Wow. WOW. I’m shocked at Andi’Andi’s response. I expected her to look frightened and cowering. She didn’t miss a beat here in her response though. Which makes me wonder if she’s only cowardly with people who have a hold on her and have scared her into submission.
Good on you for not flipping out and causing a scene Andi. Good on Todd for attempting to help as well.
That’s the thing with some broken people. They only break for certain people. Typically the people that were around during the breakage. Anyone else gets a fight. A minority situation sure, but it happens.
There is a BIG difference between confronting people you know you’ve wronged, and having a random stranger attack your child. Andi seems pretty fragile and self-hating right now. That doesn’t mean someone gets to walk up and talk smack about her child. If anything, he’s lucky she didn’t launch fist first into him for getting loud around her daughter. He has a right to be angry, but you really aren’t supposed to speak angry around children, regardless of the reason. Adult matters are adult until the children’s time to be involved comes. You do not argue with children, and you especially do not make accusations about them as a method of greeting. Todd is right for standing up for his child, he is right to confront Andi about it. He is completely wrong for the way he’s handled this so far, and I bet he’s going for more.
Kudos to Todd for saying this. I hope that this will not affect him at workplace as standing up to his employer even outside of work may not be a safe thing to do. I also hope that Amanda will hear Todd standing up for her and maybe admit her behavior to her mother sometime in the future.
That being said Andi does need to be informed of what Amanda is like with other children so that some corrective action can be taken. Im of the persuasion that maybe some time with a children’s counselor may do her some good. I was a problem child and I have Dr John Slimmer of Chambersburg Pa to thank for helping me with all of my problems and issues.
Andi knows Amanda has trouble getting along with other children, as witness here: https://selkiecomic.com/comic/selkie600/. (To say nothing of the way she and Selkie usually react to each other. ) I suspect Andi means that she wants to hear Amanda’s side of all this, rather than that she wasn’t aware of the bad his–
…ooops. Amanda, going after Heather will NOT help your cause.
Andi already HAS that info from the orphanage… and it’s two inches thick!!… now, whether or not she’s actually READ it or not is a separate issue of course.
Oh quick little complaint though? Kenneth seems to tower over Todd in the last frame, while previously he seems only slightly taller than Andi whom is slightly shorter than Todd… He’s a good head taller than Todd in that last shot which makes no sense, because in the first frame with him and Andi he only seems a bit taller than her. Her eyes are around his nose area and she seems to be maybe a half a head shorter than him. This is taking into account of her hair.
May be part of the “angry people feel bigger” thing – emotional settings have before in this comic been expressed as changing character sizes (or even ages).
The way I see it is that while she’s aware of Amanda’s issues, Kenneth has no clue about them so she’s becoming defensive about them because Kenneth thinks that his is HER FAULT. That by pointing out Amanda’s problems, that means Andi is a bad parent who has no idea that her daughter has behavioral problems and sees her as a perfect angel (i.e.: the Trunchbulls).
Kenneth has only heard Heather’s side of the story, and she’s not exactly an unbiased observer; we can be pretty sure he’s not heard the whole truth. Since the two stopped being friends, Heather has been more than a little awful right back to Amanda. But, hey. It’s true that Amanda has been a mean kid. And there are a bunch of eyewitnesses right here in the room: the other kids.
Yes, “You’re making it up,” is a pretty weak defense. Notice Amanda’s reactions in panel 2 (yes, I’m awful, I’m a bad kid) and then panel 3 (that’s terrible, that won’t work, he’s not making up stories, it’s true, my mom is going to get in trouble defending me when I don’t have a leg to stand on).
And then her newly met Dad closes ranks and defends her too! Hurray for Todd, stepping up like that. Though, with his temper, he might say something he’ll regret later.
I wonder… if this situation deteriorates badly… what is Selkie going to think? Schadenfreude over Amanda is all very delicious, but Todd just raised the stakes.
I think Amanda’s reaction in panel 3 is of her going to yell at Heather for not keeping her mouth shut again.
I doubt Todd will say anything stupid. That last panel makes it seem like he’s afraid of Kenneth either because Kenneth is his boss or because Kenneth could pound him into the ground or both.
