For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for April 16, 2022

that was an easy find

A lot of great stuff to love here:

1. I love the way that Connie tells Elly to tell Michael to be careful. Isn’t sweet how she is concerned about someone else’s son, but thinks her own son has gone to some kind of den of iniquity because that’s what gay men do?

2. I love those 24-hour coffee and doughnuts places that serve the generic food like sandwich, hamburger, hot dog. I wish they had places like that in the US. It would be great to walk into a restaurant and say, “I would like to have the sandwich, please.”

3. I love the way the waitress just sees Michael walking in and points her thumb at Lawrence, like “The only reason high school boys come to this place at 2 am is when one of them is crying in the corner.”

4. I love the way Connie just cannot bring herself to tell Elly what is going on and instead says Lawrence has been acting strangely. How many euphemisms does she know for “My son is gay”?

5. I love the fact that Lawrence is here and not at Ben’s place, although I do wonder if Lawrence tried Ben’s place first only to be rejected.

He’s been “acting strangely”? This woman is a real piece of work.

Because of her surprise at his orientation, Connie thinks she doesn’t know him. He is still the same guy, the same baby, toddler, little boy, teenager that she raised, and loved with the all consuming heart of a mother.

Poor kid. How heartbreaking to see him sitting there (presumably) crying.

When this was written gays were treated the same regardless of party affiliation

Now that Connie knows Lawrence is gay, she’s thinking the worst about him by saying he might be hanging in unsavory places and socializing with unsavory people. She is not that much better than her husband.

I looked ahead on the For Better or For Worse website. Tuesday’s strip is actually pretty funny within the seriousness of this arc.

Connie, Connie, Connie. I know you’re supposed to pretend this strip is happening today by changing the year whenever it comes up in conversation, but we’re not fooled, because every little thing dates this world you’re in. Including those phones you and Elly are holding.

Elly told you that Mike already left, which means she can’t tell him to be careful, or anything else, until he either gets back or maybe calls her from a phone booth to check in.

Yep, he’s absolutely in a bad place, with horrible people and doing horrible stuff… Connie!!!

The last panel is heartbreaking.

Another one I remember well- I liked how it showed that Michael knew Lawrence best, and probably knew exactly where he’d go if he had nowhere else to go. Connie saying things like “acting strangely” is peculiar, and probably her way of trying not to out Lawrence to anyone else- particularly since it up set her so much to hear it the first time.

PS I’m annoyed I stopped checking my GoComics this week (I sometimes just don’t have the energy to read all the strips at 1 am, and the next day I forget to check), because it meant I missed all the comments as they were happening, and couldn’t chime in, lol! Of all the arcs to do that in!

Ah the donut shop.

In the 1970’s/80’s we always hung out at the 24 hour donut shop….

WOW that Connie is a real piece of work….. “Lawrence is acting… Gay… No… Strangely… Be careful! He may infect everyone he comes into contact with!”

It always a good idea to know where the 24 hour places are in your community. No telling when you may need a place to go in the middle of the night. Sometimes the couch is not far enough from the bedroom.

This reminds me of the time my father punched and kicked me in the gut when I got home very late from work. (I was 18, nearly 19, at the time) I bolted out the door and drove off to the Denny’s restaurant, and decided to call home from there. Dad answered and I hung up on him and called again and mom answered. I could hear dad yelling in the background, and I told mom to tell him I would come back IF dad kept his distance. If he did not, I would call the police and have him charged with assault. I still have only the slightest idea of what got him so crazy angry as to assault his “favourite daughter” that was getting married within a month. :P

He just escaped from a house with 2 of the biggest jerks. Of course there are real predators out there to endanger his safety but he found a refuge.

Poor Lawrence he feels so unloved. No parent should ever make their child feel this way. We are supposed to support them and help them see how wonderful they are really.

Ah. Drowning his sorrows in the den of sugar and caffeine addiction along with the other donut junkies.

I like the way “howtheduck ” put it. Good work!

For some reason I just love the waitress in the 4th panel.Just a great panel altogether! This arc is so well done!

Oh yes, that Lawrence, hanging out with…a middle aged woman cleaning a counter. What might he do next?

Still, better Mike goes after him than Connie. Lawrence might flee if he saw her at this point.

And good on Elly for letting him have the car instead of demanding he tell Connie where Lawrence is.

Lord knows where he went! He might have gone to a church for sanctuary…

Tim Hortons?

I was thinking happy and dancing, not sad and doughnuts

Last two frames pictures of Easter

Panel 2 is irritating to me. Connie is not only reluctant to say what “strange” things Lawrence said, but she assumes that he’s headed off to someplace the “people like him” hang out and so it “must” be bad. True that she really didn’t have the right to “out” Lawrence to Elly, but in her ignorance, she’s assuming the worst about the son she’s raised for 17 years and never had a reason to do so before.

Connie does realize that MICHAEL can tell his mother the truth at any time, especially if he finds Lawrence, doesn’t she!? I guess the old windbag’s still in denial, and for once I’m not talking about Elly!

This mom is completely without heart. She cares more for her dog than her own son!

Wish if they would leave the original date of publication on these strips. It would give you an idea what the world was like back whenever.

Poor Lawrence :-( I’m so thankful my 13 year old great-nephew was born into a family where he’s free to be himself.

I’ve looked at today’s strip several times, and just now I’ve been greatly moved by that last, wordless panel, Lawrence, thoroughly devastated and alone in the middle of the night in a diner, and in walks his BFF Michael, knowing where he’d be. Because that’s what best friends do.

This is one of Mike’s finest moments.