Lynn's Comments: There always has to be a villain in the classroom, someone who bullies and "breaks the law"--that's just the way it is. I bet we can all remember the names and faces of the kids who made our own young lives miserable.
Making Ends Meet: Browse The Strips
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Lynn's Comments: I had two nemeses in elementary school--I can still picture them. I can remember the fear I had lying awake at night knowing that I would have to face them. I was a bit of a bully in my own right; I could fight tooth and nail if I had to, and I'd win. I wouldn't prey on just any kid, I'd go after the mean ones--the ones I thought deserved a good pummelling!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Lynn's Comments: Brad, for me, embodied a number of kids I knew as a child, who were ready to hit and to hurt for no reason at all.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Lynn's Comments: I loved comic books and considered myself a superhero. Not a female superhero with a huge bust, skimpy costume, and impossible sexy powers (these women were Barbies compared to me!)--I was a REAL superhero. If I saw a smaller kid being bullied by a bigger kid, I'd take the guy on--even if it meant getting my dress torn or my face bloodied. I was a fighter, and when the mood struck, the energy I could put into a good punch-up amazed me.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Lynn's Comments: I remember breaking a girl's finger once, because she wouldn't let go of my hair. The more she twisted my hair, the harder I bent her finger. Afterwards, I sported a bald patch and she wore a cast. Our parents forced us to make up. They couldn't believe the ferocity of our battle. We were both angry kids. It took a long time before either of us realized that we weren't angry with each other--we both were unhappy children who didn't know how to deal with their emotions.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Lynn's Comments: Aaron and Katie were both independent children. Trusting and eager to explore, they enjoyed Kindergarten, Saturday art classes, junior skating, and other activities that required them to be separated from Mom and Dad for a period of time. I credit this not just to parenting but to the wonderful daycare workers, playschool teachers, babysitters, and other caregivers who worked with them during their formative years. Together, we instilled confidence in themselves and confidence in us. We were really fortunate to have such a responsible, trustworthy team of people to back us up and give the kids a healthy, enjoyable, and safe environment to grow up in.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Lynn's Comments: There is a lot being said these days about bullies and being bullied. I was picked on pretty viciously at school and I was guilty of bullying, too. We picked on each other because of our looks, our families, our clothes, and our income. We said mean things, wrote mean things, and passed on mean information--which was mostly untrue. Why? I can only guess. The thing is, we all grew up. The kids I went to school with have all lead full lives. With the perspective that only comes with age and experience, we have faced some of the kids we bullied. We can see now who they really are and they too can get to know us. With mature understanding comes respect and I confess, misgiving. As kids, we spoiled so many chances to connect with and enjoy one another. Because we were too young, too naïve, and too selfish to see past our own need for acceptance, we lost the chance to enjoy the friendship of some truly wonderful people!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Lynn's Comments: My taste in comics was much more tame than Michael's. I loved Little Lulu. She was a real girl with ordinary looks, cool friends, and a great imagination. I also loved the Disney books--Donald and the kids and Scrooge McDuck topped the list. I wondered what Scrooge did with a house-sized bin full of money. If it was mine, I'd have given it all away. I never imagined that I'd get to know two of the Disney writers who wrote those very books...but, that's another story!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Lynn's Comments: I continued to fight and make up and fight all through elementary school. It was just the way things were. I was too young to see the whole picture, and I'd often wind up looking at negatives.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Lynn's Comments: This positive little episode resulted in many letters--mostly from teachers and social workers who used these panels to illustrate things they had been trying to talk about: bullying, tolerance, and compassion. No parable here was unintended. By talking about ordinary things that happen to ordinary people, I'd often open a floodgate. So many things that should be resolved...aren't. It was surprising to find that my work was being seen as an opening for discussion.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Lynn's Comments: I remember taking my mother's advice and being nice to one of the kids I "hated." It worked like a charm. After my enemy was certain that my efforts were genuine, the feud ended. This didn't keep me from fighting, though. I still needed the occasional pounding... and I gave a few in return. It's interesting to know now, having talked to some of the kids with whom I had serious differences, that we had all come from families where discipline was strong and physical. If "a pounding" was commonplace at home, then this is how we resolved our differences outside!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Lynn's Comments: This little snowsuit, Katie actually wore. It was one of my favourites and when I washed it, I foolishly put it in a hot dryer. It came out looking like a scraggly, matted sheep and I cried when I saw it. Kate didn't seem to notice and happily wore it until it became too small. At the time, my mother's creed was, "If it doesn't go into the washer and dryer, it goes OUT!" After this, I became much more practical. I bought things that could be easily laundered, and I made sure I was aware of her favourite things. My motto was, "If it's cute and she likes it--LOOK AFTER IT!"
Monday, November 26, 2012
Lynn's Comments: We were lucky to have several wonderful babysitters who would come at a moment's notice. One resource was the Clarke family and their four daughters. I remember calling at the most inopportune times, and if one of the girls couldn't come, Loretta would take the baby herself! I would do anything for her as well, which is what good friends do. She and I have been close for over 30 years!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Lynn's Comments: Once again, I grit my teeth and told a tale that actually happened.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Lynn's Comments: We were in a dark, high-end restaurant in Winnipeg.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Lynn's Comments: June Willis was not an actual name. These people were fictional.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Lynn's Comments: I was certain I was watching an affair in progress, and, indignant, I wanted to confront the guilty pair!
