Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for November 01, 2021

Dear Frank and Nancy,

This is a Luann problem,

Please butt out!

Finally, the ugly truth is not a mixed messages!

“Why do you have make things so complicated?” ~Avril Lavigne

Not good. ✨

Frank does not look happy about poor quality decision making by Luann?

Parents and kids often have different points of view. Frank focuses on financial issues, the same way he handled Pru leaving. Nancy has similar issues, but around continuing her education. Luann wants the easy answers; keep the job she likes but make the money issues go away. Good luck with that girl.

However my friend 1212 will be of the opinion that these issues are just a diversion and GnK will resolve these issues amicably.

I’m waiting for Luann to start (properly) blaming Tara for this happening.

Unfortunately Luann, you put Tara first and that cost you…

Trying to be cool kid doesn’t work for Luann.

What Frank & Nancy are saying without saying it takes money for gas in your car and to buy text books for class and by cutting your hours you want have the cash for both.

Luann really needs a wake up call

Frank and Nancy are making Luann face reality, and she doesn’t want to. Luann wants a fun job with as lil responsibility as possible. Her parents want her to grow up, get a real job so she can move out to be on her own.

Ah, Luann. They’re not sending mixed messages. They were straight with their answers – how are you gonna pay for your car and school books? Either find another job or quit college. Without the school books, you might be able to pay for your car on a slim part-time job that you love. You know, Kids 1st is not the only after-school program. I am not sure how tiny Pittsville is but surely it has more than one after-school program. if not, why not start your own? You have parents who are experienced business owners.

Ooooh, the painful memories! Mistakes made in youth while learning to get the hang of the working world. I’m sure there’s somebody reading this who never made any early blunders in the quest to become professional, but I sure wasn’t one of those! My first big mistake, on my first job, was naively, conversationally mentioning how relaxing it was to assemble electronic parts, oblivious to the fact that everybody else on the line got twice as much done as me because they knew they weren’t there to relax.

Love my car: yes, textbooks on the other hand….

So. Weird. If we had problems getting textbooks, our parents would break down the store to get us those books. And they would prefer us not driving around in deathtraps. These two are more android than parent!

I both feel sorry for her for the dilemma and irritated at her because she let Tara and the kids control things. Maybe she’ll have more backbone after this.

Luann didn’t protect her job at Kids 1st. Being friends with Tara Starr isn’t cool.

What she wants is TWO of these jobs!

The answer belongs to Luann, so fly or fumble, little girl. “I don’t want to…” is not a strong option.

Better start looking at Zip Recruiter, Monster, Linked in, etc. Time’s a wasting!

I’m disappointed that neither Frank nor Nancy thought the principal overreacted.

Keep your job at Kid’s first. Take a second part time job somewhere else.

What exactly are the mixed messages? Seems like a single message to me.

I’m going to bed.

A small diversion here – from Shakespeare’s little known play, “Lost Bet Collector”:

.

Act 3, Scene 1:

SactoSylvia, SactoSylvia, wherefore art thou:

‘Tis far past the week, and I ha’ent seen my chow

What light through yon drive – up window breaks?

It is not my feast, for there was nothing left, not even fakes.

.

lol

Oh for Cripes Sake, DeGroots!

Nancy! Weren’t you complaining of tired feet the other month??

So cut to the chase and give the kid a job at the Fuse and be done with it.

Just go cheap and pay her the other half of that salary that Mr. Pur-gas cut.

Besides, I want to see the looks on Tiffany’s and Les’ faces when Lu reports for waitress duty. ;-)

Frank is helping Luann face the facts and I love it. He’s not blaming her for what happened, he just says that she now has to find a practical solution. Poor Luann, she still can’t accept what happened and the fact that she has to find another job… I know the most likely solution is that Luann start working for The Fuse. But I would like more if she found something else. Like, for example, working together with her good friend Jack in his father’s cleaning company ♡.

Frank is starting to get angry with Luann.

For crying out loud, just tell her she can work part time at The Fuse. It’s so obvious that that is where this is going.

