Learning to Walk, New-Run Style
The magic moments of motherhood. There is nothing like them. Your baby has been pulling up and walking around by holding on to things, and then there comes that time when you can tell they are ready to walk. While some mothers clear a pathway of obstacles and get the camera out to video that stellar moment there are also other moms, moms who think to themselves, “Dammit. I am not ready for this child to walk yet. She already gets into things. How can I put a stop to this? Tacks on the floor? Slippery floor surface? Bind her feet? No, wait. I know. Have her walk right next to a hard surface with sharp points on it; so if she trips and falls she will get a severe enough injury to put her off walking for another month. That’s the ticket. It is into this category of motherhood that Elly Patterson, mother worthy of being a referee, falls.
Although some people have their doubts about the new-runs, Lynn Johnston is doing an excellent job of capturing Elly during 1979. She was a clueless mom, and in these new-runs, she continues that trend quite nicely. It has been awhile since my kids were the age of little Lizzie in today’s For Better or For Worse, but 8 years ago, if you didn’t want to put your coffee table in the garage as a safety measure, there were these table bumpers you could put on the corners of coffee tables to remove the danger of them cracking open your youngster’s skull.
I know there are differing opinions as to how far one should child-proof their home; but I know the vigorous child-proofers would look at today’s strip and cringe. Actually, I think even persons who are not into child-proofing (qnjones?) would also cringe.
There is a second aspect of today’s strip which says, “I don’t know much about small children.” I was always amazed at how quickly a small child could forget an unpleasant or painful situation. Elly sits with crying Lizzie in her arms thinking the experience will put her off walking for a month. As I remember my kids at that age, a bonk on the head would only put off my kids trying something they wanted to do, for maybe an hour or two.
Last week we had potential fish abuse at the hands of young Michael. This week has started off with small child injury. I wonder if we are going to have 2-3 more strips of Lizzie in physical peril. We know from last year’s hybrid, that Lynn Johnston was not afraid of showing Lizzie getting injured; so I have high hopes. There’s nothing like the laughs you get showing the very young getting hurt. It's comedy gold, baby. Comedy gold.
Although some people have their doubts about the new-runs, Lynn Johnston is doing an excellent job of capturing Elly during 1979. She was a clueless mom, and in these new-runs, she continues that trend quite nicely. It has been awhile since my kids were the age of little Lizzie in today’s For Better or For Worse, but 8 years ago, if you didn’t want to put your coffee table in the garage as a safety measure, there were these table bumpers you could put on the corners of coffee tables to remove the danger of them cracking open your youngster’s skull.
I know there are differing opinions as to how far one should child-proof their home; but I know the vigorous child-proofers would look at today’s strip and cringe. Actually, I think even persons who are not into child-proofing (qnjones?) would also cringe.
There is a second aspect of today’s strip which says, “I don’t know much about small children.” I was always amazed at how quickly a small child could forget an unpleasant or painful situation. Elly sits with crying Lizzie in her arms thinking the experience will put her off walking for a month. As I remember my kids at that age, a bonk on the head would only put off my kids trying something they wanted to do, for maybe an hour or two.
Last week we had potential fish abuse at the hands of young Michael. This week has started off with small child injury. I wonder if we are going to have 2-3 more strips of Lizzie in physical peril. We know from last year’s hybrid, that Lynn Johnston was not afraid of showing Lizzie getting injured; so I have high hopes. There’s nothing like the laughs you get showing the very young getting hurt. It's comedy gold, baby. Comedy gold.
posted by howard at 10:19 PM
24 Comments:
howward,
Although some people have their doubts about the new-runs, Lynn Johnston is doing an excellent job of capturing Elly during 1979. She was a clueless mom, and in these new-runs, she continues that trend quite nicely.
That she was. However, she was aware back then she had no idea what she was doing and said so. Sunday's strip and the new-runs show her as suffering from delusions of awareness and competence. She's thus a hybrid of Young Elly and Flapandhonk.
As for the childproofing angle, you can type in e-mails about that until your fingers fall off, Lynn doesn't care. They didn't have all that when she was a kid and she turned out great!
Heh. I am not into childproofing because I don't have kids.
However, the reason you remember me as anti-childproofing is because I actually have a moderate view on childproofing (as do all of the parents I know IRL), and you have a much stricter view. So you think of me as advocating great irresponsibility. Whereas all I ever really said was that I think it's silly to go so far as to get rid of a coffee table and/or pad every edge in the house. Furthermore, I don't know any parent who goes that far.
