The Last Panel of Poor Parenting
Today’s For Better or For Worse appears to be an attempt by Lynn Johnston to finally show the side of Michael Patterson we have not seen in a long time, if ever, the domestic Mike. I was actually doing pretty well, and sympathizing with the position of Michael Patterson until they got to the final panel. OK. I was a little disturbed in the next-to-final panel too. Meredith Patterson was handling a peeler, which can be a very sharp object and had apparently not been trained about the proper way to handle sharp objects. This disturbance did not prepare me for what was to come in the final panel.
There are Robin and Meredith physically battling on top of a chair over a sharp peeler, and Michael Patterson’s reaction is to call Deanna and ask her where extra peelers are. I think the humour was supposed to be that Mike is frazzled by his kids, in the same vein as the “Deanna is frazzled by her kids” strips. The difference in those strips is that the children were never endangered by Deanna’s incompetence in handling them. In this strip today, Michael is completely unaware of the several areas where his children are in immediate physical danger through their actions. And because he is unaware, I cannot enjoy any part of the “Mike is frazzled” aspect, because the “Mike the Stupidest Parent Ever” keeps popping into my head.
There are Robin and Meredith physically battling on top of a chair over a sharp peeler, and Michael Patterson’s reaction is to call Deanna and ask her where extra peelers are. I think the humour was supposed to be that Mike is frazzled by his kids, in the same vein as the “Deanna is frazzled by her kids” strips. The difference in those strips is that the children were never endangered by Deanna’s incompetence in handling them. In this strip today, Michael is completely unaware of the several areas where his children are in immediate physical danger through their actions. And because he is unaware, I cannot enjoy any part of the “Mike is frazzled” aspect, because the “Mike the Stupidest Parent Ever” keeps popping into my head.
posted by howard at 9:59 PM
19 Comments:
It's horrifying exactly how stupid he is. I started to get a bit worried when he decided to let the child peel things as a cure for boredom in the first place. Who does that? Not smart people. A smart person would actually play with the kids for a bit and then go back to peeling the carrots.
dreadedcandiru2,
Play with the kid or find them something to do in the kitchen which does not involve the use of sharpened instruments. It's good for kids to help in the kitchen but at ages 3 and 5, cutting or chopping things is right out.
That is correct. Also, it would be a good idea to find them something less rickety to stand on. Not only could they cut themselves, they could fall. Or fall AND gouge out something. Mike should be ashamed of himself for being so heedless.
Actually, they were endangered by Dee. After all, Dee let her play with Tootie the Tricycle Trout, or whatever it was, on a landing above an unguarded staircase. And she let Merrie stand on a chair and do something with carrots at the stove (put them in water?) which led to her falling down and pulling the pan on top of herself, IIRC.
dreadedcandiru2,
Also, it would be a good idea to find them something less rickety to stand on. Not only could they cut themselves, they could fall. Or fall AND gouge out something.
True. When I look at the panel, if I were in that situation my thought would be that both children are getting off that chair, and that peeler is going to be removed out of their hands, and then I can deal with calming them down and finding something else to do.
qnjones,
Dee let her play with Tootie the Tricycle Trout, or whatever it was, on a landing above an unguarded staircase. Here is the reference (which was only in the letters). What a memory you have qnjones:
Deanna's Letter, June 2005
Better start with Meredith - she's fine. Thanks for your concern. I really should have been watching her more closely, but I didn't think she'd find "Tootie the Tricycle Trout" at the back of the hall closet and make it all the way out the front door while I was changing Robin. Man, that kid moves fast! But she'll be okay. The doctors and nurses questioned me really closely, and it was nerve-wracking since I was already upset, but I really can't blame them.
And she let Merrie stand on a chair and do something with carrots at the stove (put them in water?) which led to her falling down and pulling the pan on top of herself, IIRC.
This is the strip.
Yes, Deanna has had her moments too, but it has been 3 years since then. In the more recent days, Deanna's incompetence has been less life-threatening.
I didn't use peelers like that until I was older than Merrie.
Heck, I've cut myself on sharp kitchen objects when I was much older. Young kids shouldn't have access to peelers.
Lynn may be a bit sharper, if you'll pardon the expression, than we're giving her credit for. After all, we may not after all be asked to identify with Mike or Dee as such. She may, in fact, be trying to tell us that these people need help.
Fighting and horseplay in the kitchen should be a no-no, period. There are just too many dangerous things in a kitchen. My parents had that rule, and it was one of their few examples of good parenting!
