For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for September 11, 2009

Hmmm, John appears quite svelte in panel 3. Guess he heard black was slimming (c:

EWWWWW! With his bad breath from his mouth while he yelled at the lady.

frankly, i don’t care if they’re repeats or revisions, as long as they’re funny. the arguments are tiresome. i read the strip regularly when it first came out and then sporadically for a long time after. John was always portrayed as being a bit of a chauvinist, a bit dense, and a bit of a klutz (does anyone remember him going shopping for a Christmas turkey in one story arc?) in the early days. as everyone else in the strip grows, so does he. the humourous angles change along with the characters and the society in which they live, but to me, it remains funny.

If I worked for a guy who went on and on like that, he wouldn’t have to fire me - I’d quit.

howtheduck, yes it does - when the wife isn’t happy about staying home it is absolutely male chauvinistic to expect her to do that anyway. The situation is totally different if the woman wants to stay home and they’re both happy about it.

I wouldn’t have dreamed of staying home raising my kids (and I have 3 young, very happy and balanced folks at home) but also would never belittle somebody - woman or man - who wants to stay home with the children.

It’s about choice. If a woman chooses to stay home to raise her kids (and it’s a good thing if she does that especially when they are preschool) she will be happy with it. But if she would prefer to work there’s nothing wrong with that. There are many women with kids who are forced to work due to economic necessity who would love to stay home but they can’t.

I don’t remember exactly when I started reading this strip in earnest; I think Michael was living with his buddy (not Lawrence, the photographer). These old ones are new to me and I’m glad to see them. It’s like a prequel to a movie.

is his assistant male or female? I can never see the back of his/her head in yesterday’s and today’s strip. LOL! Of course in this last frame she could be a woman… hmmm..

Oh good greef, this whole thing is getting to sound like some stinking soap-opera, instead of an intended COMIC strip for enjoyment.

Besides, WAY BACK in the era being referred to, I for one was busy working 12 hours a day and had little time for the otherwise luxeries of life…therefore aside the otherwise supposed technicalities, I enjoy the strip and happen to think it’s funny warts and all. Don’t like that? Tough cookie!

Zzzzzz. Can’t believe this strip ran more than a week, let alone 30 years

I went through this my husband believed a wives place was with the children but did leave it to me whether to work or not. The sad part is my job at that time did not pay much just minimim wage and day care was expensive and had a bad name. Not like today more regulated. Going back to school to catch up when kids get older is rougher no employer wants older women. Only younger who can have children. When I see women who are working and complaining about the job and no time for the children I tell them don’t quit there is no going back you are placeable and children grow up and so does technogy. I also tell them I have seen where women who lost spouses try to get back and can’t.

Sorry abou the above but this a a very touchy subject for me. I did enjoy being off but missed the financial freedom.

OINK!!!!!

I always believed that at least one parent should stay at home, but would have no problem if it was me.

I LOVED this cartoon the first time and I love it now. Would all who complain and complain please quit reading this so the rest of us can enjoy it again!

John is used to having the mom at home, I bet his mom was a stay at home mom even when that wasn’t a phase back then. I understand both side of the coin here. I was a stay at home mom for a while, but It got tiring that I was not talking to anyone. And when the husband got home, I’d overwhelm him with talking. I just wanted a part time job. All the jobs I had gotten were horrible. Went back to stay at home, then the money situation forced me back out to the work force.

If someone wants to stay at home let them, or vice versa.

I notice no comments from single moms. Would have loved to stay home but abandoned with 3, one hitting puberty, one terrible two’s and one with colic. Gosh that was fun…..not.

I hope everyone is fine today. I cant go into my dorm for long periods of time, because its like 55 degrees in there, which makes it very very cold.

Newworldmozart: According to Will & Carrie’s biography at the fbofw website, Carrie was a teacher in their children’s early years and then moved to the family farm (the one that Aunt Bev now owns), so John didn’t have a stay-at-home mom when he was small. The dates given were John’s birth in 1949 and the move to the farm in 1966, so he was 17 before his mom was at home full-time.

And, just for the record, these strips are on pages 120 & 121 of “I’ve Got the One-More-Washload Blues”, Lynn’s first book published in 1981.

John will be sticking his foot in his mouth very soon. He seems to be quite good at that! :-)

As a 42 year old member of the “sandwich generation”, I’m staying home now to take care of my parents and (for the most part) love it!

My husband is not being chauvanistic by wanting me to stay at home and care for them. They are 83 and 81 and need the help and we would rather have family care for them. Besides, they get better care from me than from strangers in a retirement home.

Do I feel bitter having a college degree and not using it daily? I actually am using it in caring for them. I’ll go back to work someday, but I will never forget this time of my life. I am fortunate to have a husband that cares for his in-laws.

I think a woman should be able to stay home with her kids without feeling that she’s somehow wasting her time, if that’s her choice (would probably be mine if I had kids.) But I also think it’s important that she evaluate what she’s giving up to do that, and whether she’ll later resent her kids for it (having been on the receiving end of that.) Of course we can’t know how we’ll feel several years down the line, but my sense is that if you have a true passion, you should never surrender it.

Its fine now Burgundy, thanks for your concern, apparently its an overnight thing. Every morning I wake up i’m real cold. The first half of my first class was also real cold. Its fine now. I’m glad its the weekend.

The problem is, Burgundy, we dont have our own seperate thermostat, so the entire building is cold, or my vent is messed up, and needs to be closed. Every night I go to sleep warm, every morning I wake up cold.

@howtheduck; for me the main point of the argument about whether women should work (for pay) or stay at home (raising children, not for pay) is that many people like to make sweeping statements such as:

“All women should———-”, and all men should———-.” (fill in the blanks according to your own personal prejudice).I think each individual couple should make its own decisions, depending on their own individual circumstances.

@kab2rb, I don’t understand something you said, that employers don’t want older women, they want younger women who CAN have children. Why would they want that? or did you mean to say they DO want older women?

Rina, I mean younger women. Look and pay attention. I have been on interviews and when the interviewer is way younger then you your not getting the position. Where I work at currently county it was at due to location. I was in a small town. We moved to a bigger town and unemployment has risen. I even color my hair for younger look, unfortunly gray is winning :(. I have actually seen some of the women and they are in their 30’s working. I have also talked to a lot of women 40+ not getting anywhere. What is so horrible is so many lay-offs. Through Careerbuilders for instant for I say filing job 300 to maybe 500 applied for one position. Like I said this is a sore subject. My :( part is I am not bilenagle (sp) nor have an assoicate’s degree.

I was talking about this on SS a month ago. I did take care of my two boy older by 3 years and girl. Both adults. Boy caused/had more problems in school whereas my daughter worked hard. I tried everything to get my son to work hard he blew it off. I am so sorry to readers on this topic. But have been there.

This has been a very nice but sad day with 9/11. We had light rain. State fair has started thought we try and go tomorrow hopefully will not get rained out. Have to help next Saturday with a both. Have a great weekend.

Bogeydog, no your husband’s not chauvinistic by wanting you to stay home to care for your parents - but if you hated it and he was pressing you to do it anyway he would be, wouldn’t he? Otherwise he’d stay home himself, or you could both maybe work part time.

Hope you can get a job later on - it tends to be hard for older women, as kab2rb has been saying, college degrees tend to get outdated too. Personally I think middle-aged women are the most undervalued of all the workforce. Shame.

hildigunnur

Thanks for your concern about the future. My major was psychology and my minor in gerontology so this is kind of hands on experience. I like working with older people.

Bogeydog, that’s good, I’m sure you can get a job again in those fields :)

Agreed, I stay at home. I think it’s the most important job a woman could have!