For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for July 19, 2009

I was always to selfish to have kids. I knew that I did not have the patience for this sort of thing.

John can survive half an hour with the kids - jeez!

NIIIIICE one Elly! Smart move … a little “Alone” time :D

Seriously, John. Your kids aren’t that bad where you can’t be left alone with them. They’re playing nicely and all is well. You just need to make sure that Michael doesn’t drown. Let your wife have her part of the vacation where she relaxes and does her thing.

Indeed, lightenup! It’s time for John to exercise the Dad Muscles. ;)

AWWWW COME ON JOHN I HAVE NEVER SEE SUCH WELL BEHAVE CHILDREN IN MY WHOLE LIFE I THANK IT IS ABOUT TIME ELLY GETS HER ALONE TIME DON’T YOU?

Boy, Michael keeps yelling his mommy to watch him all the time. Elly doesn’t need to get Michael’s attention all the time. Get a grip and play in the water at the beach. SIGHHHHHH!

Atta girl Elly….enjoy every step of your walk. Take a blanket with you and have a nice quite nap.

Umm….happy b-day cleo?

j/k ;)

nothing like a nice walk along the beach by yourself, it helps clear the clutter from my mind

nice assets cleo !

Wow, I’m sorry, but many of you guys are picking one parent over the other to support, which is usually poor, poor Elly. Both Elly and whiner John suck! Would it kill them to go play in the water with their kids?? When they’re all tired, they can sun themselves on the beach towel.

Also, would it kill Elly to acknowledge Michael, that yes, she is watching him? The way he is repeating ‘WATCH MEEE!!!’ implies that Elly isn’t really watching him.

This was a mean strip! The next panel should be Mike bawling his eyes out and John telling him to be quiet or they’ll go home!

Well why should John get to sleep while she has to stay awake to watch Michael? Michael should be calling to daddy to watch him too. It irks me that mothers are stuck with everything while dad gets off scott free concerning the children’s care, no wonder many people consider Dad to be unneeded and the mother to be the more important parent. It’s about time fathers and mothers shared in the children’s care.

I actually agree with you on that. Mothers and fathers should be sharing in childcare. That’s why I called John a whiner.

But I see both Elly and John refusing to do that here. They both want nothing to do with their kids, and then they wonder why their kids get in trouble or hurt. We never get to see Elly and John playing with their kids. I only remember one time that John did; in a fall strip when he chose to wrestle with Mike in a pile of leaves instead of yelling at Mike to get out like he was planning to. That was actually a cute strip.

Come on, they’re at the beach! Go play in the water as a family, the sand, etc. until Mike and Lizzie are worn out, then everyone can lounge around quietly and eat, then they can all go for a walk when the sun sets. At least, that’s what I did with my family.

Elly and John are acting more like a childless couple sitting on the beach here. I would be too nervous to let my kids out in the water alone like that, much less lounging around and napping! I remember being at Lake Michigan when I was…3 years old I think. I waded out as far as I could, and then I stepped over the drop off and was suddenly underwater. It didn’t become a bad experience because my father was right next to me and yanked me out a second later. What if Mike went under while Elly and John were sitting there like slugs? They’ll never be able to find him in time, not in that murky water.

What were you looking at? Ellie’s got her eyes locked straight on Michael the whole time while John’s napping. The only way she’s getting a break is leaving and forcing John to pay attention to his own kids.

Ellie’s is using the same technique Michael is using. Both parents could play in the water.

Every kid has or goes through the “Watch me” phrase. Sometimes these same ones as adults are the ones still craving attention in other forms.

And fifteen years from now she will be whining because Michael doesn’t give a rip whether she watches him or not. This strip is more whiney the second time around.

MaxStarman, I actually don’t see Elly whining in this strip at all. She’s watching the kids non-stop while hubby sleeps, now she’s telling John that it’s his turn - nicely even. John is the whiner this time round.