If Merrie was able to get out of the apartment unattended, then Dee is still grossly negligent. Given her age at the time (3?), the only way that could have happened is if the door was unlocked. Also, IMHO, retcon versions of what happened (I swear she escaped!) do not hold as much water with me as what we see in the strip. In the strip, we see that Dee was with Merrie instantaneously after the accident, and knew that she had been riding the toy on the landing. This does not seem consistent with Merrie having escaped. It should have taken Dee more time to reach Merrie than it did Mrs. Saltzman, not less, if Dee had really been inside the apartment.
Therefore, the strip strongly indicates that Dee was watching Merrie as she was playing on the toy, and that the retconner was trying to make her look like a better parent than Lynn made her.
But yes, Dee is now the less negligent parent, mainly because we hardly ever see Dee anymore--except when she is needed to bolster Mike's ego.
Muzition
I didn't use peelers like that until I was older than Merrie.
Me either. We had an old peeler that was pretty dull, we used for a long time. When we got a new one, I realized (the hard way) how the blade on it was as sharp as a knife.
DreadedCandiru2
Lynn may be a bit sharper, if you'll pardon the expression, than we're giving her credit for. She may, in fact, be trying to tell us that these people need help.
Sometimes I get that impression too. For example, I was convinced that the business of Elizabeth getting the e-mail about Anthony’s divorce, her strong reaction to it, and her immediate move back to Milborough clearly showed that she was leaving Mtigwaki for no other reason than to chase after Anthony Caine. However, Lynn Johnston said in an interview the reason Elizabeth gave for leaving (homesickness) was the actual reason. It kind of ruined that idea of being sharp for me, and made me believe that some of the nicer plot points happen in the strip more because of accident than intent.
For example, in today’s strip, I think Lynn Johnston believes the idea that Mike would call Deanna to ask about an extra peeler, while his children are fighting over a peeler is funny in the same way as “Deanna can’t get the kids dressed to leave the house.”
qnjones
In the strip, we see that Dee was with Merrie instantaneously after the accident, and knew that she had been riding the toy on the landing.
Moreover, Dee states explicitly that Merrie was known to play on the stairs at all of her grandparents’ homes without injuring herself. I quoted the letter mainly because this is the only place where the name Tootie the Tricycle Trout was used.
Therefore, the strip strongly indicates that Dee was watching Merrie as she was playing on the toy, and that the retconner was trying to make her look like a better parent than Lynn made her.
Very likely. From a story aspect, I like the idea that the monthly letter reflects Deanna changing the story after being questioned by the hospital staff and came to realize that she was being grossly negligent.
Another thing that bugs about the monthly letter quoted is Dee's dismissive little "Thanks for your concern," since we know it really means, "Screw you, people who sent angry e-mails to Lynn." It's such a "Liz" phrase, too.
aprilp_katje,
You are so right. In all the other monthly letters, the phrase only occurs in one other, and it is very appropriate. These lines in this paragraph appear in Elizabeth’s letter to be written directly in reaction to well-deserved criticism of the Howard rape / Anthony "I have no home" sequence.
Liz's Letter, September 2005
This may sound abrupt, but I'm dealing with the assault in my way, and while everyone from Mom to Mike to Mira Sobinski has an opinion on how I should have handled the situation, suffice it to say that Howard's not getting away with anything and things are under control from my point of view. I saw a counselor a couple of times, and we agreed that the best thing for me to do was to return to my normal life in Mtig where I can get some perspective and relax a bit. Thanks for your concern.
Judging from this, the people writing in were disturbed that Howard walked away free and Elizabeth received no counseling other than a purr from Shiimsa.
Also, back when the FBorFW site used to show e-mail to and from the characters, there were a series of reader e-mails warning Liz about Eric, and in one reply after another, there was some variant of "thanks for your concern."
Via Wayback machine, a couple of Liz replies:
Hello: I'm not a saint. I have my faults and so does Eric. We'll work through this difficult time together. Thanks for your concern. Elizabeth
Dear Herbert: Eric and I are going through hard times but, it's nothing we can't work through. Thanks for your concern.
And some more:
Hi, I appreciate your concern. Eric and I don't own each other. We're doing fine and will continue to for a long time. Take care. Elizabeth
Dear Kristin, Thanks for your note. I appreciate your concern for me but you don't know Eric. I love him. Elizabeth
Dear Fred, Thanks for thinking of me. Eric and I are doing fine. No intentions of dumping anyone. Elizabeth
I strongly disagree that Lynn wants to depict Dee and Mike as horribly clueless and in need of intervention. I think she thinks she's drawing them as "adorably, harmlessly clueless." Ha ha, isn't it funny that the husband doesn't know where the vegetable peelers are, and can't make his kids behave! I really think that's what she sees.
If she were still doing monthly letters, next month's letter would have Mike explaining that they own some super-special toddler-safe vegetable peelers.
ITA, qnjones--I think Lynn believes her Junior Pattersons are simply adorable.
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