Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for March 16, 2013

Sure you are/won’t.

IMHO, Shannon has been demanding the attention she’s not really getting. The dialogue goes on around her and over her head and to everyone else in the room but her. I know, she’s attention- seeking; however, it seems no one would talk nicely directly to her if she wasn’t that way. Everyone is tolerating her, not interacting with her in a friendly manner.

Shannon needs to see a child psychologist or Toni needs to borrow a book on behaviour modification from the local library.

Am I the only one to notice the cup Shannon wants to drink red juice out of looks like Charlie Brown’s shirt?

Who does not control Toni.1: Brad.End of list.This is either because she does not see him as a control freak, or Brad has not attempted to take charge. I vote he does not attempt to take charge. It is not in his personality. The question becomes, does that win Toni over or does it drive her away.^^I think it wins her…. eventually

I’m thinking that Toni never babysat anyone when she was young…. She needs some tips from Luann

There is an easy solution to the cup and juice controversy. After Shannon leaves, hide the rest of the cups and only have 1 type available. Ditto for the juice, have only 1 kind of juice in the fridge. This leaves no options for choices. Drink what is there, with what is there!

Good to see, but sorry for you re the hassles.Wonderful hey, how serious we are about getting access to our comics. I really should go Pro.

That’s true. And if no one does anything to correct her behavior now, Shannon will grow up into a demanding adult that no one will want to put up with.

Anyone who can’t understand her situation is seriously without empathy. It may seem stupid to stay in such an abusive relationship, but when it’s all the family you’ve got, you cling to it like a drowning person clutches at straws.

Been there, experienced that.

Both the desperate relationship and the literal near-drowning.

hEy nOw thE brAt Is bAck…

Shannon is the only Sane 1 there. Toni doesn’t appreciate Brad, Luann is Hornonal, Brad is not assertive enough, Shannon will turn out fine.

Mention to Dirk that Jonah needs to step up and be a dad just like he is as you feel Jonah’s a slacker. See how Dirk reacts. Then mention that, by the way, you saw Jonah making eyes at Grace. See how Dirk reacts. Note which one garners the biggest reaction. That may tell you a lot about Dirk. If you have time, calculate Jonah’s probability of survival^^HAHAHAHA!!! Well, losing Jonah wouldn’t be much of a loss anyway!

Also keep in mind that Shannon is also comedy relief. If she were well behaved and had manners, she’d be boring.

I think it’s different when you have your own kid and when you’re minding someone else’s. Their bad behavior is the other guy’s problem.

Well put. Now toss your coin.

Toni lost her smug expression she had yesterday – talking about losers, etc . This would be a great time for Brad to walk in and handle Shannon. Yesterday I thought Toni gave us a look at her true self. I guess she’s not so happy with her true self after all.

I was Janitor/Fixit Guy at a Shelter for almost 10 years.

Shannon is not behaving any differently from the kids I dealt with every day.

With so little certainty in their lives they try to CREATE some. Any little step they can make in the direction of a secure, predictable situation for themselves is a victory.

It’s sad, but VERY realistic.

Jonah is such a flake that Shannon’s options are to demand what she wants, or go without what she needs. There is no grown up in her family, so she’s trying very hard to fill that void, with the only skills a 6 year old can muster.

someone slap that kid and teach her to say please.

I truly hope it “wins Toni over,” but it may take some coaching from Luann and/or others. I definitely hope this is a two week story arc.

On a side note, it was great doing the live tweet with Greg yesterday! No "secretes’ revealed, but it was good to engage him. Hope he does more of these! Thanks Greg, and GoComics!

I’m thinking let’s drop-kick that brat into another cartoon strip! What a rotten snot!

“She needed to be CONTROLLED”?!!?

Jiminey Christmas! I thought Ladies Like THAT were EXTINCT!

I THOUGHT the Reason You liked Dirk was because He once pushed Your Broken Down POS car out of traffic?

Well Now Toni You’ve NOW got BIGGER Problems as there is an ANGRY Group of Liberated Women forming a Lynch Mob outside Your House!

Shannon is doing what most children will do unless taught otherwise. And they’ll do it through adulthood, accompanied by several divorces and jail time.

