(Strip Number 4177, Original Publication Date, 28 May 1982)
Panel 1: We find Elly studying for her finals; since she's sort of too stupid to ask John to take the kids some place to do so in peace, we find Mike asking her if she's studying. Her saying "Uh-huh" makes him ask if she wants to be left alone. She again says "Uh-huh."
Panel 2: Since she's kind of not inclined to remember how children act, his asking her if she wants both him and Lizzie to really, really, REALLY leave her alone leaves her not only angered but hopelessly confused.
Panel 3: She also doesn't ever realize that her children love pushing her buttons almost as much as she did at that age; that's because her inarticulate growl is seen as a source of cheap laughs.
Panel 4: Mike is still smiling when he tells Lizzie that he thinks that she wants to be left alone; what bothers me is that when it eventually happens to him, he'll be as angered and confused by JonBenet and PoopiePants's antics as Elly is by his.
Summary: We'll have to wait for the Lynnsight to see who to root for; if it's about how Lynn loved pushing people's buttons, Elly's being a jerk. If it's about how much a handful Aaron was, Mike is. What it won't be about is how whenever people think of Elly, the thing they most notice is that even the tiniest setback or annoyance causes her to scream like a maniac.
