I get motion-sick if I try to read anything in moving vehicles, but my solution isn’t pinching my nose. It’s to nap through every road trip.
Wanted a second line in the last panel for a punchline but (1) I think it would've detracted from the scene a bit and (2) the best thing I could come up with was something-something "If you're a cop, you have to tell me or it's illegal".
From defensive and mouthy to shaking and vulnerable. Well portrayed sir.
Oof, it’s about to get really emotional here… poor kid.
Well, I could have sworn Andi would get in trouble with Lillian, also telling Amanda the truth is bound to be awkward.
I had the same exact problem, Dave! My solution though was to take big deep breaths through my nose. I don’t get vehicle motion sickness anymore!
I take plenty of deep breaths. Just not while conscious. 😉
Can people hear the “deep breaths” ten feet away? 😛
Only 10 feet? Amateur.
from the next car over… while moving… nope they’re a PRO…
I have the same problem! Can’t read any “still text”, though video games/Game Boy were fine cuz the reading bits were short and everything else moved… Unfortunately my parents tried to make us do homework in the car anyway 🙁
I can’t read ANYTHING. Books, smartphone, laptop, tablets, maps. Anything that involves concentrating my eyes is just “nope”
I have the same problem too, but it’s usually less of a problem on highways. Thanks to Mythbusters, my family discovered the magic of ginger root pills a few years ago, and taking one before long car trips helps.
Ooooh, I just so happen to love ginger. I should try those.
Today’s strip: Clever foreshadowing of a functional mother-daughter relationship? Cliffhanger extension? …or clever way for Dave to solicit free medical advice?
First time commentator, long time reader. I love this story, a wonderful mix of adorable touching moments and comedy and now that I’ve got the obligatory fan confession out of the way I need a little help.
I’ll gig your budd! = I’ll kick your butt! ?
Yep!
I used to get sick when reading in cars. But I wasn’t going to stop reading, so I just put up with it and eventually stopped getting sick.
It’s always creepy when an adult you don’t know says your full name.
That’s true!
And in panel 2, Andi actually looks like a competent mother for a moment. Impressive.
Well, at this point, I think she realizes what could have been, and what actually was, so I think this will be less about getting Todd back, and more about the girl, which means that Andi will shape up much faster.
poor amanda has body language like a frightened dog in the last panel. even her ponytails are drooping. i wonder if she’ll catch on before the big reveal. or perhaps she’ll refuse to accept it. this could go so many ways from here.
I called it, Andi DID know what she was doing. Though for someone who wants to be a mom she sure is rude to her biological daughter.
I wouldn’t say rude per say. I’m a young mum too and I kinda talk to my kid like that. Its more of chill kid I got this. Espiecally when she has a tantrum
Oh, I agree 9 times out of 10 it’s important to respect a child’s boundary, but I applaud Andi’s choice (even though she’s still a stranger to Amanda). It was the choice between allowing the discomfort and humiliation of Amanda puking in front of the pair of adults (and possibly any children beyond Keisha still in the hallway) versus having her boundaries and space invaded for a few seconds to stop the puking. I think Andi made a very wise split-second choice. She may not have any experience as a parent, but she sure showed good instinct in this situation.
Betting diamonds to donuts, Keisha notices and says something first about the hair colours being identical.
Full realization meltdown immanent!
Nice! With one sentence, Andi just included Amanda in four generations of family. I imagine whenever Andi thinks of Amanda it’s always been with both names.
Also, the big reveal may be smoother than most folks expect. Amanda is only eight years old. I’m guessing she’s had enduring wish fulfillment fantasies from back when she was being abused, right through her abandonment, of her “true mother” finding her, rescuing her, and kicking ass in the process. I think Andi fits the bill.
Good point about the “reveal”. Orphan kids, supposedly, spend a lot of time fantasizing about their “real parents” going to come rescue them from the orphanage. See Danny Divito’s hate-filled rant on the subject, in Twins. Or Georgie here. https://selkiecomic.com/comic/selkie18/
“My REAL MOM!!! Come back to GET ME!!!!!!!!” Do the happy dance. While Keisha’s face gets longer and longer and longer.
Of course, the “honeymoon period” will fade at some point, and given Amanda’s history, she’ll likely get furious and demand to know why Andi gave her up to begin with.
Stu, I’m betting you’re right… But beyond the typical adjustments of becoming a single parent and adding an older child, Andi’s (and Amanda’s) adjustments may go smoother than people we think. Once Amanda realizes she’s never going back to the orphanage, I think a lot of her worst behaviors will subside. How quickly that happens is hard to say, but seeing what Dave’s showed us of Andi in this present arch gives me positive feelings about it—even when it’s revealed who’s Amanda’s dad.
