For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for May 26, 2010

Well, at least the Patterson Siblings are doing something together… along with the dog.

Yes – driving their mother insane! lol

Short trip!

When mine start doing that kind of thing, I join in.

My 2 son’s did something like that.. only it was this really weird loud noise. Yea, they said they were talking. I said it sounded like they were hurting them selves.. lol But at lest when they were doing it they weren’t fighting…lol

I was so proud I gave my nephew drums till the other day I saw a tuba in The Barn. Why didn’t I think of that?

Does Elly EVER enjoy her kids?!?

I have often felt the same way ….. but better they make noise than be quiet because they are sick.

The most terrifying thing is when you have two, and all of a sudden you realize you have been so engrossed in what you are doing, you haven’t heard a SOUND out of them for at least fifteen minutes. And with terror in your heart, you go to see what havic they have created in the silence,

Anything to get mom crazy huh ?

The pea doesn’t fall far from the pod!!

the only thing about kids driving their parents crazy is it is not a round trip

This happens daily @ my house

Yesterday when my grandkids were getting waaaaaay too loud I entered the room and in a booming voice asked them to all crank it down a notch. One of the older ones said, “That was the voice of God!”

We all had a good laugh.

I call it my life guard voice. I developed it long, long ago when I was a life guard at a 3 acre lake and had to handle swimmers across the lake..

Why did Elly yell, “BE QUIET!”? The kids should be stopped immediately. Elly, take the silly whistler from Michael and tell them go playing somehwere else.

Because they’re having harmless (albeit maddening) fun. As others have said, at least they’re not fighting. You can’t have kids quiet and perfect all (any?) of the time or they won’t be kids.

Downundergirl: from yesterday, I too am a middle child. I had one advantage in being the only girl. My brothers of course thought I was horribly spoiled because I had my own room and they had to share. Middle kids DO rock!!!

Personally, I like the sound of kids having fun. I often join in when my granddaughters are making silly noises or banging on pots and pans. Of course at least part of that is to get back at my own kids :-)

Howtheduck–were all these links necessary, or are you trying to prove something?

Ah, the Children’s Choir!

@Carlocoratelli, I find the strip interesting and the English translation (from Italian, wasn’t it?) charming. But the spilled coffee? Is that some kind of expression that doesn’t translate literally into English?

N7326 Foxtrot, You are so right! The dreaded silence is scary!

I have maracas, castanets, drums and other musical instruments. We usually dig them out once a day and I let them go crazy on them for about half an hour. It helps a little.

At that age, they love repetitive, super-annoying rhythms and sounds. If you’re expecting it, you can grit your teeth and deal with it or join in… but if you’re trying to focus on something else… it is definitely an “AAAAAUGH!” moment.

And she’s not yelling AT them… you can tell the kids are oblivious to her venting.

Geez, How, took up my whole freakin page.

My step-daughters do this, and since I’m not allowed to tell them to be quiet, I usually end up leaving the apartment all together. Garrrhhhhhh

FishStix said: Yet another reason why I had only one.

The same here with me, FishStix!!!!!

She’s just joining in.

If I had made those kind of noises in the vicinity of my mom, I would have been placed in foster care. We never had whistles in the house – outside it was ok, never in the house.

I can take anything usually – except that shriek some folks think it is ok to let their kids do in restaurants & other crowded places. I know I would have been dead if I had pulled that one, and I don’t think I would have tolerated it if I had kids of my own either. Certainly not in a restaurant.

If this is the kids play time, why is she trying to do whatever she’s doing at that time?

I give my nephews the noisiest things on earth. One plays his electric keyboards and sings, he’s 7, the now 5 year old plays his electric guitar and the harmonica my father gave him. He blows in, out, in, out, in, out… Their legs move nonstop when they play, and they are pretty good, if I must say so. I’m gald I don’t live in that house. It’s hilarious, because I don’t live there. My Brother’s wife is smart enough not to try to concentrate when they’re awake. My nephews LOOOOOVE their Auntie. I gave the first one his first electric piano when he was 2. He said “WOW! Is that for me?” My brother was mad because he never said that about the stuff he gave him. Auntie Skywalker knows what kids like. He immediately started to play it and sing, and he played it every day since, so I’m told, so I gave him a better one, and he plays both at once.

Oh, and How… Please keep posting your insights into the strip. Thank you.

haha, MrsLuke, in my house noisy things the kids get as presents tend to get lost reeeeeeeally fast. Once this horrible out of tune toy xylophone didn’t last the day.

We’re all musicians, though, except for my husband, so the house’s nowhere close to silent!