The parents I know are very bright and well-informed, but decided not to try to eliminate every theoretical danger. They stuck with the major ones, like plugging outlets, hiding breakables, cords, and heavy objects, blocking stairwells, and locking cabinets. All reasonable precautions. But I don't know anyone with toilet locks; the parents I know close bathroom doors and do their best to keep kids out of there. They also don't pad corners unless they are unusually sharp. Again, I think this is reasonable.
It seems you are saying that parents shouldn't have any furniture at all and that the whole house should be padded. I mean, a child can pull a dining chair over on himself, or smack his head into the leg of a dining table, or a side table, or on the headboard of a bed, or on a computer desk. I've even seen a kid just fall into a flat wall and hit his head hard. Where do you draw the line? I just wouldn't be as strict as you about drawing the line. Shades of gray.
Now, about the strip. I've never known parents who were in a hurry for their kid to walk for any reason other than the pleasure and excitement of the milestone. Unlike with, say, potty training, where parents look forward to the end of diapers. But Elly seems sort of distraught at the end of the strip, like she was desperately looking forward to Lizzy walking, like it would relieve her of some of the burden of caring for her. Which isn't really true, because kids who have just learned to walk are too tiny not to be carried in public.
Furthermore, kids that age usually don't put two and two together like that about how they got hurt. By the next day, most kids would be back at trying to walk. When my friends' kids were learning, they fell down and got hurt multiple times a day. But they kept on going.
Truly awful, pointless, and nonsensical strip.
As I remember my kids at that age, a bonk on the head would only put off my kids trying something they wanted to do, for maybe an hour or two.
Seriously. When my son was new to walking, it was "Run, run, run, run, run--fwump! Get up. Run, run, run, run, run--fwump!" (Lather, rinse repeat.) He was not to be deterred! Though, fortunately for him, he had a nice, open space to move around in without sharp-corned coffee tables to crack his head on, as you note.
And I think Liz has grown quite a bit since last week. Maybe by next month, LJ will leap into year two, after all.
But I don't know anyone with toilet locks; the parents I know close bathroom doors and do their best to keep kids out of there.
Yeah, that's what we did--closing the doors, not the toilet locks. :)
qnjones,
Furthermore, kids that age usually don't put two and two together like that about how they got hurt. By the next day, most kids would be back at trying to walk. When my friends' kids were learning, they fell down and got hurt multiple times a day. But they kept on going.
That's for sure. Once again, Lynn's inability to think like a toddler makes for a punchline that's 100% Nonsenseoleum. A real life Liz would think that the pain came out of nowhere because she'd have forgotten the table existed when she stopped looking at it. Child psychologists tell us that it takes most kids till they're three to realize things still exist when they're not looking at them. Having forgotten what happened and probably even that she'd BONKed her head, she'd be trying again in no time.
Aw, but that assumes Elly will LET Liz try again. Heaven knows, the Pattersons later showed that they don't want their kids to take any risks--so once their ineptness results in an injury or unpleasantness, they certainly don't want that to happy again.
Really, I'm too jaded by what these characters display later to be nothing but cynical at this point.
I remember my son fell out of a cardboard box he was using as a boat onto a carpeted floor and hit the edge of his chin just right and ended up with a couple of stitches. Gee, I didn't think to pillow the floor, but then he probably would have smothered in the pillows.
dreadedcandiru2
She's thus a hybrid of Young Elly and Flapandhonk.
Good. Flapandhonk is a lot more fun to snark.
As for the childproofing angle, you can type in e-mails about that until your fingers fall off, Lynn doesn't care. They didn't have all that when she was a kid and she turned out great!
As many other people agree, in the comments that follow.
Having forgotten what happened and probably even that she'd BONKed her head, she'd be trying again in no time.
Liz probably will. The question is why Elly, after having raised another child to 5 years old, and Lynn Johnston having raised 2 children to adulthood, would think differently.
qnjones,
So you think of me as advocating great irresponsibility. Whereas all I ever really said was that I think it's silly to go so far as to get rid of a coffee table and/or pad every edge in the house. Furthermore, I don't know any parent who goes that far.
I knew plenty of parents who did, you great irresponsibility advocator you.:)
But I don't know anyone with toilet locks; the parents I know close bathroom doors and do their best to keep kids out of there.
We did toilet locks, but they were pretty worthless. My kids had no problem getting around them. The parents were a different story.
They also don't pad corners unless they are unusually sharp. Again, I think this is reasonable.
No corner pads for me.
It seems you are saying that parents shouldn't have any furniture at all and that the whole house should be padded.
Rubber rooms would be great and we straight-jacketed the kids too. For their safety, of course.
Now, about the strip. I've never known parents who were in a hurry for their kid to walk for any reason other than the pleasure and excitement of the milestone.