And so it begins…..
Maybe its my imagination, but in the last panel, that looks like the corner of a smile from behind Andi’s hair?
I love this! But I’m so afraid for Keisha. Hoping Amanda doesn’t forget her.
I get motion sick while reading in moving vehicles, playing certain video games, and seasick on boats. We found out that last one when we took a cruise on our honeymoon. Dramamine to the RESCUE! Works great for the other instances as well =)
And NOW… things are going to get really interesting.
Clearly she’s a psychic.
Sorry, but why is this a problem?
“Oh, Lillian was showing me your file. Nice to meet you.”
Hahaha! You haven’t known the magical favorite word of kids: “WHY?”
“Because I’m here to adopt you.”
“Why?”
“Would you rather I didn’t?”
…
—Why-loop defeated!
But she didn’t even *meet* Amanda yet—and being a kid (one who has met potential adopters before)—Amanda *will* pick up on that. Kids are *great* at such things (those young healthy neurons). 🙂
I’m sure the way Andi said it, too, was with the air of familiarity one doesn’t have when they first meet someone know.
I love how her pigtails are like puppy dog ears when she’s frightened.
Probably just my imagination, but I noticed that as well, and that last frame gave me flashbacks of Chiyo from Azumanga Daioh being traumatized by memories of Yukari’s horrible driving.
…Amanda as Chiyo. I would have -never- made that correlation, but now….
CANNOT UNSEE.
You’re welcome.
Yeah i thought that as well but i couldn’t remember the kids name from that manga
Amanda is reminding me of Chiyo from Azumanga Daioh the last couple pages.
Nice to see Andi has the makings of a good mother here. I don’t envy her learning curve, but this hints that she’ll manage as well as many others do.
I’m just kinda dreading the moment Todd finds out, because we KNOW he will. Selkie’s well adjusted enough to accept Amanda as a sister, Amanda’s shown hints that there’s enough to her beyond “traumatized brat” to accept Selkie eventually…but gods, the interim…
The nose thing, while funny, is a bit of a gutsy move, particularly for someone who saw Amanda’s file.
The danger has passed, now that she’s been distracted by a different concern. But there were a host of ways this could have gone horribly wrong, due to Amanda’s memories of her previous caretakers (I am loath to call them her family).
I have just been forced to admit that I get carsick too, though mine is more of an issue with my eyes. They don’t converge properly, and until I get glasses, they have trouble focusing at close range. I am fine when driving, but when a passenger I get very carsick. (Also a factor is that the area around my college has roads that are literally falling apart, so they are really hard to drive on anyway.)
The person who is driving rarely gets carsick, because he is in control. This is known among military aviators, who have to function through some _very_ bumpy rides – if the copilot turns green, turn the controls over to him for a while, if possible. Of course, if you’re in combat or another critical situation that requires everyone doing their own jobs, then you’ve just got to keep on task while vomiting. You can clean up later, right now you’ve got to do whatever it takes to protect your aircraft. Stuff like that is why the military trains intensively and is rigidly disciplined.
The scared puppy dog eyes…..there are feels there now.
Something just occurred to me and if it’s already been explained, I definitely missed it.
Does Amanda think the people who gave her back were her bio parents or does she know they had adopted her in the first place?
Heather mentioned that the Sandersons had “real kids” as well, so it’s safe to assume that it’s common knowledge among the orphans, including Amanda herself.
I just realized: Andi is totally in Mom mode. She used Amanda’s middle name! The only way she could have been more in Mom mode would be if she’d said “Amanda Marie McLellan” — which isn’t quite her name, or at least Amanda doesn’t know it yet. (In any case, Amanda’s not in Full Name trouble right now.)
But, oh! Oh! Imagine how powerful the Full Name in Mom Voice is going to be, later on!
I don’t think aside from that flashback of a terrified Amanda just dumped by her adoptive parents that she’s EVER looked this terrified and vulnerable. Definitely not in current form. Stripped out of all the anger, all the posing whether good or bad, just plain terrified. It’s a really strong image and I can’t wait for Friday.
Wait, I only just realised. Andi and Mandi.
Well, I had been going to post last night commenting on how my hearing loss (nerve damage) has left me apparently immune to motion sickness, to the envy and disgust of my husband (reading in cars is not and has never been any kind of issue for me). Then I got mild food poisoning from my dinner and spent several hours being violently ill. Just goes to show, even THINKING about ‘bragging’ can be karmically bad!
Anyone else thinking like…WAY ahead in the future when Selkie and Tom meet Andi and Amanda (respectively) and the explanation that THAT will entail? -rubs hands together excitedly-
*gathers corn kernels for future popping*
The poor kid’s about to freak out. Why didn’t they prepare her?