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Lynn's Comments: With arrogance and purpose I walked up to the couple I had been staring at... to discover they were complete strangers. By telling such tales on myself, I was hoping to both cleanse my soul and warn others to MYOB!
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Lynn's Comments: In the log home we owned from 1983 until 2003 our laundry was upstairs and out of the way. It was therefore easily ignored until we needed clean clothes. Next to the laundry appliances I had a sewing table, which would eventually become so heaped with mending that the sewing machine disappeared. When I finally grit my teeth and settled into the task of fixing all the defective duds, I would inevitably discover items of kids' clothing that had been there so long, my kids had outgrown them! By putting this scenario into the strip, I absolved myself of guilt and hoped that other busy moms would also forgive themselves and do what I did: pass the stuff on to someone else! I did, however, repair it beforehand!
Monday, December 3, 2012
Lynn's Comments: Our old chesterfield became the repository for all kinds of flotsam--some of it dangerous, like matches and needles. I was always careful to work my fingers into all the crevices before declaring it bounce-worthy. Here's a story my dad told us: A friend of his once stepped on a small needle. It went so far into his foot that he couldn't get it out. He left it there and forgot about it. A number of years later, he found a bump on his knee and when he scratched it, out came the needle! Is this possible? I don't know! Maybe someone out there can tell me.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Lynn's Comments: There was a time I'd go into a house like this--where the people took scattered toys, dog hair, and mangled furniture for granted. I'd step over Tinker Toys and half eaten sandwiches wondering how in the world they could live like that! I'd see crusts on tabletops and a sink full of dishes, and I'd think to myself, "How can she stand to live in a house that isn't clean, tidy, and well organized?!!" ... Then I had kids.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Lynn's Comments: We didn't have a chainsaw--we didn't need a chainsaw ... but for some reason known only to men, my husband bought a big one, with all the safety gear that went with it!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Lynn's Comments: I have always wondered why gymnasiums didn't harness all the energy that is wasted by wheels on exercycles and the like as they spin all day long. With that in mind, I think hamster wheels could be installed in homes where kids tear around relentlessly. If this energy was being put to good use, such as running the vacuum, perhaps we wouldn't resent the mess and the dust they create quite so much!
Friday, December 7, 2012
Lynn's Comments: This is another personally-experienced scenario which reached the papers. Even though we admonished the combatants, we laughed all the way to the food court!
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Lynn's Comments: It's hard for most adults to keep a secret, but for a kid, it's almost impossible. I once overheard my son trying not to tell his sister what she was getting for her birthday. His words went like this, "If I knew something but I don't, but if I did, I wouldn't tell you but it's something you'll really, really like." He struggled with every word, and in the end, managed not to tell. I was so proud of him
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Lynn's Comments: I have always wondered what it is that makes boys and men want to run around shooting each other, when a really good, moderated argument would resolve almost anything. My thinking is: If women ruled the world, we'd get the politics over with expediently, thereby saving the civilian population, then do our best to rejuvenate each other's economies by shopping! This said by someone who admits to having been a street fighter at the age of five!
Monday, December 10, 2012
Lynn's Comments: Both my kids loved to go Christmas shopping. They still do! Finding the right thing for the right person is exciting, and in our family, funny gifts are the best. One of the best gifts I remember as a kid was a skipping rope. With cardboard and glue my dad made the longest, thinnest box in the world. He placed the skipping rope in it full-length, then wrapped it and put it under the tree. For the life of me, I couldn't imagine what it was, and when I opened it, I laughed and laughed. The parcel itself was almost better than the gift!
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Lynn's Comments: The one time I remember going Christmas shopping with my dad was the time he decided we needed a new couch for the living room and wanted to buy one for Mom for Christmas. Bad idea. We bought a squared-off, ugly beige thing with fabric that felt like the rough side of Velcro. Mom hated it ... but, true to form, she never complained. They had that awful couch until they moved out of the house on Fifth Street. The next couch they had, she bought--with no input from Dad. Fair is fair!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Lynn's Comments: For years, Dad worked in the jewellery and giftware business. A lot of the stuff I thought was gaudy or too expensive but one year, a glass fairy caught my eye. Her face, hands, and legs were frosted glass, her wings and clothing were clear. She sat on a "tuffet" of pebbly, textured glass--and I thought she was beautiful. I must have been about twelve when I asked for her as a gift. She was given to me for Christmas and was the first breakable piece I ever owned. This little fairy sat on my dressing table until I left home. I wish I had taken her with me because she disappeared when my folks sold the house and moved away. She was the model for this Christmas story and I still hope she's around--perhaps on another child's dressing table--still unbroken and still loved.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Lynn's Comments: This comes from a joke my dad used to tell about a man and his son who got onto an elevator. I can't recall the joke, but I always remembered the punch line, which was: "If anyone hears anything or smells anything--it's my dad!"