I can tell none of you nerds have kids. This is basically, what parenting is like. Kids always have some control over you. BUT…when it comes to things like politeness, wrongdoing, you should be able to stand up and take over. Shannon needs a little discipline yes, but nothing here is less than typical of kids in general. Maybe someday all you nerds will find that out.

As far as liberation goes…

Not everyone takes advantage of a movement. Some women need to find their own liberation. Toni is apparently one of these.

It appears the poor thing did not get red juice. Horrors!

Shannon needs someone like Luann to SIT HER DOWN and tell her, gently but FIRMLY, that she MAY NOT BE THE BRAT. She DOES deserve attention – but she doesn’t deserve to DEMAND it.IF the ‘gently but firmly’ approach doesn’t work – THEN the Board of Education might be appropriate. Although the “Loving Hand of Gentle Discipline” is better; it moves the behind without damage, and the pain is shared by both parties. (what, you never got a sore hand by a spanking?)Of course, this has to be done WHEN the transgression happens, NOT “on general principles” – and should be followed by hugs and an explanation of WHY.Hey, it worked on ME.

Kids will push as far as they can possibly get away with, but this little brat takes it to the limit! This kid needs discipline, and Toni needs to quit being such a push over!

Most readers will either ignore or miss the most important question raised by today’s cartoon.

Namely, where did Toni get Charlie Brown’s drinking glass?

Stand up to Jonah and tell him to take care of his daughter. If he will not listen to Toni or Brad, have Dirk talk to him. He will listen then.

.

I had to laugh.

No! No! No!

But, who DOES control Shannon, is Brad..

Yes.

There is a difference between being controlled by a child and just doing what the child wants so you don’t hear her scream and throw the juice on the ground (which you will eventually have to clean up) Plus this way Toni get’s an adult conversation and Shannon is happy.

Is there some unwritten homage to Charles Shultz among cartoonists? I have noticed the pattern of Charlie Brown’s shirt shows up in numerous different cartoons (yellow with a black horizontal zig-zag) as on the glass in today’s strip. The last time I saw it I think was a few weeks ago in Frazz and before the Pearls Before Swine. It is not a particularly attractive pattern so I can only conclude that it is intentional. It seems to be more often than coincidence but OTOH it is not frequent enough to conclusively verify. What gives?

Levy, I just read & looked up your Pigborn reference from yesterday (2-12-2013). YIKES! I’d never seen that strip before! I’m not sure if Donny would or would not like the reference!*BTW, there’s a green “Pro” sign by your name. How did you get that? I mean, we all knew you were special….

Lighten up people. The Shannon thing in today’s strip is just to throw a little humor into the serious subject of control freaks and why people submit to them. This is supposed to be a funny comic after all.

Orphan Toni, orphan Shannon… Two very damaged souls…

The smirk on Luann’s face says it all….

Toni seems to be running on auto-pilot. Shannon makes a request and boing Toni just does it, no wonder the kid has no limits. Toni acts like she’s in a trance. The look on Luann’s face show she sees Toni doing just what she said she wouldn’t. Being controlled.

“Whatever Shannon wants Shannon………”

Kids get special dispensation when they’re sick. But Shannon is obviously starting to feel better.

Pro just means that you pay a small fee to avoid the ads and have all the comics you like in your preferred order (also sent by email, which I DON’T like). It may also make posting photos from net postings into the comments and using HTML too, which I’m a novice in doing.

That kid needs a swat or a time out. Or both.

Someone needs to beat the crap out of the little snot.

i think shannon has a lack of social skills boy does she need a psychologist

The interaction in today’s strip is between Luann and Toni. Shannon provides comic relief, as Toni reacts to her demands in an unthinking, automatic, reflexive (okay—Pavlovian) manner. Shannon wants attention, and she’s not it today.

That child is screaming for rules and control, and some sense of order to her world. She is not a monster… she is a child who has never been given one moment of stability or inflexible rules. She is crying out to know how the world that makes no sense to her actually works, and where she fits in.

I noticed Luann’s expression in the last panel. Says it all.

is Shannon really a little monster??? that’s cruel to say though I called a boy one one time who was bothering me

Let me get this straight: a teenager & a good looking firefighter are discussing the problems of her life while the USA is 17 Trillion in debt, only government jobs are being made in our economy, and Europe just started the slide towards insolvency.

Regarding this problem, it can be summed up by the Terrorist “Hans” when asked about some minor problem he replies “Who Cares?”