I think Selkie will be mad at Todd for sticking up for Amanda and maybe for telling everybody Amanda is his daughter.
You could be right. That panel 3 expression could be rage directed at Heather. But there’s her face in panel two to take into account – her first response to Kenneth’s accusation is embarrassment and guilt. It’s only after Andi starts defending her that the anger appears, so it’s hard to tell where the rage is directed at that moment — blaming Heather, or hating herself… which, on her past record, would soon be deflected outward at someone else anyway, so…
But we probably won’t ever find out exactly what she was thinking just then, because now TWO people are defending her just because they’re her parents, and that is a very new, disconcerting experience for her.
I don’t see where Todd is afraid of Ken. I believe his comment about “avoid punching – Sir” is more to make Ken realize just how much bad press would be involved in “Big Man Beats Smaller Woman”, or “Company President’s Son Thrashes Employee”.
I got more of a “cool your jets” vibe from him, than a “please don’t hit me” vibe.
Well, it looks like Todd’s Papa wolf tendency applies as it should towards Amanda and don’t correct me on it. Papa Wolf is the right term for the way Ken and Todd are acting upon. While , Ken is in the right for talking to Andi about what happened between Heather and Amanda and how it’s not that okay for Amanda to lash out violently at other kids. He should’ve started with something else and ask Andi what She knows about Amanda’s and Heather’s fight and go from there and not assume .Not that I blame him because We know what We know because We’re the audience. Also, Kudos for Andi standing up for herself .
And Andi, probable doesn’t know the story about Heather and Amanda .
I don’t think that Amanda and Heather are angels and both girls were in the wrong in her actions. Amanda has been describe as like a wounded animal when hurt. Her past that She had has made her guarded, angry secretive and defensive. I get the feeling that Amanda didn’t tell Andi much about what happen other than She doesn’t like Heather and not why she hates Heather now. Amanda probable kept it from Andi the reason why exactly and Andi being who she probable didn’t ask much after wards because their relationship is still in the beginning stages and Andi knows that Amanda isn’t a Angel and isn’t perfect. Heather told her parents her side of the story and for Heather that is the truth of the story. But, We know that as the audience that Heather’s and Amanda stories of the event are going to be different.
And Andi, probable doesn’t know the story about Heather and Amanda .
I don’t think that Amanda and Heather are angels and both girls were in the wrong in her actions. Amanda has been describe as like a wounded animal when hurt. Her past that She had has made her guarded, angry secretive and defensive. I get the feeling that Amanda didn’t tell Andi much about what happen other than She doesn’t like Heather and not why she hates Heather now. Amanda probable kept it from Andi the reason why exactly and Andi being who she probable didn’t ask much after wards because their relationship is still in the beginning stages and Andi knows that Amanda isn’t a Angel and isn’t perfect. Heather told her parents her side of the story and for Heather that is the truth of the story. But, We know that as the audience that Heather’s and Amanda stories of the event are going to be different.
The employer guy sure is going about this entirely wrong. He like… assumes that Andi is siccing her daughter on other children, is fully aware of and supports her bullshit. I mean, doesn’t he at least know that she’s been recently adopted and Andi wasn’t even in charge of her when bullshit happened? Did he ask Heather enough to know that?…
Andi’s going on the defensive in a way that’s not exactly very suitable to the situation, but… I can understand why she does that. It’s a good thing for Amanda to see, too. I feel like she’s capable to owning up to her own shit there, and her mom starting with the posiiton of ‘until my daughter confirms it happened, it didn’t’ is very, very good for mutual trust there.
And TODD. Todd The Dad. He’s the dad-est dad ever, and I approve of this wholeheartedly. Even if it’ll get him in trouble.
And now the only mental image I have is Selkie hugging a sobbing Amanda, standing behind Todd as he chews this guy out for making a public scene, and also glowering at him.
I mean, yeah, Selkie hates Amanda, but I feel like there might well be a bit of protective sister ‘mine’ instinct there, or at least might develop eventually. If only out of solidarity with her dad.
