For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for May 19, 2018

bummer, Mike

Lizardbreath has the right idea, I read or listen to audiobooks much more than I watch the tube nowadays.

Who knew teen boys could be so dramatic? I raised two and they were dramatic in a very different way than Mike. He sure is wordy. A friend who has three girls is always telling me I am lucky to have boys because their girls drive her crazy with their chatter. Then I babysat them and I have to agree…girls are chatty and dramatic…sort of like Mike.

I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but if you don’t shut up, Michael, I’ll give you something to whine about myself (and now I’ve REALLY turned into my parents!)!

Lizzie is being very mature for her age. Mike is just being a pill.

Obviously Michael has yet to learn how vapid and meaningless TV programs (or as the Canadians call them “Programmes” ;-D) are.

This is a little bit of an antiquated look at television even for 1989, when the comic strip was originally published. Certainly when I was growing up in the 1960s and there was only broadcast television, this situation with reruns would have been true. With the advent of cable TV that all changed. What I remember being really popular in the 1980s was MTV, back in the days when it would show music videos almost all day long. As I understand it, the Canadian version of this was MuchMusic because CRTC genre exclusivity restrictions prevented MTV from either bringing its U.S. channel directly into Canada or launching a homegrown competitor.

He really should join an amateur dramatics club, where they can make use of his “talents.” :P

He is really missing that one-eyed multi-hued idiot box.

About all I watch is local news, The Weather Channel and stream old TV shows like Trading Spaces which I am watching now.

Michael needs to realize what he did was serious. Had he hurt Farley, then Elly would have easily forgiven him.

If I complained half as much about a grounding as Michael is doing, my mom would add another three days to it!

What? He doesn’t have comic books? At his age, I was reading all kinds of science fiction, which is terrific fun. With a library card, the universe is limitless.

Umm. and he doesn’t have a friends house tom go to?

We filled out a Nielsen ratings survey a few weeks ago — where you write down everything you watch for a week. Turns out we watch very little. I honestly thought we had the TV on a lot, but we had many blank pages on the diary.

Does this story line remind anyone else of the “Peanuts” plot of the mid-1960s where Linus and Lucy’s mother took away the TV because L and L were always fighting over it?

Future novelist.

One of my sisters did not allow a TV in the house (late 50s) but her three girls were allowed to watch when visiting others. During one visit, one program was ending, and one girl said “XXX is on next” and the other responded “But My Friend Flika is on the other channel!” Later found out that after school, the three would cooperate on the evening chores, and then rush over to a neighbors house to watch TV.

Never underestimate the abilities of children and wives. My wife is still having trouble learning how to use the basic Jitterbug phone. However, a few years back, we got a new TV and I set up the remote. She figured out how to add QVC and Hoarders Served Nicely.

I just want to say how glad I am that GoComics features FBOFW. My newspaper has apparently stopped printing it, without even telling us. They have done that with a couple other comics in the past. Before then, they at least told us if they were stopping a comic. It really stinks IMHO to stop the comic without even saying anything. So I’m glad that I can come over here and see the comics I still like. Thanks, GoComics!