shooters like the one in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbIpTCrlRaI

Then, We can go out and Harass Joggers….,

Shannon must have read Donald Trump’s, ‘Art of the Deal’. She’s certainly got his behavior down pat!

Anyone noticing she’s starting to look a little more older?

My parents loved me enough to say no and squash any tantrums OLD SCHOOL!!

A really BAD idea to give in, because it never ends.

Shannon is only doing what it takes to be president nowadays. :P

This strip would be better off without her.

So she cries and throws a tantrum. Let her. Tell her if she keeps it up, there will be NO zoo, NO water park, NO roller skating, AND NO ICE CREAM!! Put her in a time out and tell her she has to stay there until she learns to behave.

Because this little brat——-and yes, she IS a brat (thank you WIZARDGOAT) needs to learn she can’t get her own way all the time.

“But as I recall, the definition of the word “brat”, in plain English, is a child with significant behavior problems. So she is currently a brat, by any reasonable definition.’’

Giving in does not help. I don’t care what the kid does to get their way, short of burning the house down, they don’t get it from me. When they cry I ignore it. I get a kick out of everyone else catering to their every whim to get them to stop the crying. I was a kid, very familiar with the GAME, I’m not going to play it as an adult.

Jonah’s stye seems to be give her what she wants so she will leave you alone. The baby sitters he hires maybe the same.

My Brother pulled a tantrum like that about water, so my dad gave him the whole bucket. Worked too.

at once

In our house, we call that BIRTH CONTROL.

Shannon has trained her dad, and now is training Brad and TJ to be her lackeys. They are so scared of her tantrums and of disappointing her that they do as told. They need to get a clue and stand up to her and straighten her out. She is on a path to being a very dysfunctional person

What flavor is Greg ice cream?

Who is behaving badly here, Brad or Shannon?

Jonah has no interest in raising a good child. just so long as she stays out of his way of playing instead of working.

Wish the comic actually taught some values, but guess not. Taking off my list – bad example for my kids. Shannon being ruled by her brother, Brad being a wimp, kid being a spoiled monster.

Jonah is a terrible parent, so Toni and Brad need to adopt Shannon. Yeah, we get it. Now either make it happen, or drop it. This is an unpleasant story to keep repeating, just to reinforce that point. Maybe this “4-day gig” will actually be the arc where she moves in permanently, or if not then how many more times will this happen before the big “adoption” story?

well this is NOT your daddy’s house and my house my rules. I have no patience with children that try to boss the adults with tears and tantrums…….if they are going to cry they can go lay on the bed until they are through.

When caretakers provide no structure (which is happening here), children are harmed. Shannon is already confusing love with providing sweets. Brad, himself, is behaving immaturely by ceding the control of the situation to a 6 year old. I am not sure that Brad will do much better than Jonah without some training or reading about managing children. Only adults can help Shannon learn to get her needs met without throwing tantrums, and that won’t be easy at this point.

Is TJ eating ice cream too ?!

guess what, they are all fictional!

Welcome to your blended family, Brad.

Given today’s significance, it looks like Miss Shannon is exerting her independence quite adeptly. It’s Brad who has succumbed (for now), but remember – it is only Tuesday, so we’ll have four installments this week to see how things evolve (or de-evolve). I am hoping for the better path here.

Time to put your foot down, Brad. If eventually you’ll be raising her, you have to show discipline. When my daughter threw a temper tantrum, it was into her room until she stopped. Now she disciplines her two daughters.

Now Shannon will have enough energy to dig her indoor swimming pool.

She needs a good ‘butt warming’ along with an extended stay in the corner.

WHY do we have to look at this insufferable BRAT every day for….how long??? Someone needs to SLAP her rotten butt . No one wants to read annoying comics! Get rid of the snot. Maybe she and daddy can move to Mexico.

Old school says Shannon is a brat, even though delusional parents, and those super sensitive to the demands of political correctness would like this to become the new “B” word, banned forever from our language. To me, most children are some kind of alien species that I really don’t understand and don’t need to understand in my remaining years. If I had to babysit a demanding female, I would prefer something more like Trixie, the dominatrix in Pibgorn, black boots, whip, and all. My kind of fireworks for the 4th of July. Warning: Never take what I say too seriously, and I don’t do drugs and have never been in jail.

My mother’s response “You want to cry? I’ll give you something to cry about.” always worked on all five of us. I never could understand why adults let children rule the house.

Happy 4th of July my friends. God Bless You and America.

I had in-laws much like Jonah. So upon seeing Shannon’s display so far, then remembering Jonah’s smirking looks from earlier, this does not sit with me too well to say the least. “Big thing coming up!”, “This’ll be HUGE!”, “I’ll be SET after this!”, “Big gig!” I heard it all … only to hear the inevitable sob-story afterward. Next time we see Jonah, if we do, I’m hoping for a comeuppance – but this IS ‘Luann’ – and methinks this saga will continue … Well, OK, then. (You did notice I emphasized the past tense earlier, right?) Hee-Hee!