Gotta love all these grown adults acting on emotions and irrationally around/because of their kids <3
I would not be surprised if Amanda is about ready to tear into Heather right now. In her mind, “my so called friend who got adopted without me and broke our promise to stay together told Selkie of all people about the Sandersons and now her dad is going after my mom.” Hopefully Andi and Todd can just try to assure him that Amanda is not gonna get away with treating people badly anymore but also explain that she’s not been in a good place as of late. Heather understood that, but still rightly got fed up with facing hits from Amanda because she chose to act on forceful instincts instead of holding her temper.
I really don’t care for Andi’s reaction. She knows that her daughter has had issues with other kids. Why would she immediately accuse a dad confronting her of making stuff up? It’s… near irresponsible, and generally makes both kid and mom look bad, so I am curious where this all ends up.
Because Andi doesn’t know what Amanda did. She knows she has problems, but she doesn’t know of this incident. Plus, he’s coming up, making accusations, insulting Amanda in front of the other kids and making a public scene. Andi is on point here in defending her daughter. She’s earning Amanda’s trust. She’s going to ask Amanda about this I’m sure and then she’ll talk to her about the actions she took. As it is though? Some guy is being a jerk and humiliating a child in front of her friends, so Andi is reacting in the way he deserves.
A PROPER adult would have pulled Andi aside and quickly explained what Heather TOLD HIM and said they needed to sort it out because what Heather said isn’t necessarily the whole truth. A proper adult would set up a time in private to talk, not make a scene in front of children.
I think the proper response to this would have been to ask “Why do you say that, what has she done?”, then get Amanda’s side of the story too. Right now she’s doing the same thing Trunchbull did when Todd contacted him about his kids bad behavior.
As much as I loathe Andi, I’m somewhat on her side here. Kenneth blindsides her in a public space and starts laying in to her daughter? Thats a really inappropriate way to handle the situation so I can completely understand her immediately going on the defensive. Kudos to Todd for stepping in to try and defuse the situation.
Yes Amanda’s behavior is beyond unacceptable and it unquestionably needs to be addressed. And Kenneth, as a father, has every right to look out for his daughter. But there is a time (and a temperament) for addressing these things and I think he choose very poorly in how he did it.
If Andi’s response gets called out as weird, I’m okay with it being her response as defensive and so on.
Still, seeing someone’s truthful-ish but aggressive/overbearing comments responded to with “You’re such a stupid liar” puts me on KENNETH’s side. And yeah, he’s being a bit of a jerk here, not really an appropriate venue, he’s been established as not very tactful before, all that, but dang.
“I have an entire giant folder of evidence that Amanda has been physically harming other children, among other things. I have just gotten lambasted by the parent of one of her potential victims. I shall respond in a way that makes me sound flippant and unconcerned with the actual problem, directly positioned against you as the concerned parent of the victim, and quite possibly to be seen as one of those parents who think their child is a little darling who can’t do anything wrong (much like Truck’s dad).”
I can’t appreciate Andi’s response here as the least bit rational or helpful. At most it could be said that she is refusing to just accept accusations against her daughter without proof, but she’s not asking for proof, or saying “This isn’t an appropriate time or place to discuss this, give me your number and I will call you” or the like, or even saying “You don’t realize what is going on in her life right now; I am dealing with it” or anything useful.
No, it’s “You’re a liar, and I’m not even going to take you seriously in the first place.” Not. Helpful.
“I can’t appreciate Andi’s response here as the least bit rational or helpful”
Why should you expect her to be rational or helpful in this situation? She’s only human. We’ve already seen that doing the complete opposite of rational or helpful is her usual response to emotionally charged situations.
No, what she did was not rational. What she did was definitely not helpful. She’s very new at this. She’s new at being an adult, let alone a mother. Should she have done something different? Hell yes. Can we hope she would make better choices? Hell yes. Can we expect her to do better with what little experience and her previous background has shown? I don’t think so.
I’ve been worried about Andi, wondering how much more she could take before really breaking. In fact, I wonder if she would have come out with anything half as flippant as that if she hadn’t been under so much stress.
Oh, Kenny. You really do need to realize you’re only hearing one side of the situation before you go this route. Tell Andi there’s been issues, yes, but keep Amanda away from Heather? Why not find out what, if anything, Andi KNOWS about the situation? Or maybe remember Amanda’s from the orphanage, too, and Andi may well not have been around when the punch happened (after all, she wasn’t).
