For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for September 09, 2024

Oftentimes it’s the girlfriend or wives who take over their mother’s place.

While it seems like Rhetta is imitating Elly, they are not the same.

Elly is commenting about Mike forgetting things that are right in his hands, or he can easily see. Does she really need to remind Mike that Rhetta is driving him when Rhetta is right there in sight? Elly’s comments are unimportant compared to Rhetta’s.

Mike is all grown-up now and has outgrown his mother’s questions, but not his girlfriend’s question. He has progressed, but he still needs a woman in his life.

Mike no matter how you are, you’re still going to be her little boy. ;)

It’s OK, Mike—you can stow away in the luggage compartment! LOL.

Who is the small person in panel 3? Doesn’t look like April, too short for Elizabeth or Rhetta.

Oops!

Is this a show of the “Shrinking Rhetta”?

In the first panel Rhetta is maybe 6 feet tall, almost as tall as the door frame.

In the 3rd panel, Rhetta has shrunk down to less than 4 feet tall. Only coming up to around Michael’s waist.

Fifth panel. I hate it when you forget your bus ticket!

That means to take the bus you have to pay cash for a new ticket, because the bus driver ain’t going to wait for you to run back home so you can find your old bus ticket!

On the bright side, he can see what it’s like to travel like a hobo.

Our older daughter didn’t forget a thing. Our younger one remembered everything…except for jackets. We’ll be seeing her in a month; we’ll bring her coats then.

Things happen, still doesn’t mean you need someone nagging you all the time.

Well, so much for not needing a reminder!

To bad he doesn’t have ‘Two Tickets To Paradise’.

Ooga Farley!

Booga Farley!

Googa Farley!

Jew-ga Farley!

Is Miss Edwards driving the car?

If not, then the resemblance between Rhetta and Miss Edwards is uncanny. They could be sisters!

Final panel, know the feeling all too well. Worse is when you are halfway to the destination. Do I go back or not? How important is forgotten item(s)?

Little unimportant things, those tickets.

You don’t have to be a college age student to forget something like that. That can happen at any age.

She was made for him. :-)

Ellie, you have to let your kids grow up. You gotta let your kids make mistakes when they are young so they learn from them …….. you’re not going to be there every moment of their lives to always ensure they have what they need. If they don’t learn this when they’re younger, they’ll have no experience at how to handle such things when they’re older, and then it’s MUCH more difficult for them to handle mistakes and failures. It’s time to allow Michael to transcend from being mommy’s little boy to and adult. Forgetting to take something to school isn’t the end of the world…even if it is his travel tickets. He won’t make that mistake ever again!

Rhetta steps right in… reminding Michael of stuff. Too funny…

We tend to do that, don’t we?

Uh, oh ! ! ! !

Nope.

And just when you think you’ve got things all figured out, Reality bites in the-you-know-where.

All adults should do a quick inventory before going someplace important. I don’t think I’m the only one who learned that the hard way.

Been there, done that!

We all forget things, we all need help.

When I’m about to leave on something like this I’m endlessly running through these checklists on my own. Not sure whether I would appreciate someone else putting me through it, but if not it wouldn’t be because I objected in principle.

One thing I don’t get. I took the bus from university to home about every other weekend back in the mid to late ’60s to see my girlfriend. I always bought my ticket at the terminal. I never bought it in advance. It was never a problem, even at Christmas holiday season. Is buying your bus ticket in advance a Canadian thing?

Of course not.

D’oh!

The ONE thing she forgot to remind him of! lol

Well, there will be another bus along soon! Isn’t there always ! ;-)

There’s an electronic gadget to help you find your lost car keys.

Then you lose the electronic gadget

Heading to the airport for our return flight home on a business trip, I asked my boss, who was driving, if he had his ticket. He didn’t, so we returned to the hotel, retrieved it and repeated the journey. I was instructed to return the car, then ran to the gate where the boss was standing in the doorway to prevent the flight from leaving.

Even experienced airline pilots go through a pre-flight checklist with another crew member.

Interesting that he uses the word “College” since he’s going to university. Guess its a concession to American readers because from what I understand, in the US, the terms “College” and “University” interchangeable. In Canada, the two are very differnent.

No big deal losing the bus ticket. All Michael needs some roller skates, eat some burritos, bend over and when Michael feels one coming, Rhetta lights a match and….

He lucky to have someone that keeps an eye on his needs…