Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for June 20, 2020

Sometimes, Dad should take the W and not talk too much.

I wonder if Calvin’s dad had as many “character building” moments when he was that age.

A “building character” moment that actually makes sense.

Actually, some of my best childhood memories involve TV!

The problem, Dad, is that in order for Calvin to see your point, it had to be Calvin’s choice to play outside, not yours. You took that away from him just so you could make a point that he would consider irrelevant (as do I) because it wasn’t his choice to spend the evening playing outside. You FORCED that upon him. So skip the self-righteous lecture. Neither Calvin nor I appreciate it.

Calvin, everything builds character for you because you’re only six. You don’t have a whole lot of character to begin with. And the character you do have… we store that away for another day.

If it builds character, it isn’t fun.

True dat…

How about having fun and learning something new?

And fun can be ruined by religious guilt. As Todd Flanders from ‘The Simpsons‘ says, “that was fun, so it must have been bad”.

Catching fireflies is cool. Building character, not so much.

It was fun before you knew better, Calvin. Admit it! :D

Lightning in a bottle… fun stuff.

The real moment would have been for dad to stay out and help him catch fireflies and put them in a jar after punching holes in the lid. Time spent with your child, even when you are busy, having fun is most important.

That’s the reason I can’t relate to why so many people get into watching sports.

Isn’t that the truth, finding out we’re building character instead of having fun!

I remember the 40-foot high obstacles I had to surmount in military training. Some days I ended up with so much character, I could barely walk.

Inner Sanctum, Lone Ranger, Jack Benny, and Tigers baseball.

I know Dad was just trying to use a “teachable moment”, but he really should have let the lesson sink in by itself.

Programs been watching, have been cancelled due to a certain group protesting, no thanks to them. Books are my adventure.

A light punishment, considering Calvin was being fresh at the dinner table three strips ago.

From our perspective, Calvin is already a piece of work. No need to build character.

In a characteristically droll monologue by Ruth Draper, the voice (the kid’s mother) says, with audible exasperation, “First, you didn’t want to come. Then, you didn’t want to stay. And NOW you don’t want to go home!”

Third panel:

Dad is watching, and reciting from, the teleprompter on the backs of his eyelids, which play “teachable moments” 24/7.

The last frame is a perfect single frame, one liner.

I am enjoying some of my recent bike rides away from the television (and the ‘home office’) lately. My biggest criticism of Watterson is he makes some great points via Calvin’s dad, but then they get undermined by the father being sanctimonious; or at least he comes off like that from Calvin’s viewpoint. It’s hard to believe he has any wisdom when Calvin doesn’t take him seriously, I know it’s just a comic strip, but Watterson could have taken a better approach as he makes point about our culture.

I see people complaining that Calvin’s dad went to the trouble of driving home the lesson to be learned here, but it doesn’t bother me, because Calvin would have steadfastly refused to be aware of the lesson.

When I went to Juilliard (the old building across from Riverside Church) I would eat dinners at the International House (“The I House,” as it was called.), directly across the street from Juilliard. It was a sort of residence dorm/hotel for international students. After dinner, everyone would head to the TV room and watch Batman, and the foreign exchange students would laugh harder and longer than we US students. I don’t know if they were laughing at us, but I always hoped it was with us.

When I was a kid 60 years ago, my only memories of (B & W) TV are Dr Who and hiding behind the couch watching Flash Gordon through a periscope after bedtime. I shrieked one time and scared the crap out of mom & dad (who had no idea I was there) :-)

Dad, sometimes it’s not necessary to comment