For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for February 16, 2021

Yep. Mike knows what happened. Gordon, like many other victims of physical abuse, invents a story to explain the bruises, cuts and bandages. I am not sure when the original was run but Christmas was 2 months ago. Perhaps the original was run earlier than this one now.

That is terrible, I hope someone gets him away from his abusive father. No one got me away from my mother. I was seventeen the last time she hit me. I got so angry I fainted. I’m sure my Dad made her stop.

yikes… that must’ve been a hard landing on the porch (yes, I know, but work with me here)

Mike, you know what really happened to Gordon. Be a true friend. Hel him out!

I’m glad I wasn’t following this ’toon when this arc originally appeared; I can remember when I was a kid and the neighbors beat their children. We had no child welfare agencies back then. There was really no one to turn to…

You just had to tell his parents didn’t you Elly?

Sad

In most cases I believe it is not about sadistic punishments. But about power/dominance, or a lot of frustration, or both and a lack of self-control. Many times the abuser themselves where abused as kids. And this is how they learned how to raise children. It is a sad thing to see.

But when I was going to a U.S. Navy technical school at Great Lakes Naval Training Center, I and a bunch of other sailors volunteered going to a children’s hospital in Chicago. The sight of the large number of kids, some of the just toddlers, that were burned, bruised, cut, broken bones, flogged with an extension cable was more than many of us could bare. We had enlisted to protect this country and its people. NOT to see this type of abuse done by our own citizens. And this was back in the mid-1970s.

This not a good comic to-to many children are Suffering at the hands 0f disfunctional adults in this present time. Need an answer not a problum. Great parents help their children in all matters not hurt them

good parents

I was just wondering if Gord would show up with mysterious injuries.

The “discipline” my folks dished out left internal scarring, I never had black eyes or openly visible damage to bandage. My sister got the strap across her backside (a much better place to get hit, it can take it better), but I didn’t envy her the pain of not being able to sit down for a while. Little brother was mostly terrorized, not beaten nearly as much, but then he had more defenders (mom and two sisters). Dad’s history was being thumped with a rubber hose when his dad couldn’t take the stress anymore, but at least he could recall each event and want lead up to it. He claimed that he caused all the events by doing something really stupid. Sooo, yeah, I know I’m making excuses for dad’s behaviour, but it did help me to understand him a little bit. DO NOT DO STUPID THINGS. :P

I guess he got more than a spanking for almost wrecking the car. Lesson learned. (Yeah, I know the whole child abuse thing. I still remember when it was what we avoided by being “good”)

First, Ellie didn’t know about Gordon’s situation. She is waking up to it now, but like many kids who are bullied, having the bully (whether it is parent or other kid) punished makes it worse for the abused child and so they don’t say anything. Nice people think reason is the way to deal with this situation. It seldom is. Second, beating is NEVER an appropriate parental response. There are many other ways to learn the lessons we need to stop being immature kids. Third, Mike’s family does become a haven for Gordon.

I’m wondering… why wouldn’t he just say that his dad/mom hit him rather than lying about it? Is it embarrassment? Shame? I really am curious to know, not trying to stir up anything. Wouldn’t telling someone get him some help? Why do we keep these things hidden? Maybe because if he does tell, he will just get beat up more. It’s such a sad situation. My growing up life wasn’t perfect by any means, but at least my parents didn’t hit me. My heart goes out to all of those who are abused in any form. No one deserves that. Poor Gordon. He grows up into such a wonderful husband and father, despite his upbringing. Good for him!

Okay, so who’s going to notify the authorities?

Somebody please help Gordo!

Yup Elly should have never called his parents in the first place

If Elly had known, she could have left Gordon’s abusive parents out of it and developed a punishment he could serve at her house. Like chores or something. I am sure Gordon would have been thrilled to keep his parents out of it.

I still think this Brian guy looks like a girl.

Does anyone remember the show “Good Times”? Janet Jackson played a little girl named Penny in the 5th season who was abused by her mom. (such as iron burns on the arm , being shaken & other things) & Penny would make up excuses about the cuts & burns . ( "I was too near a stove & I burned myself " " I was jumping rope …." etc.) But the neighbors got wise to her & her mother. The mother had a meltdown & left .

Everybody grab a ball bat and go say hi to Dad.

i had Gordon’s problem 45 years ago. I "crashed my bike’ was the usual response. sigh…. bad times

Fell off the porch translates into life speak as my Dad hitting me and me falling cause I drove a car that l shouldn’t have….

It was a different time back then. If I had done what Gordon did, I would have gotten a beating. That’s how it was back then. If one of us kids made our dad look bad, there was hell to pay. I remember as a four year old witnessing some of the beatings my older siblings got. I’m 55, and still remember it vividly.

Gordie’s getting beat up at home and we’re talking about Christmas lights? It’s hard to know what Mike and Elly should have done/said. Do you tell Gordie’s parents? Did Elly really not know what would happen to Gordie? In any case, it’s pretty progressive for Lynn Johnston to be writing about this so long ago. I sure hope this story line progresses and doesn’t just drop off.

Maybe I’m off base here, but I find that blaming Elly for what happened to Gordon is offensive and short-sighted. Perhaps if she had known what his home life was like her reaction would have been different. She is not responsible for knowing every intimate detail of what goes on in her kids’ friends’ homes, so she had no way of knowing to what she was sending Gordon home.

Abuse can take many forms, both physical and mental. Constant criticism of a child doing the best he or she can is abuse. The child can’t help the fact that it is not as smart or as physically attractive as the “perfect”, much older siblings. I have a quote taped to the inside of my kitchen cabinet: “Sticks and stones may break our bones, but bones heal relatively quickly. One critical parent can cripple you for life.” So very (and unfortunately) true.

I don’t like where this is going. SAVE GORDON!!!

Poor kid..

I didn’t think this comic strip had storylines like this

Don’t deny this? Your parents did this to you, did they? All this for accidental joyriding?