When I’m having a tough time in life, there’s nothing I like more than people telling me immediately what I need to do or else. Mental health is for the weak. Work-consume-repeat. Work-consume-repeat.

There’s nothing “mixed” about it, Luann. You screwed up big time, and there are consequences.

Definitely mixed. It’s a financial world. People can truly enjoy their fields, but need $$$ to maintain the car and buy textbooks (the approach F&N are taking). Well, it has probably always been that way. Frank and Nancy are not offering very sage or comforting advice.

Yeah, being an adult sucks. Have fun with that, Luann!

I find it weird that Luann thinks she needs two part time jobs. True loving a job is something, but two jobs on top of being a full time student is rough. She needs ONE different part time job.

I do NOT want N and F to ‘fix’ this for Luann- either by opening a day care, as some one else suggested or by offering Luann a job without her applying/ earing it. I want Luann to get a job the same way other people get one- through effort.

I also do not think the principal overreacted. The only person that overreacted was Tara, but I do hear and understand her point about the ability to earn more money outside of education.

They’re acting like they’re all paupers. “Maybe daughter could sell family goat, then maybe she not have to quit school. Quit school and have bad jobs, like us.”“Husband, we run a restaurant and bar sort of thing. Why we not have money?”“Sneakers cost too much!!”

The icing on the cake is going to be that Kids 1st will hire Tara to replace LuAnn after she quits.

I didn’t have the option to screw up when I was Luann’s age. I went to school, paid all my expenses out of working, and OSAP ( a program designed to help poor people attend college or university, which at that time was primarily a grant) and helped my parents with their business on weekends. Because OSAP came as a lump sum payment at the star of the year I would lend all of it that wasn’t needed for immediate expenses to my parents to help them out, and get the bare minimum I needed back as bills came due. By my estimate almost half my OSAP money went to my parents instead of me spending it on food or clothes where it was expected to go.

Stop getting on Luann’s case. She’s the one with the problem, not you!

Adulthood is smacking Luann in the face like a 2×4, and that’s a good thing.

“When you walk away, don’t look back.” Leroy Jethro Gibbs

Kids 1st sounded like a full-time job, when is she going to college- nights and weekends?

Welcome to Grim Reality 101, Consequences Of Your Actions

Somehow Luann will open her own daycare business with Bernice as the COO.

I hope Tara shows up and Frank and Nancy rip her a new one.

Seems like LuAnn loves the kids, and the kids love her. The punishment in this case would seem to cause much more harm than the infraction.

She didn’t mess up! The world is messed up!

Many teenagers would love to live in the Luann universe where parental discipline is virtually nonexistent.

Call 1-877 Kids4Kars today…

Strange as it seems, I cannot see how a car is more important than a child.

You’re an adult. Write your own messages.

Damn! First empathize then help

I always fall into responding to other comments about the time I get to mine. I don’t think Tara can or should be blamed for Luann’s predicament. She is a plot device, what I can a change agent. Making judgements about her, or Luann for that matter, is normative I guess, but it tells nothing of the story and it’s portent. I think this is something that Luann needs to go through and I think it’s great and important that her parents are involved in helping her make this big girl pants type decision. Commitment for something she loves to do, and is good at, over the realities of the labor market. I’m doing that after midterm in my Intro to Business classes right now for Lu’s age group and believe me it’s not an easy path. But it can be successfully traveled so I have hope. This strip, as I am, is generally positive and optimistic. So we see.

Reality hits the fan for LuAnn! She either needs to go back to the principle and apologize, beg forgiveness and a second chance, or kiss that job goodbye and find a different job working with kids.

Too bad Fergus didn’t just suspend her without pay for a week or two. That way the kids would not be punished by losing their beloved teacher.

