For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for April 02, 2023

yikes

She’s taking after Jeremy.

Both my parents kept a clean and tidy home, garage, and yard. For whatever reason I always kept my room clean. But just like the male pattern baldness gene skips a generation, the “keep your room clean” gene totally took a hard pass with my son. Tru story!

I don’t know what Elly expects. She lets Michael keep his room with a foot of trash on the floor and old food and dirty clothes all over everything for years and yet has the nerve to complain that Elizabeth is doing the same thing. I sense a double standard.

I learned to just shut the door…now that she’s been married for 30 years, her whole house is spotless. Nothing is ever out of place. I did good without doing anything!

Are the Degroots taking notes?

From Lynn’s Comments: I get real satisfaction out of hearing my daughter saying these exact words to her daughter. I have to admit, it made me smile. What goes around…

I was a pretty sloppy teen, but the morning I woke up and didn’t want to open my eyes because the room was such a mess made me realize I needed to get my act in gear, as the saying goes.

I always thought boy’s rooms were junky. I know mine was.

“I have every right” is a strange thing to say to another adult. I’m thinking respect isn’t flowing in both directions here.

Elizabeth: This… is… UNFAIR!! Why can’t parents get it through their thick skulls that their kids have a life? Do I complain about the state of HER room? NO!! The state of MY room is none of her business!!

My bedroom as a teen was clean and orderly. That happened because I used it as a refuge from the chaos of my family. Now that I am 66 years old I find keeping my home clean and tidy a challenge. I am more focused on what’s really important.

A girls room is only as neat as she is! Lizard breath is normally a wardrobe train wreck.

his is just Elly venting. If she wants Lizzie to clean her room up, then her final line about cleaning the room up is sufficient.

I mean, come on, “Show some respect for the things you own”? I like wearing nail polish too, but I don’t go around feeling the need to show a bottle of nail polish respect. And “Tis isn’t a room anymore… This is compost!” Not constructive. Just venting.

Yes. sometimes yelling at your kid is a necessary thing, but you shouldn’t do it just to vent.

Who cares? A kid’s bedroom should be their castle, sez I! Just leave it, Elly. It’ll help that blood pressure problem of yours…

I have told this story before. . . . When my step daughter was still at home and about 16, we had the usual go around about her room. One day I walked in and asked her, can I see your phone? She handed it to me and I said, “You get this back when your room is clean.” Her reply was, “OK you got me this time, but never again.” My reply, “Sweetheart, I pay the bill. . .”

My daughters have fond memories of me flinging their dolls at them from across the room.

I kept my room clean when I was a kid. I keep my house clean. I won’t drive a dirty car. I just like things clean. What the heck is wrong with me!!??

Maybe Mike can give Liz some hints about subduing Mom…

Tenth panel…

Elly is looking through brochures…

Elly{talking to herself}: “I have the solution for Elizabeth where she will no longer live in messy rooms….boarding school!”

She’s a teenager. Michael’s room is probably worse.

I remember being Elizabeth’s age (dinosaurs still roamed the Earth) and I could not for the life of me keep my room clean. Now, when I clean my house, I think back – all I had to do was clean one lousy room. What was wrong with me?

The curse of children and their rooms!

Hey Mom, how do you know it is Elizabeth’s room since it looks just as messy as April’s party rec room yesterday. Why blow your gasket? When it will take you all day to clean up the party room today, here’s some advice. Don’t enter and look into your teen-ager’s rooms for at 6 or 7 days! (Which is exactly what originally happened. Today’s strip has been moved up 7 days from next Sunday! I suppose the reason being that they were talking about Easter as a subject because in 1994 today would have been Easter.)

I had a sign on my bedroom door: “Enter at your own risk. A teenager lives here.” All in pink & yellow psychedelic lettering, of course so that no one except a teenager could read it.

When Elizabeth is gone, Elly should get a new garbage can, pick up everything with a shovel, hide said garbage can and wait for Elizabeth to holler when she comes home!!!

When you see fur balls blowing around the room, it’s time to clean

Why did it get in that condition? They should have been taught that being a slob in your home is unacceptable.

Elly could have also enlisted the Enjos to shame Elizabeth. For example

“Dawn never has her room looking like this!”

“Brian and Dawn always obey their parents!”

“Brian does well in school.”

“Dawn and Brian do everything right. They are going to grow up to be successful, unlike you!”

If you don’t teach her, who will?….

Teenager 101.

My daughters room was such a mess when she was growing up. I tried everything. I cleaned it, left it absolutely filthy, closed the door, left the door open. Grounded her. She never kept it clean. For mothers out there with children like this, keep up the good hope. She is a very good housekeeper now. Her house is pretty much spotless.

What you have, kiddo, you got it

What you need, needs picking up.

All I’m askin’ is for a little respect when you get home

(Just a little bit) hey, kiddo

(Just a little bit) when you get home

(Just a little bit) girly

(Just a little bit)

I ain’t gon’ pick up for you while you’re gone

Ain’t gon’ do you chores ‘cause I don’t wanna

All I’m askin’ is for a little respect when you come home

(Just a little bit) child

(Just a little bit) when you get home

(Just a little bit) yeah

(Just a little bit)

I’m about to give some of my money

And all I’m askin’ in return, honey

Is to give me my propers when you get home

yeah, baby

(Just a, just a, just a, just a) when you get home

(Just a little bit) yeah

(Just a little bit)

Ooh, your smiles, sweeter than honey

And guess what? So is my money

All I want you to do for me, is clean your room when you get home

yeah, baby

(Re, re, re, re) whip it to me

(Respect, just a little bit) when you get home, now

(Just a little bit)

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Find out what it means to me

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Take care, TCB, oh

A little respect

(Sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me)

Whoa, girlie

a little respect

(Just a little bit) I get tired

(Just a little bit) keep on tryin’

(Just a little bit) you’re runnin’ out of fools

(Just a little bit) and I ain’t lyin’

(Just a little bit)

start when you come home

(Re, re, re, respect) or you might walk in

(Just a little bit) and find your stuff is gone

(Just a little bit) I gotta have

Try to get Jeremy to clean his room!

The ponitificating hippie (panel 2 pretty much sums it up) back on her high horse, man. Must’ve felt guilty for rolling around in the mud at Yasgur’s farm, Goose Lake, etc.

My mother’s response to a messy bedroom was to confiscate everything that was on the floor. We all learned to keep our rooms neat after that.

I’ve never heard of a messy room being called compost. Will Liz’s room become fertile soil in a few years?

I guess we got lucky, neither one of our kids were any where near that messy. Having said that, my basic response to a mess was that as long as it didn’t smell or attract pests, who cares? Not my problem, I didn’t live there. The rest of the house, however…..

The struggle is real.

Dang kids.

One of the joys of growing up was getting my own place where I could have it the way I wanted. Then I got me a wife…

As a parent never understood why other parents got so upset about there kids messy rooms. Would laugh at them. Take pictures for future embarrassment. But as long as it wasn’t food really didn’t care. It was there room.

GAH!! What is her deal? This is MY room! MY SANCTUARY!! Do I barge into her room and complain about it? NO!! UGH!! When will she learn that I have a life of my own!?