Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for January 12, 2020

Excuse me, there’s something in my eye.

Normally Calvin’s dad is kind of a sarcastic jerk to his son. This strip stands out for being one of the most wholesome C&H strips ever.

As some advertisements of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in a tag line, “family: it’s about time.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph-VLCz88SE&list=PLBCBE915D39DC3594&index=1

Now does everyone get why we love snow?

“Cat’s in the Cradle” comes to mind.

We don’t have a lot of money, we have barely enough. I could go back to work and we could have newer stuff and a bigger car. That’s not happening and if we ever got a good amount of snow I’d go out with them as much as I hate the cold. My boys will have what my my brothers and I never did.

I gotta say, this is one of my all time favorite Calvin and Hobbes comics. The images tell all you need to know about it, making it sequential art at its finest. The story is heartwarming and has a simple message that anyone can enjoy or even relate to. I just love it.

Thanks Bill.

Obviously, this happened when he was ‘normal’.

nice !

In the eight panel, the realization occurs, Why am I inside doing paperwork when I could be outside playing in the snow?

Calvin’s dad will be polling well tonight!

Abadoning paperwork pays

And Calvin will remember this day all the days of his life.

Who says you need a punchline for a cartoon? And it does not need to be funny, just warm the heart.

Sweet, Thanks yet again, Bill.

Ah yess, that reminds me of back when I was a resident of the Mid-Atlantic and loved snow. Then I moved to New York’s North Country. sigh

Reminds me of the Harry Chapin song “Cat’s Cradle.”

The moral?

A delightfully rare moment.

“I won’t grow up!I won’t grow up!”

And why should you?

Nice to see a moment of calm and some family togetherness.

Given half a chance…….

If a picture is worth a thousand words these are worth a hundred thousand.

When your parents pay attention to you, then you don’t need any stuffed pet.

An all too rare wholesome father-son moment between those two.

Much better choice, Dad! Way to go!

This one should be used as a reminder poster for all working parents.

Finally, Dad does something normal with Calvin.

That’s better.

You can always make more money but you can’t make more time. Once it’s gone it’s gone.

I love a happy ending.

155 “Likes” for just one cartoon… I’ve never seen that many before… and ironically one of the few not to feature Hobbs…

Just leaves a warm glow inside me… Thank you Bill…

Sometimes, you’ve just gotta…

Dad has guaranteed re-election for another term.

Where’s Hobbes?

Way to go, Dad!

Building up his “Dad Points”.

No one has noted how different this strip is from all the other Calvin snowman strips.

Mark well this Sunday panel… where Dad’s not portrayed as a doofus.

one of those rare cases when dad and son both get it right

The last panel says it a lot better than any drivel that I could add. Nice job Bill!

It’s not so much that his parents are abusive, they’re trying to raise a kid by teaching him right from wrong. And before anyone jumps on me just look around. Respect for others is lacking now days. There is no off switch anymore for decision making. Get angry with someone – kill them. Want something that isn’t yours, steal it. There is more abuse now days because respect, morality and ethics are no longer taught by parents.

❤️ Wish I’d done more of that with my own kids, they’re some of my happiest memories.

One of my favorites. Work will always be there, but the child that wants to play will not.

I love little Calvin in the title panel. It reminds me of my cat … reminding me there’s always enough time for play.

And that’s the way I hope my children think of me. I know my grandchildren do.

Boy if that family isn’t just like mine… only my son’s name is CA***N. (Not Calvin.)

Life is short.

A rare strip where Calvin is a “normal” child, the parents show him their love, and Hobbes isn’t present. Despite the previous mentioned deviations form the normal Calvin and Hobbes….I love it!

Actions speak louder than words in the language of love.

One hundred years from now, it won’t matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank, nor what my clothes looked like. BUT the world may be a little better, because, I was important in the life of a child.

The wordless strips are, in my opinion, some of the most powerful.

Anyone else hearing Harry Chapin’s “Cat’s in the Cradle”? Only this time the song has a happy ending.

My cat does this for me. She loves to go for walks.

Along the same lines…too cute

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8gUFfkgMDg

Is this his parents’ daydream?

That was so heartwarming, it’ll melt all the snow !!!

Further proof that a comic doesn’t have to have dialogue or a joke to be a great one.

Could this be the sweetest Calvin strip of all? Could be….

One of my favorites!!!!

That does it, I gotta have a son.

It would only be sweeter if Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs would fall like manna from the heavens….

One of the best Bill did

Its a comic strip people. It only shows the funny things and seldom (like today) the touching and loving stuff I am sure his parents do. I wonder where Hobbs was today?

Do you want to build a snowman?

Finally a happy thing for Calvin and his Father!! WHOOP!!

Way to go Dad! :-)

Awwwww…!

Priorities.

Essence of Fatherhood

Priceless! Mr Watterson please bring Calvin back!

Best Calvin in a long, long time.

Fathers seeing today’s strip, shifted their regard for their child a bit.

I kinda love this family! For a parent nothing is more satisfying than some quality time with kids. This is life!

The best cartoons need no dialog. Remember Henry?

They are being PARENTS! How we turn out, is basically up to us. I was spanked, but basically, behaved. I have never been arrested, and, there is a line between abuse, and discipline. How many times do you have to chase a child, to keep them out of the road, when sometimes, you have to take the adult stand, and discipline them. Don’t beat the hell out of them, and make the punishment fit the crime, but, lack of discipline, now, has given us a society of entitled children/teenagers. Everything they do that is bad, illegal, or, even violent, is attributed to a “mental health” problem. Yeah, right.

This one is one of my all time favorites. I can see where Calvin gets his imagination.

P.S. – This, is a comic strip. People would enjoy them more, without over-reading them, or psychoanalyzing them! They are basically meant to be read, and taken at face value.

For once.

awwwwwwwwww……..

Maybe Calvin and Dad can go out and make yellow snow, using the same technique Calvin once used on the unauthorized auto stickers back in the day.

Since when does Calvin ever want to play with his dad? Feels very out of character.

One of my favorite episodes.

In Bill Watterson’s own words, “They do a better job than I would.”

<3

Cat’s in the cradle.

Find time to be a father

Definitely one of my favorite C&H strips

this strip’s cute

My favorite C&H strip of all time