Absolutely. It is a lot easier to catch a crawling kid than a walking kid.
aprilp_katje,
Seriously. When my son was new to walking, it was "Run, run, run, run, run--fwump! Get up. Run, run, run, run, run--fwump!" (Lather, rinse repeat.) He was not to be deterred!
Exactly. Why doesn’t Lynn Johnston remember this?
And I think Liz has grown quite a bit since last week. Maybe by next month, LJ will leap into year two, after all.
She had a huge growth spurt and a hair colour change on Sunday. Tell me true, aprilp_katje, in the old collections, what colour was Liz’s hair? I thought she was a blonde towhead.
debjyn,
Aw, but that assumes Elly will LET Liz try again.
You have a point. The one month prognostication could well be the time when Elly will let Liz try to walk again.
Anonymous,
I remember my son fell out of a cardboard box he was using as a boat onto a carpeted floor and hit the edge of his chin just right and ended up with a couple of stitches. Gee, I didn't think to pillow the floor, but then he probably would have smothered in the pillows.
Well, the first problem is the cardboard box. You can get a nasty paper cut from those.:)
LOL. Sorry if I was a bit prickly. I felt like you were taking a cheap shot at me in your OP. I see that was not your intent.
I can see the appeal of straightjackets for children, except for the resultant screaming pleas for release. What do you use for that? Gags? Muzzles? I can totally get behind this form of childproofing.
Dreadedcandiru2:
Actually, infants tend to develop the concept of "object permanence" around age 8-9 months (average), and some infants as young as three months show signs of understanding it.
qnjones,
It is true that a child's Liz's age is aware than objects exist when she isn't looking at them. It simply seems to me that, while she knows the table is there, it probably doesn't register as an obstacle quite yet. I've seen small children barrel towards an objective without seeming to notice things like benches or people in their way because of their focus on their goal. In any event, aprilp_katje is right in assuming that, without intervention, Liz will get right back again after she settles down.
[Damn. It's going to take a while to wash the stink off of the verb 'to settle', ain't it?]
qnjones,
LOL. Sorry if I was a bit prickly. I felt like you were taking a cheap shot at me in your OP. I see that was not your intent.
That is true. I probably should have put one of those :) beside it.
I can see the appeal of straightjackets for children, except for the resultant screaming pleas for release. What do you use for that? Gags? Muzzles? I can totally get behind this form of childproofing.
I have found that if you give children candy, it is almost as effective as a gag or a muzzle, the drool is about the same, and you don’t have those issues with breathing for kids who only breathe through their mouths.
DreadedCandiru2
[Damn. It's going to take a while to wash the stink off of the verb 'to settle', ain't it?]
Well, you are still talking about Liz, so it’s OK.
I've been playing a lot of Sims 2 lately, and I'm glad there's no childproofing in that game. The most hilarious part is when you neglect a toddler, and she entertains herself by playing in the toilet or with a great big stray dog that wanders up on the porch.
qnjones,
Toilet and stray dog, that is hysterical. I have not played Sims 2, but it sounds like a fun game.
howtheduck, in order to answer your question about young Liz's hair, I scanned the first Sunday strip that had her in it (and the second ever to run). To me, it looks like light brown and a match to Elly's shade in the same strip.
BTW, I noticed something else in an old Sunday strip. Remember when Elly got on the scale and announced that she was "down to 125"? It's kind of hard to see on my scan--but in panel one, that line is just to the right of the "130." She lied!
Note that when Lynn used this for the hybrid, she erased the numbers!
qnjones, there is a woman in my neighborhood I often see walking her dog in the morning who looks just like someone out of Sims 2 Pets! She wears her hair in two high ponytails on top of her head and has glasses--I forget which Sim looks like this (at least in my PS2 version). I always think, "It's the Sim!"
The question is why Elly, after having raised another child to 5 years old, and Lynn Johnston having raised 2 children to adulthood, would think differently.
Because Lynn has TOTALLY FORGOTTEN what young children are really like. She'd forgotten by the time April stayed "Aypo" too long, and clearly blew it with Francie; why would she have gained a clue since then? She doesn't have any grandchildren or other young kids in her life for reminders...
...As for Lizzie's haircolor, it is typical of many, many Caucasian children to be towheaded toddlers and have their hair darken to a light or medium brown as they grow older. The original blonde Lizzie was quite normal; I think Lynn has forgotten this sort of fact about kids as well...
Anonymous
Because Lynn has TOTALLY FORGOTTEN what young children are really like.
That must be it, although I hate to think it. My kids are starting to get big, and I wonder if I will be at the age where I forget what young children are like.
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