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Lynn's strip caused a stir in my stomach. I'm not sure if the message is most of us look like the Elly and her friend and that's okay. Or was the message that we do look like this and it's not okay. Either way, women and body image is a huge deal. 80% of women, from ages 4-104 hate their bodies. Such hate can contribute to eating disorders, disordered eating, harmful dieting, depression, low self-esteem, surgical harm to the body, etc. A human being's body changes over the life span...it's the way mother nature intended it. Accepting what will be and what is will help women heal. Contributing to the already pervasive belief that not having a model's body is wrong does damage. We don't need any more damage. (By the way, only 3% of the entire population is born with a model's body - which makes their bodies abnormal). Please be aware of how your perception of women's bodies can either be negative or positive. You have the opportunity to really challenge the notion of what's perfect and to help women around the world be accepting of what Mother Nature gave them.

Stacie L, Mason City Iowa

Hi Lynn,
I'm into the habit of checking your online cartoons almost daily. Oh, how I missed them when our daily paper stopped being delivered in our small town! Now I can get my daily fix of the Pattersons again. My two kids were the same age as Ellie and John's all those years ago and it was great to see all the things they were doing--I could really relate to it all. I always wanted to tell you how much that meant to me. Have a great day, Bev

Bev D, Fernie BC

Since my local newspaper had become useful for little more than comics and editorials,I chose to not renew my subscription of some thirty years. It was spirit lifting to realize that my favorite comics could be imported to my home page (i-Google). This is a long overdue "Thank You" for the countless times For Better or Worse has enabled me to look and laugh at myself and the world around me. May Lynn Johnston's obviously blessed life continue to be so.

Steve S, Bushkill, PA,USA

Not "responding" to any of the drawn characters; but to the artist who gets to decide their every thought, word spoken, feeling felt, gesture, facial expression, time spent on an issue, what the issues are....you get the idea...Lynn, get over your bitterness. Life, for most, not just "You", is hard. Your re-write on "life"; pretending these are real people and furthur-more pretending that you can change the past and make it more 'perfect', 'explained' or just change it because you want to, is self-absorbed and sad. Get God (really, not pretend) and Get a Life. Real Life has no do-over function. This author has lowered her strip from insightful humor and realism to cartoon fiction by the choice to think that she could "give" (to the public) a "family" (in literature) only to rewrite that family's history at her whim. It reduces the whole concept to cornflake quality.

I'm sorry your life didn't turn out the way you expected...guess what?, no one's does. And, granted, some lives may turn out "better" than expected, but most turn out, well, not always and absolutely "worse", but darn sure HARDER than expected. We don't get to make all the choices. Mostly we deal with what comes; you know, or maybe you don't, like lay-offs in the auto industry. I guess if one is living vicariously through a comic strip one "get's" to pretend...as many times as one wants, so as to change the details as we see fit, making ourselves the one and only all-important in control creator. Then you "get" to have artificial do-overs. As many as you want. Maybe when you get tired of "this one", "Elly's" next life will have her happy and fulfilled because 'she's learned how to not need anyone'. She won't have a husband to take her for granted or children to mess up her nights or interfere with her goals. She can "be" the cartoon representative of a woman that you!
want "her" to be. Maybe "next life", she'll get "big glory" no matter what she does (or doesn't do) 'cause, gosh darnit, shouldn't she? Good luck with that.

SIGNED: A discontented, but devoted (yes, that says something about COMMITMENT and HONOR) wife; mom of 6: reluctant but true, because I've done the research, Catholic. And absolute believer in 'what you portray is what you are' (no faith or lack there-of excluded).

I don't think the venue of your comic is your biggest issue. In fact, I wonder if you rather have a political agenda, most upsettingly possibly aimed at the youth. And if that isn't it, perhaps you need to think about what you really are trying to accomplish. Who is it for?

W. Central IN USA

This cartoon always makes me smile. Thank-You for sharing your awesome talent.

Marian C, Point Clark

What the heck kind of newspaper do they get in Milborough, anyway? I don't think I've ever seen an ad like those, outside of the personals in the backs of alternative weeklies. Maybe it was different in 1978, though.

Chris P, Boston MA

Gee,Mommy - what's a swinger? It must be fun, they're talking about it on the comics page.

Your elementary school child.

Aly, WA