Amanda and Heather both have a right to be angry about what happened. At this point, the best way to solve the situation would be to be an adult about it. “You both messed up, you both owe apologies.” Now we just need the parents to be adults, and Kenneth is looking a bit too Overprotective Dad to be sufficiently adult here.
Good on Todd for stepping in. Shame Amanda left (though I understand why she did) before she got to see more about how much Todd cares about her. And with the info Selkie has about the conflict, we may see what kind of sister she’s feeling like being today.
“Tell Andi there’s been issues, yes, but keep Amanda away from Heather? Why not find out what, if anything, Andi KNOWS about the situation? Or maybe remember Amanda’s from the orphanage, too, and Andi may well not have been around when the punch happened (after all, she wasn’t).”
If Ken had been smart he would have asked Andi to a slightly more out-of-the-way corner of the Gallery (but still within sight of everyone), told her “We need to talk at some point soon, our kids are having issues with each other.” and then given her his phone number. (After which they could meet at a neutral, public location — the school would be ideal, especially if they can get Ms. Afkhami to act as a mediator. Bonus points if Andi can bring in Ms. Haversham-Zhang to present the evidence of the abuse that she suffered.)
Story time: so one of my little brothers had speach and anger issues when he was young. He often got in trouble for hitting or biting other kids. One time we were at the park and this lady came up she was one of his classmates mom’s. Well she comes up to my mother yelling at her in front of everyone saying ‘your bratty son keeps hitting my son. He shouldnt be allowed other kids he is horrible! Why do you let him hit my son!”
My mom is a very even temper woman and very calm, but this lady rubned her the wrong way so in a flippant tone like Andi she replied “then tell your son to keep his sticky hands off my son. He keeps touching Dylan’s ears and neck which are very sensitive. Dylan has been telling him to stop but he hasnt thats why dylan pushed him.”
I had seen the kid do this and my brother oviously in pain when the kid would do this so he would lash out and bite.
My other brothers were abopted and came from abusive households before. One of them reminds me a lot of amanda. He came to us with a lot of anger and i use to have to bail him out in school cause he replied with his fists alot out of a fight or flight mode.
There are always two sides to every story. Just keep in mind.
I’m really bad at keeping details of former plot points in my head. I would love a link back to the beginning of the previous Kenneth Fairweather sections.
Wow. WOW. I’m shocked at Andi’Andi’s response. I expected her to look frightened and cowering. She didn’t miss a beat here in her response though. Which makes me wonder if she’s only cowardly with people who have a hold on her and have scared her into submission.
Good on you for not flipping out and causing a scene Andi. Good on Todd for attempting to help as well.
That’s the thing with some broken people. They only break for certain people. Typically the people that were around during the breakage. Anyone else gets a fight. A minority situation sure, but it happens.
There is a BIG difference between confronting people you know you’ve wronged, and having a random stranger attack your child. Andi seems pretty fragile and self-hating right now. That doesn’t mean someone gets to walk up and talk smack about her child. If anything, he’s lucky she didn’t launch fist first into him for getting loud around her daughter. He has a right to be angry, but you really aren’t supposed to speak angry around children, regardless of the reason. Adult matters are adult until the children’s time to be involved comes. You do not argue with children, and you especially do not make accusations about them as a method of greeting. Todd is right for standing up for his child, he is right to confront Andi about it. He is completely wrong for the way he’s handled this so far, and I bet he’s going for more.
Todd? Don’t you mean Kenneth? Kenneth is the one talking smack about Amanda.
yeah no way to edit.
Kudos to Todd for saying this. I hope that this will not affect him at workplace as standing up to his employer even outside of work may not be a safe thing to do. I also hope that Amanda will hear Todd standing up for her and maybe admit her behavior to her mother sometime in the future.
That being said Andi does need to be informed of what Amanda is like with other children so that some corrective action can be taken. Im of the persuasion that maybe some time with a children’s counselor may do her some good. I was a problem child and I have Dr John Slimmer of Chambersburg Pa to thank for helping me with all of my problems and issues.