…leave the Participation Award behind, put on your Big Girl pants (or dress), and quit being such a stereotypical drone snowflake…

I’ve run an afterschool program. Workers don’t grow on trees. Especially ones with several years experience. Yes, Luann was wrong to let Tara in, but where was the supervisor? In a public school setting, people will jump the fence to use the playground/athletic fields. You can’t stop them. The supervisor should have been aware of what was going down. I don’t care if he was in a bomb shelter kissing his A$$, he should have been aware. With how unaware of what was going on, the kids could have been snatched by a noncustodial parent. What would Luann do? Run after the parent and abandon the rest of the class? Being aware of what is happening on the ground is part of a supervisor’s job. It’s also a supervisor’s job to run interference between the worker and the parent. Hear from the parent, hear from the worker. If all the supervisor does is cave in front of an angry parent, the front door will become a revolving door for workers.

Luann grow a set of oranges and go tell the principal he’s a complete Ahole

Parents will always be parents….or at least trying.

A couple of observations: 1. Tara is the problem, not Luann. Tara has gotten Luann into trouble before. 2. Do you think the kids at Kids1st might ask about Luann and or stick up for her in telling the principal it was Tara who stepped over the fence and that it was not Luann’s fault? Maybe they can convince the boss to hire Luann back?

Some commenters believe giving Luann a paying job at the Fuse would solve this financial issue. Paying her out of the Fuse’s profits is just reducing the family’s income. Something she was augmenting with her job at Kids 1st.

We learned that the Fuse was marginally profitable back when Pru left for Gotham. Frank lamented the loss of rent that Pru was paying to stay in Brad’s old room. Nancy convinced Frank to let her (Nancy) take Pru’s place at the Fuse while remaining the Fuse’s bookkeeper; meaning Frank and Luann would have to pick up any slack in household duties. A financial boon by saving them Pru’s salary.

In fact, allowing Bernice into the home has been a boon for the DeGroot’s. First financially, by (re)organizing Nancy’s bookkeeping job, saving her time and effort. Second socially. She apparently provides help around the house, especially in the kitchen. Frank even commented on Bernice’s crepes and how it was nice to have another “daughter” in the house.

She should open a day care business. After an initial investment its a great career

So find ANOTHER job. Lots of people work more than one…

will it be fair to say that Luann is one of these kids that goes to college and lives with her parents house rent free.

Why so censorious, Frank? Luann doesn’t necessarily need a new job; she could use another job, as she said just a day or so ago. Lots of people work more than one job. And a different second gig would be fertile ground for new story arcs.

Of course Luann loves Kids first, she’s on the same intellectual and emotional level as they are.

The message seems straight-forward, not mixed, get another job if you want to pay for things you want, need or love!

This should be retitled “Privilege: The Comic Strip.” Let’s see: Luann commits an act that would normally get a person arrested but gets off with relatively light punishment which STILL isn’t good enough for her. Apparently she expects to get away with nothing more than a warning.

Also when her parents point out her mistakes she just brushes them aside, saying she’d rather “move on.” Because in her little world she normally gets to screw up and immediately leave the aftermath for others to deal with (which is why she’s annoyed that this is no longer the case.)

And when told that her current job can’t pay her enough to live on she whines about how she doesn’t <want to leave it because she likes it, showing that 1. she expects her parents to make up the lost income for her, and 2. jobs were always nothing more than amusing little pastime for her in the first place, rather than a necessary means of survival.

You can see how easy she has it in other ways in the strip too, like how she quits things at the first sign of disappointment (dating apps, drama camp) because she doesn’t like ever having to work hard, or when she gets rewarded for minimal effort because she’s just “naturally gifted” (art class, stage design); she sneers at someone like Tiffany who works hard and struggles to reach her own goals, because Luann apparently thinks if success doesn’t fall into your lap like it does for her, then it simply wasn’t meant to be.

Seriously, can anyone look at that second panel and not feel disgust at how easy she must have it to even be able to make that argument? But maybe we’ll get lucky and Luann’s parents will finally put their foot down. Nancy’s pretty sensible so I’m crossing my fingers.

Oh, and it looks like I was wrong about Saturday being the end of the arc. Good on Evans to prove me incorrect there; I’m glad when my bad feelings don’t come to pass.

