For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for February 27, 2021

Is crying the same thing as apologizing? I don’t know. It is for sure not the same thing as “never doing it again.”

harsh

Well, most abusers don’t cry or apologize. They blame their actions on others. Glad you trust Mike enough to confess, Gordon.

Back in the day when I was a volunteer on a crisis switchboard, I did learn that some abusers do cry. Some of them lived through abuse themselves and recognize that they are repeating a pattern, but don’t seem to know how to stop…

I still don’t like this storyline. I thought it was done.

Funny how the victim always forgives when the perpetrator sheds tears over the incident. :P

Abusers are always so sorry, cry, beg for forgiveness, and do it again, as long as you will put up with it. As soon as you are old enough Gordon, join the Army.

He cried. Big deal. Abusers are always “sorry” and cry about how it will never happen again… until the next time.

Get your father some professional help Gord.

Life is complicated.

This is so typical.

Lynn’s Comments:

This strip is very close to the bone for me. My mother would have been called an abusive parent by today’s standards. She was physically and emotionally abusive, but she just didn’t know how to parent. When she found a drawing I had done of her as a witch holding a whip, she cried.

No one knows how to be a parent. They copy what their parents did though they know it dos not work.

I suppose in the long run it’s better, but I still think Lynn could have come up with something more serious as I still would not have called his parents for a silly mistake that caused no damage.

Delayed ending, cogent, heart breaking, and probably more.

There is a similar pattern with spouse abuse. Years ago I was on an ambulance and we kept getting called to one house where the husband was beating the dog snot out of his wife. Lots of people tried to talk her out of going back, but she always did, until the abuse stopped. He killed her.

Abusers cry, and promise it won’t happen again. And it does.

I can only recall seeing my Dad cry once, and it did involve an altercation with my kid brother.

I was home on leave from the Army and witnessed the whole thing. My brother, who was about 16 at the time, wanted to go someplace and my Dad said he couldn’t. The argument escalated – something I knew from experience was never a good idea when dealing with Dad – my brother being a teenager and the testosterone pumping. Brother’s temper got the better of him and he raised his fist to my Father. Not a very smart idea!

Dad hit him one straight shot to the jaw and dropped him on his butt on the kitchen floor. ( My jaw was hitting the floor just watching ). Dad told him if he thought he was man enough to try again, he was welcome. Mind you, Dad weighed about 145lbs. soaking wet and my brother was a good 240lb. high school football player.

Brother immediately saw the error of his ways, and tearfully apologized to Dad, then left the kitchen.

When he’d gone, I realized that my Dad had begun to cry. He told me that he hated to have had to hit my brother but if he hadn’t stopped my brother right then, there would be more confrontations in the future. I have to say it worked. My brother adored our Dad and, to my knowledge, there was never another test of wills.

( In truth, even when we were little, Mom was always the physical disciplinarian – Dad had the infamous the look & the point which was enough to stop us in our tracks. )

Bad for child abuse by the dad.

Yup. That was the moment Gordon became close as family to the Pattersons.

So, Gord’s dad isn’t necessarily a BAD guy, just kind of broken. COME ON, MAN!!! D’X

Gordon’s bio from FBorFW.com:

“Gordon is an old friends of Mike’s. Gord was often at the Patterson house as he struggled with his troubled family life…..Gordon’s parents have redeemed themselves by attending AA meetings.”

I removed the portions that give away future story lines.

And read “Family Circus” today. That MELONHEAD deserves to have his a- beat, not poor Gordon!!!

My father never cried after beating the crap out of us. And he went to his death bed without apologizing.

Looks like his dad needs help.

Still no sympathy for the devil. Many who abuse were first abused their selves

Wait’til Mike tells his mother what happened. I wish we got to see her tearing her hair out because it’s all her fault!

I think Gordo’s dad just realized he had become his father.

Doesn’t excuse abuse of any kind along with assault and battery.

Crying is a lame excuse; he’ll do it again.

Granted, Gordon is a piece of property; just as Farley, the car, Michael, the house, Elizabeth, and April are property of John and Elly and can be bought, sold, and disposed at will. However, one would think that Gordon’s father would take better care of his property. After all, what dumbass goes around banging up his car on purpose?