Guys you know I actually try not to be a know-it-all, and life has proven to me that the only one who, for a Christian at least, who can qualify for that was Christ, and he could get pissed off too. Comes with being human. Having babies with hot Mary Magdalene also qualifies, but I will leave that alone for now. (lol). My point as to the situation with Shannon is that clearly her dad is not a very good parent, and how that relates to his and Toni’s upbringing is complicated, but no doubt it does, and Greg means it to be. No question in my mind that he relates this to a situation, or situations he has known in his personal life. I like the fact that a humorous strip about the foibles of a now young adult gets gently into so many adult issues, and it makes us Trufans, and Trutrolls alike get into such debates. Which is good. But my experience professionally and personally, both as a lawyer in my first career who had a lot of these kind of parental abuse (yes this is parental abuse on the part of Jonah, even if he is not doing anything mean to Shannon) cases, but even more importantly my personal life, which I am proud to say has been rich in experience, and what I hope is learning, tells me that the true issue with Shannon is how her ego and super-ego (I love to cast things in Freudian terms) are brought into proper phase, because her Id, something in the recovery community called, the King Baby syndrome, is totally out-of-control. But the thing is that is really kind of normal for all of us, but how children are parented determines to a great extent how they grow and mature, and become balanced, normal human beings. I have a lot of faith in Brad, Toni, and yes TJ. Why? Because Brad has fabulous parents, TJ has grown tremendously, and Toni is a loving, tender, but tough young woman who will eventually met up to the need here. STOP HATING ON THE KID!!

;-). From the Greek origin for “long, flowing hair” comes part of the origin of today’s word “chaetophobia” in relation to yesterday’s comment section. ;-)

My younger granddaughter had tantrums. Once, in the middle of a bathroom scene with her mom, I saw her stop and glance at the mirror to check if the performance was grand enough! What I find interesting is that some kids are prone to tantrums and some not, even in the same family.

All kids test the limits at times. A good parent, or uncle, learns when to say no and stick with it. Bad Brad.

Shannon goes from Screaming Terror to Happy Child very quickly. I think she is a better actor than her dad.

Shannon needs some discipline at home, and so does Jonah. He should marry Bernice.

I wonder if Toni was there, if she would have given in?

Shannon is acting like a kid her age who is living a life that is far from the typical 1960s household. She is also acting like a kid her age visiting other relatives in the 1960s. It is just the way kids are. They need limits set like when it is the proper time to eat ice cream and that it is healthier to keep the portions sensible.

Cause and effect. She has achieved her desired effect. Most kids get past the bratty 2-3 year old stage through appropriate discipline and reinforcement of desired behavior. Shannon has never had this consistently in her life, so she has remained ‘bratty’ and become downright manipulative. That is why I used the term manipulative a few days ago. Or that is what she will become if this ‘brat stage’ is not curbed.

Have a very safe and Happy 4th everyone!

Time for Luann to the rescue! However Luann should be paid. Luann is currently a professional handling kids.

Quick, TJ!

Build a room for her to “go to”!

This kid need some serious time out

JUST TO BE CLEAR. I did not start all the political comments here today. However I will NOT sit back and let someone else hijack this with that stuff. I will stop here. But If you start something be prepared to get a response. I personally come here to get away from that stuff. Now disagreements on child rearing became a political argument. I have a real life. No one here will likely care if I am here or not. I have enjoyed the interaction but I can always read this without having to comment. I am beginning to see why former commenters have left permanently. Have a good day.

Shannon has scared the smirk right off of TJ’s face! There is going to have to be some retraining all around if Broni, akaTorad are ever thinking of adopting this little Princess. (Brad-Toni-fee-fii-foe-BradToni!) (think the Name Game, originally by Shirley Ellis).

(A quick, fake phonecall to Jonah)

“Hey, Jonah! How goes the gig? Really? Uh-huh…. Say, quick question; how many scoops of ice cream is Shannon allowed to have at one setting? Uh, huh… ooookay. What? Oh, they’re calling you back? Alright, we’ll see you when you return. ’K, bye.”

“Say, Shannon. What do you think your dad said about how many scoops of ice cream you usually get?”

“FIVE! uh, three…? ….one?”

“One scoop it is then.”

This kid has Brad wrapped around her little finger. Time to call in Luann.

either of these two guys have jobs?

Time to grow up Brad and get used to saying no. Deal with it now and be done with it or spend the next 10 years listening to it.

“Let’s see that pouty face again Shannon.

I want to record it and show it to Aunt Toni when she get’s back.”

Wow, Brad is a real chump. He and Toni are not ready for kids. He should have just told her no and let her scream. He’s not her father and all he has to say is, “I love you, too, but you’re not having ice cream right now.”

Hey, Luann1212, you name dropping friend of Freud, is the Id, Ego, and Super-ego still accepted today? I really don’t hear much about the dark corridors of psychoanalysis anymore. M.D.s are too expensive and medication seems to have replaced “the couch”. Too bad, Hollywood used to produce some fascinating movies. Even “Forbidden Planet” had an out of control Id. A Beautiful Mind fell into that category, but mostly now its just the Wizard of Id comic strip.

Brad will never be a good dad until he learns to stop being such a pushover, so easy for a spoiled kid like Shannon! Maybe it’s not “her fault,” but she needs to be corrected from this kind of behavior….

Oooops… just yesterday some of us were commenting that Shannon seemed more mature than in the past. What now? Brad should have said that they didn’t have any ice cream. I wonder what kind of balanced diet Shannon has at home. Ice cream is surely the opiate of the masses… used possibly to keep her quiet.

No, TJ, she’s BAD!

The child needs to be corrected. Brad dropped the ball. Saying he will be a lousy father is absurd.