For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for January 28, 2018

nothing like an older sibling guilt trip

My older brother was a bit of a softy. I have no memories of him deliberately hurting me, and he rarely if ever teased or taunted me.

He once left me out of a rock sale that he was having with his friends. I was only five at the time, but I still remember how sad and excluded I felt. To this day, if I bring up that incident, my brother will become misty-eyed and apologetic. That’s how sweet he is to me.

In time that too will pass.

I bought a lock to keep my sister and mother out of my room when I wasn’t home…as before they they took my clothes and jewelry etc….so I am with the young man on this. However, just walking her out would have sufficed.

Is that the new-fangled Pear Computer?

Let us see some of the things Michael did:

*Insulted his hosts when staying at their farm for Christmas.

*Participated with the other boys in an attempt to invade the privacy of the girls’ shower at the summer camp.

And now this? Michael is on a roll….down.

Gots lots of those memories.

Lynn’sNote*I was about seven and my brother was five. We had been having one of our knock-down, drag out fights. Mom was in the basement and either ignored us or couldn’t hear just how angry the fight had become.Our one bathroom, which had a locking door, became a refuge. If you could get in there first, you were safe. You had to slam the door to get it to lock. I ran into the bathroom, slammed the door and Alan screamed. Thinking he was just screaming with rage, I continued to shove the door shut not knowing that his finger had been caught in the door jamb. By the time I realized there was something wrong, I had seriously injured his finger. Mom rushed us to the hospital where he was given a shot and had his finger bound with gauze. It wasn’t broken, but his knuckle was severely bruised and the skin had split with the pressure. I was so sorry. Even though Alan accepted my apology, I’ve never forgotten the incident and I have never forgiven myself!

Is that computer… a Pear?

It’s good to see Michael starting to act like an adult again. I miss grown up Michael. I understand why Lynn did the reboot, and Michael and Lizzie were cute kids. But watching them grow up once was enough. * Ms. Johnson, you ever think that maybe you could use Sundays strip and show how the adult Patterson family is doing? I don’t think it’d be too confusing. It may even add another ‘kick’ to the story you’ve been sharing with us for decades.

My kids have been known to slam doors. We warn them this could happen, but I don’t think they really believe me or understand how it would feel to honestly hurt each other. Kids fight. They fight to get back in the room. Slamming makes sense, because when you slam, you can lock.

This has probably happened a lot (I was an only child, so can’t speak from my own experience)

My brother slammed a door on my hands once. I have two crooked fingers as a result.

Smashed my own little finger in the heavy wooden door of our apartment. i was three or four at the time and liked to slam the hallway door just for the echoing noise in the stairwell. Oh boy, did that hurt! Crooked finger to this day, and it cured me of the habit of door-slamming.

As a “joke” I once asked my sister to close a door I knew was off it’s hinges. I knew it would fall, but falling and beaning her on the head wasn’t part of the plan.

Amazing how many bad things we did as kids haunt us until we’re old and grey-haired.

Amazing how many bad things we did as kids haunt us until we’re old and grey-haired.

I really like Elizabeth. She seems to have a sweet nature.

The faces on this one, so simply drawn, really shown the emotion they feel. I feel it, too.

Is that and old-fashioned CRT monitor?

At times like this I’m sure Elly is so grateful for OHIP. That’s the Ontario health insurance plan. A trip to ER (or as Canadians call it – Emerge) will cost them nothing out of pocket. It’s so nice to ONLY have to be concerned about the injury and not how you’re going to pay the bill!

My sister, a car door, 55 years, and no, you don’t forget.

Less we forget I’m 80 years old just lose my brother just before he died we were talking how we hit my twin brother when we were younger with wooden ball off the top of bed post we were playing bomb away throwing it at building when he stuck his head out window yes my twin brother gone as well

So punching his little sister he has no remorse over, but the door-slamming he cares about. Creep.

What’s the difference? While Michael and Elizabeth were in that “cloud of cartoon violence,” they were subject to the rules of cartoon violence (the ones that kept Sarge from killing or maiming Beatle Bailey). But as soon as they stepped out of it, real rules applied, so a finger slammed in a door led to an injury requiring medical attention.

It’s so odd to have both types of violence in the same comic strip on the same day. I can see Elly saying, “Michael and Elizabeth, if you are going to fight, then stay inside the cloud of cartoon violence. You can fight as much as you want inside the cloud.”

As my parents reminded me that if someone ended up in the hospital due to my negligence, feeling bad or saying sorry will not work!

Damm you Michael Patterson! Lizzie could have come close to finger amputation by the way you injured her finger just for going in your room to use computer! You have to share when you have brother or sister. You’re lucky your sis forgave you if I were in Elly’s place, I would take away your privileges for 2 weeks! Glad you apologized but the comic strip was disturbing.