For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for June 17, 2020

These days, the people in the other car would just assume she was talking to someone on her cellphone, and compliment her on not texting while driving…

Have to confess that’s the first time I have seen a reference to a woman in a comic strip as a “broad”.

They altered this, April was originally riding shotgun in the front.

Can they hear her talking? Why couldn’t she be singing with the radio?

Everything is not always how they appear

imagine that when the hands-free car phone comes in, Wes and Wes’s acquaintance

And, in 1991, cell phones didn’t exist. Now, folks apparently talking to themselves in cars (and everywhere else) is quite common and not a cause for second notice . . .

The Ontario Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8 did not have rules requiring child seating systems until 2006. In other words, when this comic strip was published in 1991, Elly was not legally required to put April in a child safety seat. In the original she had April in the front in a car seat only held in place by the lap belt.

https://www.gocomics.com/forbetterorforworse/1991/06/19

Like April, my kids were born in the 1990s and I remember it was around that time when air bags started injuring kids in front-facing car seats. Not long after that, the rear-facing child seats were introduced. Consequently, this joke works because April is the car in such a way that Wes’ passenger cannot look through the side window of Elly’s car and see her. A modern, rear-facing car seat would be obvious.

Oh come on. People talk to themselves in their cars all the time.

In some cases the best way to have an intelligent conversation.

LOL! Like he’s never talked to himself.

Lynn’s Comments:

Nowadays, folks “talk to themselves” all the time. It’s no big deal to see someone prattling away to an invisible companion as they drive or walk or sit in a coffee shop.

Wasn’t April placed in the front seat in the original comic?

I have never been a fan of “baby talk”.

If mommy would stop talking maybe April would go to sleep. It works for me. Not critiquing, just saying.

Good thing we see a “Ga ga” from the back seat or I’d think Ellie was losing it too!

In those days she might have been singing with the radio. Now she’s on a hands free phone.

When my Granddaughter was a baby, in the 90’s, I had her forward facing carseat in the middle section of the back seat. I could see her in the rearview mirror and she could see me. My newer car has an alarm as a reminder to look in the back seat before getting out.

Broad? Broad?!?

Counterpoint: Some studies indicate that certain elements of babytalk actually help a child develop language skills:

https://www.todaysparent.com/toddler/toddler-development/baby-talk-bad-for-toddler-development/

I remember an incident happening years ago when a baby died because his father forgot to drop him off at the sitter’s and left him in the hot car all day while he was at work – yes, dad got off with a slap on the wrist – but I always wondered about the sitter. I did childcare for years and if one of my children didn’t show up and the parent hadn’t notified me, I was calling asking about that child within a half hour of normal arrival time.

This tragedy also happened in my town a few years back. Still makes me sick to think of it! Dad, who was supposedly a well educated man with a white collar job, forgot to drop the baby off at the sitter. it wasn’t his usual routine!! Then write it on your hand!! If someone is that easily distracted they don’t need to be in charge of children or anything else! He skipped free, of course as the judge deemed it an accident.

obviously not meant to be going on now, with all the bluetooth phone calls