For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for August 26, 2023

Watch out for Hawks.

Now for the test. We have seen this comic strip since Michael was 5 years old. Can you name one time when John Patterson sat down and taught Michael something? John looks so startled in the last panel, I suspect that’s what he is thinking too.

He did teach Michael but it was largely osmotic.

Awwwww.

Alright just so everybody’s on the same page, Michael is thanking John for everything over the years. From lessons to punishments and rewards, Michael took a mental note and is going to use it now. Do not turn it into more than it needs to be.

I cant stop sobbing here.

Why is he taking the bus?

This is exactly why Lynn Johnston is so incredibly good! She takes little snippets of real life scenarios and draws them out for us via gentle humor, sometimes biting sarcasm, and like this one… through a touching child-parent moment often unnoticed or even acknowledged. She is a genius, really. I have followed her work since the early 1980s. These strips never get old. This particular strip tugs at my heart as Michael, the adult-like fledgling (with his beloved teddy bear tucked in his suitcase)… is off to college. Well done, Lynn. :)

I was so glad to get a “Good morning” text from my Freshman daughter this morning. Yesterday we had an e-mail conversation about some of the stuff she’s been doing since we dropped her off.

Who are you and what have you done with my surly teenage son?

Fathers do teach their sons, but most often it is not a sit down talk. Fathers teach by doing while son’s watch. Father’s tend to be uncomfortable teaching the way mothers do.

Realistically, the old man would slip the kid a few bucks

‘’Tuck it away, in case you need it.’’

A good Dad……

Ha Ha Ha

Did we teach him how to fly? Did we really? Can he really fly on his own? Will he really be okay? Did we really do a good enough job? What are we going to do without him here? We’re not ready for this …

Sons learn more by watching their Fathers… versus listening to their Mothers. I remember a few teaching moments with my Dad, but a LOT more time just watching him.

Kind of teared up there. Reminds me of when I got on the bus to go to boot camp.

I’M NOT CRYING, D_MMIT. YOU ARE!!! D’X

My three “kids” individually telling me I’d been a great dad (after they’d become adults) will always be the highlight of my life.

Write? With free long distant calling on cell phones, why would you write, just call home.

Children learn a lot by observing how you act. They learn very little by what you say.

Jon, it always comes as such a shock doesn’t it. At 16 they think you are the dumbest parent on earth, once they get out in the real world they are amazed and appreciate how much smarter you became in just a couple of short years.

My daughter never forgets me on Father’s Day. I taught her the same things I learned from my dad and more. She has a great arm, can defend herself, has confidence in her abilities, can repair a toilet and isn’t afraid to tackle a job that requires tools. She once called me for guidance on how to replace doorknobs. I am her mom.

Sometime actions speak better than words

I was recently watching the movie Taps, about a military academy. The protagonist was telling him roommate that he had moved from base to base ever since he was born as his father was a career soldier. The protagonist also said when he was 11, he was living at Fort Jackson when his mother became terminally ill. When she died in the hospital, his father then took him to the hospital chapel, saying he would leave him alone for 15 minutes. The boy was allowed to cry, say a prayer for his mother, or do anything else in remembrance of her. When the 15 minutes were over, the father came back and said he did not want to hear any more about the mother. Now it was time for them to be men and move on with their lives.

And so begins a new chapter in Michael’s life.

He’ll write, alright, when in need of cash. I don’t ever remember writing home in my only year of college mainly because I had saved enough money when I had did part time work my senior year of high school.

Oh yeah… He learned. Very touching.

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The final panel brought tears to my eyes. Perhaps because it reminded me of how my parents also “taught me how to fly” away to a life much different than theirs had been.

Awww

The Pattersons need to get Michael tutored and Farley neutered.

it happens behind the scenes in the way John treats his family and works hard….and shows his love to Michael.

What’s that other word for oatmeal?—-ah,yes—MUSH!!