Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for January 31, 2012

No, you were lying, Calvin. You certainly didn’t try your hardest.

Marg is right, Calvin. You’re S.O.L.

Actually the grades are combined efforts of Calvin and hobbes.. :-D

I have often thought that Calvin is a classic example of a child who wasn’t ready for school. Often happens with little boys, give them another year in kindergarten and then they settle down well in school.

(Sigh) Poor Calvin. Look at that trusting face in panel 3. He doesn’t yet realize that you have to take what adults say with a grain of salt … Meanwhile, Dad’s discovering that Calvin’s hardest try is sort of hard like a marshmallow. Or pond scum.

Eleventeen is imaginary? Next you’ll try to tell me umpteen isn’t real either, and I know it is, because my Mom always used to shout That’s the umpteenth time I’ve told you, young man! Now DO IT!

Maybe it’s a trick being pulled by my antique eyes, but doesn’t it look a little like the back of Dad’s chair is actually laughing?

Hard is relative, for Calvin getting up each morning, suffering separation anxiety from Hobbes, being forced to sit in front of alien blubber monsters speaking weird languages is more than trying hard. Expecting him to also learn stuff is positively inhumane!

De fence, Boss! De fence!

Love is most important.Dad shall love Calvin in spite of he is not such a firstclass pupil and Calvin shall still love his father in spite of grumbling and try to become a better pupil, together they will do it!!

Click here: Peanuts (1962)

it it true? wowwwww

Worry not Dad. In another twenty five years he’ll probably be another Bill Gates.

He was trying – trying hard not to pay attention.

What happened to that squiggly plant thing we see in the first panel?

I think Calvin has a bright future as a litigation lawyer, if he can can get into, and finish, law school.

More like you’re in breach of contract, Calvin. Said in other ways by other people by now. ;)

Bazillion is still a number… Right?

It’s the teachers’ fault. I’m sure of it.

“Don’t worry son, no matter what happens, you can always come tell me and I will stay calm and rational, will still love you and understand.”

It’s not hard to see that if Calvin had been told such before, Dad’s reaction shows that this wasn’t the only time emotion over-reached reality.

Why even bring the report card home? Just say you lost it.

“Let sleeping dogs lie!” Dad shouldn’t lie!Actually, Calvin is very ‘trying’.

Give him a break dad, he has’nt learned to cheat yet

The grades don’t matter if Calvin is trying, but Dad’s reaction indicates that he strongly believes the grades show Calvin isn’t trying, so the grades do matter. If Calvin was trying his best, he’d get better grades. Calvin is implying that he was trying his best in spite of the grades, but we (and Dad) know better!

I always hated showing my parents my report card

A recent, documented conversation between two of my friends, both in their late teens:

L: I mean let’s be honest, you haven’t been putting forth your best effort…

J: What are you talking about?! I have been doing just enough to get by!

As we say in our household in situations like this, “you are dead meat, Calvin!”

Spin Doctor that sucker!

Arithmetic wasn’t my best subject in 4th grade. Came home one day and dad asks “How did you do in airthmetic today?”“Well, er, uh, I did better today than yesterday!”But he wasn’t one for indefinite answers:“That’s good – but what did you get today?”“52”“52? What did you get yesterday?”“48”Hard to belied that in HS I was breezing through algebra.

Since I don’t have any good stories of my own—my parents no doubt would say I repressed them from my memory long ago—I’ll add this story about the football scholarship athlete who got four Fs and a D. The coach looked at the report card, and said, “Obviously, he’s concentrating too much on the one subject!”

Calvin the incipient lawyer interrogates the defendant sitting in the witness comfy chair….

Looks to me like Calvin knows how to out smart his dad. lol!

Same to you, calvin.

Why show Dad the report card in the first place, Calvin?

Dad’s hardest or Calvin’s hardest ?Were the terms of the (verbal) contract defined ?Remember Samuel Goldwyn’s immortal observation "A verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on "

Oh, come on, Dad! Can’t you see it? That mean ole Mrs. Wormwood is just out to get him and is flunking him on purpose! If you don’t believe it, ask Calvin yourself. He’ll tell you it’s absolutely true!

;-)

And so today those expectations become both encouraged and exploited, and we get “reality” shows like “Dance Moms” and “Toddlers and Tiaras”.

What grade did you get, anyway, Calvin?

Another of my favorites is thirty-twelve. lol.

Yup F-

I was never worried about my report cards growing up…I was/am a brainiac…..

I still say eleventeen,lmao

Maybe it’s one thing to say, and another to do.