Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for May 04, 2021

This strip is originally from 1985. It just shows how being Calvin’s parent can age you even if Calvin doesn’t get older.

good try on all three things, Calvin… specially the cookie

He really thought he was going to be allowed to do any of that?

Mom, do you ever say, “Yes”?……

Mom likes to be cruel, sometime.

She’s known you for six years, Calvin. Of course she’s on to you!

Really curious to know at what point in motherhood does a mom’s internal circuitry get rewired to just say “No” to their offspring.

Worth a try.

I Use this trick on my mother all the time

The answer to all of the questions should be ‘If you get A’s on your report card’. Great way of saying No without being the bad guy.

This is when we found out Calvin has a doctorate in clinical deviousness.

Moms always know what to listen to and what to tune out…

At that age, i think you have a bigger list of the things you can’t do as opposed to the things you can do.;D

Yeah, he’s still in the prototype stage.

Well, at least I can have a cookie. Be right back.

She’s not daft you know…..

What about if he rode his bike off the roof into a burning mattress while eating a cookie?

Nice try though, kid.

Doesn’t bother me that it’s a repeat. I love the little guy.

Well, she’s had plenty of practice, Calvin…

Go for the Banana. Always play the sure thing.

pretty good bargaining tactic actually

Mom’s been there and done that. Next time tell her what you thought of but didn’t do and then ask for a cookie. Make it look like a reward instead of a bribe.

I did once melt crayons on my bedsheets by focusing the sun’s rays on them with a magnifying lens.

Surprisingly poor artwork in this strip. Atypical.

He sure has a big mouth for a little tyke.

I like the older art work…lol

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day to Miss Wormwood, and all the IRL teachers of “Calvins” and “Nancys,” especially this year!!!!!!!!!!!! This thank-you includes parents who have been teaching remotely during this pandemic: a bouquet of roses and a bottle of your favorite adult “plant-based” beverage from me: I couldn’t have made it through the last three months of my teaching career without you last Spring.

He was just being polite. He’s already eaten the cookie.

So much for establishing a baseline.

Well Calvin you need better ask question that requires a yes.

One of my favorites from 1985! Simple, but effective!

Go ahead and ride your tricycle on the roof. You toboggan off cliffs into canyons and manage to survive THAT…

I suggest you to not set your bed on fire XD

how to win at negotiations

An early one. Calvin looks more “Simpsons” than “Calvin”

And she actually listens!

Calvin before evolving into the Calvin we know and love.

Mom is well aware of this trick fella!

The same concept at work in a later Sunday strip:

https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1986/03/09

I rode a bicycle on the roof of my building once (four stories). I was much older than Calvin then, and it feels a lot less like bragging now.

Calvin would have been pretty surprised if Mom said yes to option one or two. She should have said yes just to see the look on his face!Mom’s conditions for “yes”:

The fire must be created by rubbing two sticks together. No matches.

The roof must be on the tallest building in the country.

I know how he feels. My parents made me wear safety goggles when I was Calvin’s age whenever I played with a chainsaw.