For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for June 29, 2018

ain’t it sweet?

It’s good to see three generations of women there with Carrie, Elly, and Elizabeth … all wearing shades of purple.

I sure miss those moments with my dad. Been a long time since I sat on his lap.

They grow up so fast!

A memory: My husband does NOT have a good relationship with his mother; she was rather abusive to him & favored his 2 sisters. When our older daughter was 1-1/2, we went down to visit her. At one point she & I were outside talking while my husband was pushing our daughter in her little “stroller-car”. At one point my MIL was quiet, and the expression on her face was like, “Who is this sweet daddy and where is my loser son?” I’ll never forget that expression.

My DH’s family is not the cuddling type. He isn’t either, having no experience with it. Some people are just that way.

“no matter how big they grow, they’re still your babies.” I wish I could read that and not cringe. That excuse has been used too many times by my grandmother to justify treating my mother like child and not treating her with respect as an adult. It is interesting how a phrase can seem sweet to some and awful to others depending on your experiences.

Once you have kids, grandkids are automatic! Very lucky – not one came home drunk or spent a night in jail. (4 and so far 9 grands)

I know what Carrie means. Watching my son care for his son brings back so many memories.

Not really true about grandparents seeing their grandchildren though…especially that generation, because they were the ones who went through the WWII… It all depends if the parents’ parents live long enough to see that their children had children. Some people, and I’m one, never had living grandparents. My husband didn’t either…

It didn’t bother me so much watching my daughter interacting with my grandson but I admit, watching my grandson on Skype and Facebook with his baby daughter ( my great-grandaughter ! ) does make me feel old !!!

My grandmother just came down to my 50th birthday party a few weeks back.

How sweet these moments are

Were there any strips about Michael’s birth? There was one where John meets a distant relative who says he was a bastard child put up for adoption.

John: “I would like you to meet my wife Elizabeth, and my three children, Michael, Elizabeth Junior, and April.”

Relative: “All born in wedlock?”

John: “Yes” {whispering} “Though the boy was a close call.”

That is good that Elly gets along well with her mother-in-law. Glad this is not Hollywood, where mother-in-laws are often portrayed as shrewish. However, there have been some signs of a tough relationship with Elly and her mother. How does John get along with “Mother Richards”?

The Parents’ Dictionary for Kids:

Eritrea: A place where children would be grateful to eat succotash.

Grown Up: An ambigous term used when you need to take on more responsibilites…but not when you want more priviledges.

Noise: Any piece of music composed after December 31st, 1949.

Respect: What parents got from their children in the old days.

Sixteen: The number of miles your father had to walk to school.