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Meanwhile, yesterday I was taking a look at "Suddenly Silver". I was checking the Sunday strips (of which, as many of you know, not all appear in the collections). I didn't find the one I was looking for, but I did find an interesting one from when Mike and little Lizzie were approx. 10 and 5. It was Father's Day, and they both charged into the master bedroom to ambush John.
Now, this I could buy, partly because they were slightly (but only slightly!) less obstreperous than Merrie was back in June, and also because Mike was old enough to think F-Day is a big deal, and Lizzie was presumably following his lead. But what was really telling was that when Elly ordered them to back off, John, sitting up in bed said (paraphrasing) "It's okay; I don't mind sharing my space." Mike added, "After all, if it wasn't for us, you wouldn't BE a father!"
I rest my case.