Andi knows Amanda has trouble getting along with other children, as witness here: https://selkiecomic.com/comic/selkie600/. (To say nothing of the way she and Selkie usually react to each other. ) I suspect Andi means that she wants to hear Amanda’s side of all this, rather than that she wasn’t aware of the bad his–
…ooops. Amanda, going after Heather will NOT help your cause.
“I have a bad feeling about this…”
Andi already HAS that info from the orphanage… and it’s two inches thick!!… now, whether or not she’s actually READ it or not is a separate issue of course.
Oh quick little complaint though? Kenneth seems to tower over Todd in the last frame, while previously he seems only slightly taller than Andi whom is slightly shorter than Todd… He’s a good head taller than Todd in that last shot which makes no sense, because in the first frame with him and Andi he only seems a bit taller than her. Her eyes are around his nose area and she seems to be maybe a half a head shorter than him. This is taking into account of her hair.
May be part of the “angry people feel bigger” thing – emotional settings have before in this comic been expressed as changing character sizes (or even ages).
Really? Everything he said is true and his demand isn’t unreasonable, and all Andi can do is suggest he’s lying?
The way I see it is that while she’s aware of Amanda’s issues, Kenneth has no clue about them so she’s becoming defensive about them because Kenneth thinks that his is HER FAULT. That by pointing out Amanda’s problems, that means Andi is a bad parent who has no idea that her daughter has behavioral problems and sees her as a perfect angel (i.e.: the Trunchbulls).
Kenneth has only heard Heather’s side of the story, and she’s not exactly an unbiased observer; we can be pretty sure he’s not heard the whole truth. Since the two stopped being friends, Heather has been more than a little awful right back to Amanda. But, hey. It’s true that Amanda has been a mean kid. And there are a bunch of eyewitnesses right here in the room: the other kids.
Yes, “You’re making it up,” is a pretty weak defense. Notice Amanda’s reactions in panel 2 (yes, I’m awful, I’m a bad kid) and then panel 3 (that’s terrible, that won’t work, he’s not making up stories, it’s true, my mom is going to get in trouble defending me when I don’t have a leg to stand on).
And then her newly met Dad closes ranks and defends her too! Hurray for Todd, stepping up like that. Though, with his temper, he might say something he’ll regret later.
I wonder… if this situation deteriorates badly… what is Selkie going to think? Schadenfreude over Amanda is all very delicious, but Todd just raised the stakes.
I think Amanda’s reaction in panel 3 is of her going to yell at Heather for not keeping her mouth shut again.
I doubt Todd will say anything stupid. That last panel makes it seem like he’s afraid of Kenneth either because Kenneth is his boss or because Kenneth could pound him into the ground or both.
I think Selkie will be mad at Todd for sticking up for Amanda and maybe for telling everybody Amanda is his daughter.
You could be right. That panel 3 expression could be rage directed at Heather. But there’s her face in panel two to take into account – her first response to Kenneth’s accusation is embarrassment and guilt. It’s only after Andi starts defending her that the anger appears, so it’s hard to tell where the rage is directed at that moment — blaming Heather, or hating herself… which, on her past record, would soon be deflected outward at someone else anyway, so…
But we probably won’t ever find out exactly what she was thinking just then, because now TWO people are defending her just because they’re her parents, and that is a very new, disconcerting experience for her.
I don’t see where Todd is afraid of Ken. I believe his comment about “avoid punching – Sir” is more to make Ken realize just how much bad press would be involved in “Big Man Beats Smaller Woman”, or “Company President’s Son Thrashes Employee”.
I got more of a “cool your jets” vibe from him, than a “please don’t hit me” vibe.
I predict Selkie’s answer: “Was still totallys worths its!”
Also, the spam protection is again hating correct calculations, it seems.
Well, it looks like Todd’s Papa wolf tendency applies as it should towards Amanda and don’t correct me on it. Papa Wolf is the right term for the way Ken and Todd are acting upon. While , Ken is in the right for talking to Andi about what happened between Heather and Amanda and how it’s not that okay for Amanda to lash out violently at other kids. He should’ve started with something else and ask Andi what She knows about Amanda’s and Heather’s fight and go from there and not assume .Not that I blame him because We know what We know because We’re the audience. Also, Kudos for Andi standing up for herself .
