On learned behaviour and the exile of children

[dreadedcandiru2]

That last strip I linked to yesterday hints at a problem that John and Elly both seem to have: their inability to own up to the fact that the children are modeling themselves after the two of them. While Lynn is willing to admit that just perhaps the reason that Mike, Liz and April Pattersnarf because John and Elly also eat messily and that maybe Lizzie and April can parrot her, that seems to be as far as it goes as far as acknowledging that maybe John and Elly should have set better examples for their children if they wanted desirable behaviour from them.

What this tells me is that were we to look in at the present day, we could well be watching Mike and Deanna packing Meredith and Robin off to summer camp because they too are at their meagre wits' end in dealing with two placid children who don't know what to do with their time because one parent is too tired and the other two fearful to interact with them. What makes things worse is something else I predicted: Mike will end up being cravenly grateful to be underparented by idiots.