Stone Soup by Jan Eliot for March 05, 2025

As the eldest of 4 boys, I wasn’t allowed to do anything that my Mother didn’t approve of, or be smacked, which happened regularly, as I was supposed to be a standard for the younger brothers to look up to. Girls were virtually forbidden, an unexplained mystery. Hence, no girlfriends, marriages, or children.

If I talked back to my mom like that, I would have been smacked on the butt and punished. Ot if it was really bad, I got the “Wait until your father comes home.”

Problem one: The (admittedly small) TV is on in her bedroom.

OOOOOOHH, I’da had her sass butt over my knee in .5 seconds, if she’da told me to leave her alone !!

But, as we’ve seen, not 1 single kid in this strip EVER gets disciplined !!

I think girls have it harder than boys, at least from my experience 60 years ago.

Since when is it acceptable for a child to smart off to her parents like this? And without punishment, but being given an excuse?

Your mother’s not too crazy about her job, but she shows up every day to keep a roof over your head, Holly!

Mom could say okay if I did not like and skipped my job, would you be able to still live here, no money comin in, and fired, you would have no grades to show what you did on your studies. Your job is learning.

My teen did this. Mom didnt believe in spanking. So I took the door off his room. You’d thought I killed him. A week later I let him replace his door. He’s grown with a family now. He still talks about it.

I wouldn’t have dared to say those words out loud!

I do like the way Holly is drawn here. It really showcases her angst.

So this is old school, my mom used a wooden spoon on our butt. One time she whacked me and the spoon broke, I turned around and laughed. OH BOY, big mistake, huge mistake, Neva, Eva laugh at yo momma when she is mad. . . .