(Strip Number 1142, Original Publication Date, 22 April 1987)
Panel 1: Before they turn in for the night, Elly asks John if he thinks that she's being unfair to Elizabeth.
Panel 2: She then sort of tries to convince him that she is being fair (and that Lizzie is the unreasonable one) by saying that merely because other children have pierced ears, it doesn't necessarily follow that Lizzie should follow suit.
Panel 3: She sets up the punch-line by asking if Lizzie HAS to have something just because everyone else does.
Panel 4: Since she realizes that John is about to say something that disproves her argument, Elly angrily preempts him by telling him that Cabbage Patch Kids dolls don't count.
Summary: Elly has a consistent pattern of behaviour when confronted with this sort of situation which is predicated on her mistaken belief that Elizabeth has any self-confidence at all. Time and again, she forgets how much power instigators like Paula and Candace have over her child and time and again, she ends up looking like a dingleberry who doesn't know what's going on in the world and who also wants her child to get eaten alive out of pure stubborn stupidity.