My 22 year old daughter is asking me for advice with her school and job situation. I’m happy to be there for her.

Wait, isn’t she gonna start giving archery lessons for $40 an hour, like Tara? …. And putting a down payment on a new Rolls Royce in a couple months? lol

Luann’s in school? Really? When’s the last time she went.

sending mixed messages…. read: “…you’re making me choose between things and I shouldn’t have to choose….???….” That said, Luann doesn’t have to quit the job she loves, she just needs another job to go with it. If she’s in the middle of a semester chances are her books are paid for at this time and maybe her car insurance isn’ t up for a new payment immediately so she has time to look around.

This should be retitled “Privilege: The Comic Strip.” Let’s see: Luann commits an act that would normally get a person arrested but gets off with relatively light punishment which STILL isn’t good enough for her. Apparently she expects to get away with nothing more than a warning.

Also when her parents point out her mistakes she just brushes them aside, saying she’d rather “move on.” Because in her little world she normally gets to screw up and immediately leave the aftermath for others to deal with (which is why she’s annoyed that this is no longer the case.)

And when told that her current job can’t pay her enough to live on she whines about how she doesn’t want to leave it because she likes it, showing that 1. she expects her parents to make up the lost income for her, and 2. jobs were always nothing more than amusing little pastime for her in the first place, rather than a necessary means of survival.

You can see how easy she has it in other ways in the strip too, like how she quits things at the first sign of disappointment (dating apps, drama camp) because she doesn’t like ever having to work hard, or when she gets rewarded for minimal effort because she’s just “naturally gifted” (art class, stage design); she sneers at someone like Tiffany who works hard and struggles to reach her own goals, because Luann apparently thinks if success doesn’t fall into your lap like it does for her, then it simply wasn’t meant to be.

Seriously, can anyone look at that second panel and not feel disgust at how easy she must have it to even be able to make that argument?

Love is truly blind. Luann may “love” Kids 1st" but it appears that “Kids 1st” doesn’t love her back.

LuAnn, consider this a blessing. How long were you going to stay at that job. How many years were you going to invest there. Go find a new job, preferably a better paying one, or at least one that will allow you to make ends meet.

We used to have a cure for this… we went out and shopped our skills in the job market.

I’m not familiar with daycare / preschool organizations. It didn’t occur to me the managers are referred to as principals.

Kids 1st is an after-school program, supervised by the elementary school principal. It’s not a preschool program.

A possible plot twist: The kids miss Luann and complain to their mothers. A little community effort might pressure the Principal to reinstate Luann.

You’ve got to love a “school” that isn’t interested in education.

I guess I was just a bad mom…I thought as long as they were living in my house and I was the primary financial support for them, that I had an obligation to “comment” on information that they willingly shared with me…and they shared a lot…too much sometimes. In my opinion, if anyone needs to butt out it’s Tara.

Welcome to adulting

I hope she finds a better paying job that is not so shackled by rules and regulations.

This soon after a mistake that changes the trajectory of someone’s life, a person is still kinda in shock about the incident and processing it. It’s callous and unnecessary to kick the person while they are down. But I know most parents take a perverse pleasure in pointing out to their children that they don’t know what they are doing…despite the parents not knowing either.

I have a problem with the fact that Luann a “Teaching Assistant” was in charge of a classroom of children…Where was the accredited teacher during this incident. The principal is the person that should be in trouble here, as the person responsible for allowing a classroom to not have a certified teacher present for what seems like an extended period of time.

The Principle character is fantastic. Love him.

But, but, I have inner beauty. Nothing bad is ever supposed to happen to me!

She needs to go back into Kids 1st and beat her boss into a coma while all the kids are watching. It’s a lesson that will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives.

Nothing at all “mixed” about the message from your Parental Units, Luann! Get a job!

https://tinyurl.com/qzg9jx6 —from my youth….

Assorted forces push us in many different directions. Some cancel out; some reinforce each other.

Luanns’ response in the second panel is missing the WHAAAA.