For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for May 10, 2022

parental separation anxiety is a difficult thing

Well, you’re going to have to go, whether you like it or not!

Why doesn’t April want to go:

1. She doesn’t like wearing that ugly purple thing. Only bad things happen when she wears purple.

2. She does not like day care centers named after constellations. She prefers ones named after cute animals.

3. April knows from experience if Elly says it is going to be fun, it is not going to be fun.

4. April has a limit on how many times she hears the word “new” before she rebels.

5. April hates it when her mother speaks to her in a condescending way as if she is just two years old.

6. Super Teddy told her to beware and Super Teddy is never wrong about these things.

Looks like April has inherited her mother’s big mouth!!

Considering that she’s had two other kids, Elly’s reaction is confusing.

A new place and a new thing can be scary…

It would’ve been better if Elly took April on visits to the Center beforehand to get April used to the place.

Uh oh. Here it comes. Self absorbed brat pitches a fit. Parent acquiesces. Kid gets more annoying. Parent dares to make the ultimate in vacuous threats: “You get a time out” (and Time Out is a Dave Brubeck album, not an effective method of change in a parenting scenario). Kid wins and remains as annoying as ever (and please, no “That’s not how this strip originally played out! I saw it when it first ran!!” That’s not the point. This is a general observation to hopefully wake up a few parents who have gotten numb to it all).

This is a similar speech the recruiter gave me about Paris Island when I joined the Marine Corps

Of course, she doesn’t want to go. All that wind up can only mean something horrible lies ahead. You don’t need a motivational speech to go to the ice cream store.

THEN she won’t want to come home after having so much fun.. More wailing.

Don’t oversell!

“I don’t WANT to have fun!!!”

Of course,once she gets there,she loves it.

Seen this in STONE SOUP and plenty of other strips.An old reliable.

And the worst part is, Elly’s been through this before, and learned nothing. a good ten years ago, she said nothing to Lizzie until they were at the center and kissed her goodbye. Of course, she paid for this total shock tactic when she picked up Lizzie later and upon saying “Mommy’s here!” got a reply of “Who?”.

In real life, I loved going to the day care. What I remember the best is all those toys that we didn’t have at home. The other memory is that indoor large sandbox at our level so we didn’t get our pants or dresses dirty. What fun! My mother used to say that the teachers couldn’t fathom how I played in that sandbox and never got my clothes dirty, as other kids did…

Story of my life…

Never leave the boat kid. Don’t ever leave the boat.

Maybe she’ll meet Elroy Jetson there! d;o)

If Ellie wants to sell it that badly, it can’t be good.

I still remember the terror I felt when my mom left me at kindergarten.

April’s tantrums in May.