For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for August 16, 2018

Is Michael suggesting his parents should invest in artificial turf which won’t need any mowing?

When I first start mowing lawns at age 10, I left patches in the lawn too. My father had to show me the technique of lawn-mowing involved moving part of the lawnmower over part of the lawn you had already mowed so that you would not leave patches. You don’t just line up the wheels with the uncut part of the grass. It seems obvious to me now, but not when I was 10.

If I had not had someone show me how to do it, I might have eventually worked it out; but I don’t know why Elly Patterson thinks Michael is going to learn the proper mowing techniques without anyone taking the time to teach him.

Best to do it right the first time, so you only have to do it once.

Reminds me so much of my own boys. I am never raising teenagers again. When my grandkids reach their teens, I’m gonna disappear.

Me too Capricorn9th, me too. ;)

I hate grass and mowing. Most of it was made into a patio, covered in decorative stone or turned into a garden. I may have 800 sq ft left.

I doubt this was the first time he had mowed. Ellie simply needs to make him do it over.

Gotta love a gated community to rid oneself of mowing, fertilizing and all kinds of yard maintenance.

We’ve cheated and got a company in these last couple of years to cut the grass. They’ve got the whole thing done in less than 10 minutes, front and back. Gives us more time for “proper” gardening, e.g. flowers and shrubs.

Lynn’s pinpointed most people’s attitude toward things in that last frame. Your priorities aren’t necessarily my priorities.

Get a riding lawnmower, and he will have fun hot-rodding it around the yard. The finished product will be just as bad, but he’ll enjoy it more.

It all boils down to one thing: If you can maneuver someone into wanting to do something, results will be much better than being forced. Competition works too.

My father taught us pride in our work at a young age. For the life of me, I can’t seem to do the same with my teenage grandsons!

I had a guy tell me once, “If you don’t want to do something, don’t do it well.” Holds true to this day.

Never enough time to do it right, but plenty of time to do it over.