For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for September 15, 2024

She’s old enough to know better.

Why does Elly leave April unattended instead of taking her in the stall with her?

Judging from the first panel April is still wearing diapers and she has not yet learned to crawl on her knees where they touch the floor. Usually by four years old, the kids are out of diapers. Nevertheless, if she is still wearing diapers, it would explain a lot.

As far as I’ve heard (and traveled), public washroom stalls in Canada and the US are the only ones that have that big a gap between the floor and the door. Like April, so you can sort of play peekaboo (check if it’s occupied)!

This has happened to me as I sat in the stall doing my business. Once a little boy actually crawled under the door and stood there looking at me! I said “Little boy, your mother must be looking for you!” When I came out of there his mother accused me of not liking little boys! Not when I’m in a restroom stall doing my business I don’t!

Oh

From Lynn’s Comments: Yes, this is another vignette from my personal family history. My kids were lucky I had an outlet for my woes!

I’d deliver my hand (or foot) to that brat’s behind in the first panel!

To paraphrase the late, great P.F. Sloan, the sins of the daughter fall on the mother.

She should know better by now because she’s 4

Why do little kids suddenly feel that primal urge to totally embarrass their parents when out in public?!

I’ll skip commenting here

Sometimes Elly doesn’t use her god-given intelligence where April is concerned!

Shouldn’t that be “Wait With me”?

Here’s today’s FunFact question: What part of a public toilet is the dirtiest? The handle on the inside of the door.

Hygienists have checked numerous sites and that’s what they found. Wash your hands and then use the towel to open the door. Hand dryer blower? Wait for someone to enter.

Pen-is-headed Farley killer!

Pen-is-headed Farley killer!

I dunno. I’d’a been laughing, myself!

Yep, only in America where they don’t build anything worth a d@mn.

Ha ha

We wouldn’t have to check if the handles registered “Occupied” like porta-potties have.

If I wanted toilet humor, I’d listen to Lenny Bruce

LOL…Typical young child’s curiosity.

This is funny.

Little kids are hilarious and out of control sometimes. Makes for good Sunday Funnies! ;-)

That’s a good way to get peed on, kid.

You’ll have to excuse her, ladies.

The characters have more flexibility in Cartoon Land.

Or this…

April mistakingly goes into the men’s room. The only one there is a scruffy man who takes no notice of her. April goes into a stall, while a black and white man then enter

Scruffy Man AUGH! Please, no!

Suspenseful music plays as two men murder the scruffy man. Black man then kicks open the stalls

White Man: Hey, I did that already!

Black man then looks under one stall to make sure. April stands atop the toilet, terrified, now realizing what has happened to her

LATER…

Elly is holding April while police are there

Policeman: You saw the murder, Pops? Tell us all about it.

Janitor: Hey man, I only reported the body. It was the kid with the covered wagon hairdo who witnessed it.

John Book: What is your name?

April: Aypo.

John Book: April, listen to me. The man who died tonight was a police officer. We need your help to find out what happened.

That would be embarrassing. In ‘88 my first born opened the door to a public bathroom that opened to the area in the movie theatre where people were waiting in line for their movies while I was still on the toilet! ◑﹏◐ hollering “close the door!” didn’t help. LOL

Lynn must’ve edited out all the screams of “WTF!?!” and “Get the h—-out of here, you BRAT!!”