For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for July 11, 2019

how else?

I am going to guess that Sue the librarian does not have children, or Elly would not have done her classic, final panel, over-the-shoulder, walking away, slanted eye punchline. That’s not a joke you would use with another mother or Sue would respond with, “I’m a mom too. Get over yourself.”

Sue: “OH, well if you are really a mother, then you can do 40 things at once…Here’s some more tasks…..”

El: " ……………………………………………………………………………………….."

Motherhood, in my observation, is an extraordinary thing. Not only do you become suddenly adept at juggling more tasks than you ever thought manageable at once by a single human, but you develop the strength to open all the jars you never could before.

When it comes to being a mother, anyone can be a mother, but not everyone can be a GOOD mother. You never sleep as deeply again, and no matter how old they are you worry about them. It does not matter how much babysitting you grew up doing or how often you took care of your own siblings, nothing prepares you this life-long commitment.

Are they still wangling grants these days?

Is the storyteller a drag queen? I hear they’re all the rage at tax funded public libraries lately.

’nuff said.

This is true.

If you want the job done, you can count on a woman, even if she is not a mother.

I believe this is the last appearance of Elly’s coworker Sue. One of my favourite characters. It’s too bad she was phased out of the story arcs.

I’m not a mother, but I would welcome the chance to only juggle 20 things at a time.

“I’m a mother.”

Okay. Let me break this down, and tell me if it is not so.

When you have the baby, you’re a mother.

When you cuddle that baby, dry its tears, make it laugh, tell it stories, you’re a mommy.

When you pick up dirty socks all over the place, break up fights, drive kids to soccer practice from band practice, clean out closets, do laundry, pester about homework, help supervise activities – and STILL fix dinner, then you are a full-fledged mom.

Is it not so?

I’m glad to get away from whiner baby Mikie and his pain in the back of the lap friends. Some of these arcs go on too long.

In my case, it would be “because I am a single Father.”