His Parents Like Him Only a Bit More Than the Rest of Us

There’s an axiom that journalists use when they’re trying to be pretentious: “When your mother says she loves you, confirm it with a second source.”

Fortunately, Sturdivant is never going to be faced with this situation, because clearly, his parents don’t particularly love him. (If he wants to confirm that fact, I’ll gladly help him out.)

Frankly, he should comfort himself with the fact that they considered the propolition* for as long as they did. They waited five full panels before saying no. I think that’s proof that Sturdy’s really their kid: If he weren’t, they’d have dumped him within two. Or less. The chin’s creepy.

* I don’t generally approve of the wordplay gags in this strip, but I especially don’t approve of this one, because it isn’t really wordplay. It’s just mispronunciation. And it’s not even necessary mispronunciation, what with the delightfully ironic “proppa diction” just waiting to be used.