Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for June 13, 2012

That’s the right thing for Calvin, isn’t it?

And he was a Blue Light Special at K-Mart.

Just what he wanted to hear, given his love for the pre-historic stuff.

I love Dad’s dry humor.

There is hope for Dad yet!

Calvin’s one of a kind!

Offer any other answer to Calvin and he’d be horribly disappointed….especially the truth.

Calvin would probably find the truth unbelievable.

Had the strip been longer, he’d have been pulling his dad up on the liklihood of a hairy pterodactyl though, that’s wrong!

Sometimes I love Dad…

Nothing good can come from this one-liner. Next thing you know, Calvin will be trying to jump off the roof… wait, he does try that eventually.

I’m surprised Calvin didn’t correct his dad & explained it was in fact a Pteranodon.

Why isn’t Calvin offended that he wasn’t ‘ceremoniously’ dumped down the chimney…?

Calvin’s parents are used as a reality check to highlight Calvin’s outlandish and humorous side (that’s why it’s called a COMIC strip). If you dig a little you’ll see his parents are quite loving, as the time his dad put aside his work and played with him outside in the snow and had to stay up late to finish his work. So try not to be too harsh.

@jeremy0203 and @bizaker: Excellent, thought-provoking comments yesterday on Calvin’s parents and the different sides of their personalities.We all inevitably read Calvin and Hobbes at least a little differently, from our own unique perspectives as children growing up, and as adults.Some who grew up as high-maintenance kids, like Calvin, and some who have raised high-maintenance kids, like Calvin’s parents, may resonate with Calvin or his parents and have more sympathy for them. Some may also enjoy a lot of pleasant memories when reading the strip.On the other hand, some who are less happy with the parenting that they received as children may resonate with the ongoing tension between Calvin and his parents, which is vital to much of the humor, but which may bring back some unpleasant memories.It is very interesting to observe the diversity of reactions to Calvin and Hobbes. It illustrates how each of us is unique and how, for each of us, our thinking and emotions are so closely intertwined with our past. The same can be said of observing the great diversity of reactions to postings on this site.

Pterodactyls have hair?

This answer is much less scary for Calvin….he’d never be able to accept the answer that involves lots of smooching.

I went back and read Jeremy’s post and your response. Like some of the stuff you write, I felt like it was rather over the top. Loathe is an awfully strong word. Seems to me our main responsibility as parents is to get those children - our children- through childhood and to the adult state. Then they can make mistakes on their own. Getting them through may sometimes require indulging in their fantasies; at times, it can also require squashing them. None of us does it perfectly. We can’t— we’re human. In the strip, Calvin’s parents are mostly in squash mode. I suspect there are times that they’re in indulge mode as well. But that doesn’t fit the comic dynamic quite as nicely. In the end, I think you have to pick your spots. All indulging or all squashing just doesn’t do it. But you let either of them out of the mix completely and you’re evading your responsibilities as a parent. Playmates come a dime a dozen; parents don’t. I’n not sure I’m completely enthusiastic about Rosalyn as a character either. But she and Calvin understand each other— both of them are firm believers in the efficacy of power. I get the feeling you aren’t. Which is OK; it takes all kinds to populate a world. Unfortunately IMO the use of power is sometimes necessary. But one always has to be careful. There are many prerequisites to using power wisely. And some who would use it freely don’t always have those prerequisites.

I think dad would rather not explain the whole thing just yet!

Because of the comments, I read Jeremy. I hope he doesn’t have kids. This strip is Calvin and Hobbes – not Calvin’s parents. They are still together which says a lot. Dad really knows Calvin and said exactly what he wanted to hear. That’s love. As others said – if you don’t like it, don’t read it!

My mother was born on Halloween. My grandmother said the stork didn’t bring her. Black cats and witches threw her down the chimney.

It’s amazing that people will believe anything they WANT to hear even if it makes no sense.

I would say thats about right.We have to have rain caps on our chimneys ,I guess that gives us better grade of babys here on the west coast.

Awwwwww. That is soooooooo sweet!

I love how excited Calvin looks in the last panel.

In the film ‘Dumbo’ from Walt Disney there actually WERE storks carrying the baby animals.

I love that film but I’m not too fond of the name.

LOL xxx

Calvin should know that pterodactyls were not hairy.

When my kids asked where they came from I said, “My belly”. When they asked how they got there I told them, “I’ll tell you when you’re older, you’re too young to know.” They were satisfied with that answer. My oldest now knows, and he knows to keep it to himself until his brothers are older.

haven’t seen Dad in awhile. hehe! Witty as ever! :-D

Yeap. Makes sense to me, cause…… he’s a Wild one ♪♪♪♫♫

I’ve always liked Calvin’s mom. I feel sympathy for her because she seems clueless how to raise her son most of the time, but she still is trying and she gets it right every once in a while. Calvin’s dad is just Calvin grown up, imo.

Take a close look at the inkwork…truly extraordinary.

However, those that THINK they are always right and repeatedly annouce it…are conservatives that THINK others are too stupid to THINK for themselves…and want to run the world their way.They should give up on telling others how to live.

So, who is Dad talking to – himself, Calvin, or us?

Well, all things considered, that sounds the most plausible. See Eccl 7:28, Prov 31:1-3, Prov 7:1-27 Extricate yourself man!!!

Calvin’s utter joy in the last panel at the thought of being “dumped down the chimney” — even if it is was “unceremoniously”! — by a “big, hairy pterodactyl” just brought the biggest smile to my face . . . and heart!!!!! ♥♥♥

 

Despite the trouble his wild imagination sometimes gets him into, he’s the most loveable little scamp in the entire world! ♥♥♥

Calvin’s dad is too old school.

OK……….. now……….. for tomorrow, could everyone please be exactly the same as everyone else, just for one day? Let’s give it a try and see how it goes.:>)

Good one, Dad!

Come to think of it, that DOES explain a lot, doesn’t it?

“And remember…..ITS JUST A COMIC.”

Are you kidding? Just ask the self appointed experts here and you’ll see it’s SO much more than just a comic strip. We should use it to analyze our lives and bring up past memories, good or bad, so we can be better people..(gag). But I agree, it’s a comic strip: sometimes funny, sometimes not so much. Big deal.

Hello Mr Kettle …

“A big hairy pterodactyl”? I’m surprised that didn’t tip off Calvin that Dad was just making it up. Pterodactyls may have had scales or feathers, but hair appears only in the mammalian line of descent.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but sometimes the comments are better than the comic itself.

Too funny…

Awesome possum

Calvin must have been dropped on the head when he was one.