For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for August 16, 2009

Well give Mike a few years, anyway. Lawrence on the other hand still won’t like girls….

Not so fast there, Elly!

@eatteaphonenome ok so i’m not the only one the got that =P

So go build your own sandcastle, Lizzie and make it better than theirs.

He still won’t want his sister around, not until much later.

And I don’t think it has anything to do with boys and girls. I think that Michael just doesn’t want his younger sibling messing up their stuff. Happens every day with both brothers and sisters.

Lizzie, I wish you would dump the sand over your brother’s head and put the pail in his head, too!

Ji2m,

Are we a little judgemental/paranoid? Since when does dislike of a story line = homophobe?

Awww, the back of Lizzie’s little neck, with her head hung down - that brings tears to my eyes. At that age you just want to save them from every hurt, when other kids say “I don’t want you to play with us” it can break their darling hearts.

Sure Lawrence will eventually want girls around. After all, he will realize that they make great friends.

I remember a few strips back brother Michael wanted to play in the sand box and sister Lizzie would not let him. Time fly’s when children grow up. When young little ones are so cute.

Post whatever you feel like, Joe. I’ll read it.

And yes, the Troll was just doing what Trolls do.

It wasn’t too long ago that Lizardbreath was screaming to keep the boys out of the sandbox. They just dealt with it and didn’t go running to mommy.

Yeah, Micheal will want you around when he’s older, Lizzie, AFTER his kids are born and he needs a sitter

well i do think aaaaaaaaaaa15 was rather tactless but than again is calling someone a troll exactly mature. Anway I can’t argue with his earlier opinion, this comic has to go. It’s boring and just not funny oisn’t that the point of comics.

J A D: your orientation makes no difference to me. nor does anyone else’s. i’ve found that your posts are generally worth reading, and i will continue to read them. i post my own comments for various reasons. sometimes to hopefully elicit a response, sometimes just to respond to someone else who either annoys or amuses me. i’ve “met” folks i consider friendly and amusing, and have found myself linked (so to speak) with various groups of them. it’s “only virtual” but it may as well be real, since the interactions are much the same. good wishes to you, and i hope i keep seeing you here.

I certainly do hope that Lyn does continue with the story about Lawrence’s homosexuality. Otherwise, he’s just one more stereotype surrounded by a bunch of stereotypes.

@doctortoon, you said “realistically”, “with a great deal of sensitivity” - as usual, reading my mind and expressing it very well!

I don’t have to laugh in order to be entertained! I do laugh now and then, tho.

To pretend to believe that the name of the category “comics” means that all strips are expected and required to be knee-slappers is ludicrous because it flies in the face of common comix-fan experience. It would certainly be news to Prince Valiant, e.g.

I have no intention of wasting my time actually doing a survey, but I would bet that even among the gag-a-day subset, the majority are also telling a story with continuing characters and themes covering the spectrum of seriousness-vs.-silliness.

This particular strip is somewhere in the middle – neither narrating an adventure saga nor doing one-panel slapstick. Lynn is giving us a series of slice-of-life snapshots, aiming for gentle smiles or chuckles of recognition, not daily ROFLMAOs.

So if you don’t recognize it, why loiter about?

Oops, almost forgot: Joe Allen, I like novels.

Of course, being of the loquacious persuasion myself, I would, wouldn’t I! :-)

comicfan, click on aaaaaaaaa15’s picture, and you will see what comments they have made today and on what comics.

Smells like a Troll to me.

Troll defined: (via wikipedia)

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional or disciplinary response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.

Anyone else think the umbrella in the first panel looks like a pencil? lol

I think he was more mad about her dumping sand on his castle. It’s about a little sister messing up the older’s stuff. As the oldest I can certainly understand this, and have had the same reaction before.

@ Miba- At last, a sensible and funny post- well, plus a few others. this is still just a comic strip- enjoy it or leave it.

And the sins of the family never fall on the daughter. Of course “That’s The Way Boys Are”! Lesley Gore said as much in song in 1964. So it must be true, right?

Ah, once again imagine the howls of indignation of the boys started crying when Lizzie acted up and she got in trouble like she should have in the first place. But no, the male of the strip is supposed to be a sneak and a buffoon. That’s just the way things are. Just ask Michael’s daddy….

I agree with howtheduck.

Liz and Mike are not Susie Derkins and Calvin, or Schroder and Lucy.

Liz and Mike are siblings and were acting like siblings,and Liz was definitely being the little bratty baby, regardless of her gender. It was a great “wow, Lynn must have a camera in my house”, until the last part, where Elly’s remarks about Mike made no sense.

basbybend, Elly didn’t make the comment, her friend did, but doesn’t matter. It’s just a witticism said by her friend and also true. A lot of little boys don’t want to play with little girls but when they are older they do for many reasons, maybe just intellectual enjoyment not always sexual. Siblings are always having conflict, very normal. Elly did fine there. She comforted Lizzie, but didn’t make the boys include her in their play, children of different ages should not have to include younger children if they are doing something with a friend their own age and Lizzie needs to learn she won’t be catered to constantly. But it would be ok if Elly helped Lizzie make a sand castle too.

Perhaps those women are pedophiles?

The umbrella connives holding… Looks like a pencil