For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for March 19, 2022

as second-born myself, I bet I got off easy when awfully young

Parents have to learn from someone. That where the first born comes in.

Is it even remotely possible for a teen to be jealous of a new puppy, tho? I’d have been stoked.

I’m the third child, and I’m still not allowed to have “relations” in the house. I’m 40!

Lenient? No. By the time #2 comes along they are experienced. ;-)

P.S….The second of 4 brothers here. :-)

Wow. When Lawrence was a wee lad, he wanted to do his toilet mess on the hall floor and he wanted to chew up the coffee table? Too much information overload that I really didn’t want to know!

My mother was NEVER lenient with me, and I was the second (and last) child!!

Lawrence pooped on the carpet and chewed the coffee table??

Well…

My parents were always lenient with my younger brother.

True. I was the first. The second, third and fourth got away with tons more stuff than I ever could.

I was the third child, ten years younger then the second. I basically could do anything I wanted so long as I took care of my responsibilities and got ok grades. Never grounded, no privileges taken away, even when I came home at 5 am after going out after school on a school night i went to school and out that night again with nothing worse than a lecture that i should call if i was going to be out after 2 am.

I really don’t know where I came in the birth order of my mother. My next younger brother (of the five of us who grew up together) has been doing research. We both knew about our half-sister who was sent away in her teens because she was dangerous to the rest of us, but he has turned up one half brother who died as a toddler, another in New York who wants nothing to do with the family, and recently one more half brother who he only knows by name. Instead of being third (second among those of us who grew up together) I guess I am sixth of nine even though I was second of five while growing up.

More tired, or just lazier?

It seems to me your take on kids this time round is treating them more like people than “teens.” I like it. I find them endearing.

My parents didn’t mind my table chewing. That way they didn’t have to feed me.

So true.

As the first of three, I was spoiled by the time #2 came along. Then I felt totally ignored, other than by Granny. Let’s not even start on #3 who was the only boy.

I started band in 4th grade, the flute. My sister started in 4th grade. She played clarinet. Then she wanted a piano, which appeared, along with lessons. Then an accordion. I got a guitar with NO lessons for Christmas one year. She got the ballet lessons I’d begged for, but it was “too expensive” for me.

Yeah, we are still working on our relationship.

My parents found time to be emotionally abusive to all four of us.

My puppy chewed on the carpet in four places…I bought rugs and he never chewed anything again!

I understand completely!

It’s the truth!!! My sister was second and she was babied and ended up the worse for it.

Dogs, Cats, Babies…they are ALL basically crap machines..You can have ’em…

Maybe crate training is in order.

When we got our puppy, no one wanted to hear about its days or nights, unless it was another dog owner…

This one only reinforces the fact that dogs are better than people.

Reading some of the comments here over the years, I am so grateful for my family. My parents weren’t abusive at all and my brothers, while a bother to me, their only sister when young grew up to be responsible men with great marriages and happy families of their own.

Enjoyed reading a dog-training book that advocated the newspaper method. You were supposed to keep a rolled-up newspaper handy, and every time your dog did something undesirable, you were supposed to whack yourself on the head while chanting “I forgot to watch my dog! I forgot to watch my dog!”

Oh please,again!

WOW! So Connie, did you learn everything about how to be a cruel, unfeeling parent from ELLY!?

WOW! So Connie, did you learn all about being a cruel, unfeeling parent from ELLY!?

In two or three weeks’ time, you’re going to choke on those words!

Second? I guess Molly and Gayle do not count.

I remember the teething St. Bernard puppy. The cherry wood chairs still have the toothmarks.

Note that the pup has the phone cord in her mouth in panel 3!

And they’ll name the puppy—STITCH!!!

Be careful with the little angel.

I’m the baby. Got away with murder.