ball: Browse The Strips

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Lynn's Comments: Again, this is all from memory. This is my brother and me doing nasty, irritating things to each other, just to cause a rift. Perhaps it's because we were easily bored. Perhaps it's because it rained a lot and we always seemed to be indoors. For some reason, we couldn't pass up an opportunity to upset one another and this lasted until we were in our teens. No wonder our folks were so pleased when we moved out!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Lynn's Comments: My mom did say things to make me feel like a kid again. I felt as though she was watching everything I did; wanting to correct me or give advice. I had been living on my own, coping with all kinds of challenges and I wanted to feel like her equal. It didn't take long before the old sandpaper formed between us and we had to make sure there were no match heads in the middle!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Lynn's Comments: When I was about to have Katie, it was important to spend as much time as I could with Aaron to reassure him that even though a new baby was coming, he was still the first, and was very special. I told him he would be a big brother, that he'd be the older one and be able to teach his new brother and sister all kinds of things. What he remembered most, however was that his friends said he might get presents!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Lynn's Comments: Kate and Aaron both slept with one stuffed toy. It was me who filled my bed with stuffed animals and slept around them when I was a kid. My favourite was a koala bear that my grandmother brought back from Tasmania for me. It was real kangaroo hide and I loved him until his fur was almost gone. My brother stole him away from me once, insisted on sleeping with him, and then wet his bed. Mom couldn't wash my koala because he was leather, so her advice was to let him sit on the windowsill and air out: "In time he will be less 'whiffy'" she said. But he stank for years, so "Whiffy" was what I called him. I still have old "Whiff" in my china cabinet. He's sweeter smelling, now, and still well loved.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Lynn's Comments: One of the most useful bits of psychology I learned in my mom and toddler classes was to use "I messages". When you tell a kid how their inappropriate behaviour affects you, the exchange becomes a discussion and not an accusation. When you reword "Your whining drives me crazy! Why are you whining so much?!" and say: "I don't understand why you're upset. It makes me unhappy to hear you whining. What can I do to help?" You're more likely to get a better response. This is all very nice when you have your wits about you and can think of the right thing to say. Unfortunately "Oh for heaven's sake, cut the crap and get ready for school, already!" can easily spill out. The thing to remember is: a hug will always save the day!

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I was happy with this punchline. In cartooning, a phrase like "turning over a new leaf" usually leads to a smart reply. You can also change the words: "A nerd in the hand is worth two in the bush". I always caution new cartoonists against using a familiar quote unless they are planning to use it in a zinger in the last panel.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Lynn's Comments: The real Farley didn't care much for candy, but he did like to chew stuff. Knowing he was not allowed near the Christmas tree, he would sneak across the floor like a stalking cat. Then, when he thought we weren't looking, he'd bite chunks off the candy canes and spit them out. I bought plastic candy canes to replace the real ones, and these later (when we no longer had a pet) became part of a family tradition: when Aaron and Katie helped decorate the tree, the candy canes were plastic but on Christmas morning, they "magically" became real!

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Lynn's Comments: It took days to sort through everything. Behind every stack of familiar flotsam was stuff we never knew she had. Parting with some of it was going to be hard. We had several family meetings to determine the fate of Ruth and Tom's collection.

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Lynn's Comments: The room-cleaning scenario always reminded me of my own childhood. My mother made the exact same demands of me and I made the exact same excuses. This realization didn't mean that I went easier on my kids, it made me even more determined to "win" a losing battle.