Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for July 24, 2019

Mr. and Mrs. DeGroot are desperate to know if their daughter and her friends are okay.

Oh, Nancy. Even before smartphones you had a hard time communicating with Luann.

“Is all well?”

I’m with Nancy here. It wasn’t until my iPhone that I forgot all about how to talk to someone!

Other notes: Yesterday (and today), I’m actually happy with the way this is turning out now. Or is it simply that the focus and point of view has changed?

As long as we were in the woods, it was all about how inept the girls were.

Now, it seems to be all about how everyone cares about each other.

LIKE!

A simple “how you doin’ ?” Would suffice.

Parents all week, I suspect. ✨❤️✨

Phone batteries die, the car won’t start or gets stuck in the mud, they get stranded, and the parents won’t be worrying. We have to wait a day or three to see what happens next, but it won’t go smoothly.

This funnier than the whole stupid “camping trip” arc combined

How true! With all those gifs, emojis, etc, we parents have become lax with communication and forgetten the art of it. I am guilty myself.

Nancy, how about “Hello! Glad to hear from you. How’s everything going (or are you enjoying camping)??” I think this is a pretty normal parent comment.

“Hello, Luann. Just checking to see how the camping trip is going. Having Fun?”

Now, what was so Friggin’ HARD about THAT??

I think G & K were just treading water today.

Nancy we all did.

Before smartphones, people knew how to pay attention to their surroundings.

“Take care and have fun. Let us know if you need anything!”

Nancy always was the smart one of the family, but sometimes it’s possible to overthink things.

“Who is winning – you or the evil spirits?” (My family and friends know I use “evil spirits” to represent all the problems of life we do not cause ourselves. Much of what we do is to ‘ward off evil spirits.’)

A picture of a cartoon pig is worth a thousand words. I’m just not sure they are the desired words.

A simple phone call…

That’s right, before smartphones, we knew how to communicate. Now that we have smartphones, to borrow a line from a famous iconic movie, we now have a failure to communicate.

They are so worried. But it’s nice to see how much they try not to seem pushy-parents or incapable of thinking that their daughters can live without them.

By the time they decide on a message, the situation will have resolved itself one way or another.

Spending some time with Nancy and Frank is a good thing.

Grunted, she could have done better than that!

Just say, "Is it storming there? It is here ". Let her proceed from there. This way you don’t come off as mollycoddling, but you open the door for Luann to ask for advice or help if she needs it.

I’ve always been very straightforward with my kids. If I’m worried, I’m worried. They just roll their eyes and say, “That’s mom. She worries too much.” I tell them that I was born to worry about them (or embarrass them), and I’m going to do a good job of it.

Don’t talk (or text) to her like she is a child…communicate to Luann as an adult. It really is that simple.

I, for one, am certainly enjoying this Frank & Nancy side story. It ain’t easy trying to be hip parents in this day and age! ;o)

Anytime the parents are involved there is often a trope really that there is a communication breakdown generational in nature between Luann and them. Here though the underlying question is how the DeGroots want to communicate to their daughter without a misunderstanding. I personally agree that a direct approach is best, after all Luann asked them a direct question. The problem is that maybe Luann may be hiding something too in terms of her real situation. A comedy of errors. In the end it will all turn out fine.

…And once, children, there was a time before MEMES were used as communication!! :)

I completely agree with Greg Evans sentiment in the last panel. Smart phones and texting make communications Faster – but that doesn’t mean Easier or less Complicated.

I called my parents every night from the time I moved out until the day they died.

Were times more simple in the 1970’s when the did not have smart phones or Computers.

Meh… this camping trip variant arc featuring Frank and Nancy agonizing over how to communicate with their daughter is kinda boring. I want to see more camping trip! Girls huddled in the car in a storm… at least their water shortage issue has been solved!

Frank & Nancy are adamant about Luann taking charge of her life… as long as she is nearby (home or school). But making a wrong decision in these day-to day environments does not have much in the way of consequences as it would camping in a wilderness area. This week is a test of Frank & Nancy’s ability to let Luann (and crew) make decisions in a situation where they matter.

R.I.P. Rutger Hauer, of “Bladerunner” villain fame. amongst others.

But Luann’s phone had a low battery, probably dead by now

6

The changing facets of communication can be good…. but also can be harmful.

I personally dislike the loss of the double space in sentences that younger writers give me in their essays on class. It happens to be one of the more “minor” changes…. but the loss of that space changes the readability for me… it is for me, a bit more cumbersome to read and less flowing.

How about: Are the Flood Waters beginning to lap against the car Windows yet?

Sheesh… by the time they send a message, Luann will be walking through the door.

“We’re fine. Wanted to make sure you’re OK in the rain.”

“What’s The Pig Idea?”

“Bright-Eyed And Pushy-Tailed”

“You Can Passive You Try”

“Deep In The Heart Of Text Us”

How about – “Having a good time?”

KISS Principle applies here. Keep it simple, stupid! If you are concerned, e.g., say “I am concerned.” Etc.

Hate to break it to you but your kids don’t expect you to be cool