(Strip Number 1035, Original Publication Date, 12 April 1986)
Panel 1: Having realized that Mike's hurt feelings aren't simply a ploy for sympathy, we find Elly i bed worrying about how "we" (by which she means "she") are treating him. She wonders if she and John are too tough on him or not tough enough. This is because the answer "You're tough about the wrong things" is not one that can occur to her.
Panel 2: She then wonders if they give in too often or too seldom. Do they listen enough, do they understand enough?
Panel 3: She then wonders if maybe she nags too much or even if she's a good parent. She doesn't know what to do or how to find the answers to the questions that will plague her for the rest of her life.
Panel 4: Meanwhile, Michael lies in bed thinking that the trouble with grown-ups is that they think they know everything.
Summary: This is because Mike IS a child. He can't see past first impressions or through the psychological defense mechanisms Elly uses to hide the fact that she's terrified out of her mind most of the time. Of course, the Mike of today holds this conversation with himself while still thinking that Elly thought she knew everything because he's a pinhead who never understood the people around him either.