Kenneth assumes that what Heather told him is the complete truth.
And Andi, probable doesn’t know the story about Heather and Amanda .
I don’t think that Amanda and Heather are angels and both girls were in the wrong in her actions. Amanda has been describe as like a wounded animal when hurt. Her past that She had has made her guarded, angry secretive and defensive. I get the feeling that Amanda didn’t tell Andi much about what happen other than She doesn’t like Heather and not why she hates Heather now. Amanda probable kept it from Andi the reason why exactly and Andi being who she probable didn’t ask much after wards because their relationship is still in the beginning stages and Andi knows that Amanda isn’t a Angel and isn’t perfect. Heather told her parents her side of the story and for Heather that is the truth of the story. But, We know that as the audience that Heather’s and Amanda stories of the event are going to be different.
And Andi, probable doesn’t know the story about Heather and Amanda .
I don’t think that Amanda and Heather are angels and both girls were in the wrong in her actions. Amanda has been describe as like a wounded animal when hurt. Her past that She had has made her guarded, angry secretive and defensive. I get the feeling that Amanda didn’t tell Andi much about what happen other than She doesn’t like Heather and not why she hates Heather now. Amanda probable kept it from Andi the reason why exactly and Andi being who she probable didn’t ask much after wards because their relationship is still in the beginning stages and Andi knows that Amanda isn’t a Angel and isn’t perfect. Heather told her parents her side of the story and for Heather that is the truth of the story. But, We know that as the audience that Heather’s and Amanda stories of the event are going to be different.
Awwwww.
The employer guy sure is going about this entirely wrong. He like… assumes that Andi is siccing her daughter on other children, is fully aware of and supports her bullshit. I mean, doesn’t he at least know that she’s been recently adopted and Andi wasn’t even in charge of her when bullshit happened? Did he ask Heather enough to know that?…
Andi’s going on the defensive in a way that’s not exactly very suitable to the situation, but… I can understand why she does that. It’s a good thing for Amanda to see, too. I feel like she’s capable to owning up to her own shit there, and her mom starting with the posiiton of ‘until my daughter confirms it happened, it didn’t’ is very, very good for mutual trust there.
And TODD. Todd The Dad. He’s the dad-est dad ever, and I approve of this wholeheartedly. Even if it’ll get him in trouble.
And now the only mental image I have is Selkie hugging a sobbing Amanda, standing behind Todd as he chews this guy out for making a public scene, and also glowering at him.
I mean, yeah, Selkie hates Amanda, but I feel like there might well be a bit of protective sister ‘mine’ instinct there, or at least might develop eventually. If only out of solidarity with her dad.
Gotta love all these grown adults acting on emotions and irrationally around/because of their kids <3
I would not be surprised if Amanda is about ready to tear into Heather right now. In her mind, “my so called friend who got adopted without me and broke our promise to stay together told Selkie of all people about the Sandersons and now her dad is going after my mom.” Hopefully Andi and Todd can just try to assure him that Amanda is not gonna get away with treating people badly anymore but also explain that she’s not been in a good place as of late. Heather understood that, but still rightly got fed up with facing hits from Amanda because she chose to act on forceful instincts instead of holding her temper.
I really don’t care for Andi’s reaction. She knows that her daughter has had issues with other kids. Why would she immediately accuse a dad confronting her of making stuff up? It’s… near irresponsible, and generally makes both kid and mom look bad, so I am curious where this all ends up.
Because Andi doesn’t know what Amanda did. She knows she has problems, but she doesn’t know of this incident. Plus, he’s coming up, making accusations, insulting Amanda in front of the other kids and making a public scene. Andi is on point here in defending her daughter. She’s earning Amanda’s trust. She’s going to ask Amanda about this I’m sure and then she’ll talk to her about the actions she took. As it is though? Some guy is being a jerk and humiliating a child in front of her friends, so Andi is reacting in the way he deserves.
A PROPER adult would have pulled Andi aside and quickly explained what Heather TOLD HIM and said they needed to sort it out because what Heather said isn’t necessarily the whole truth. A proper adult would set up a time in private to talk, not make a scene in front of children.
I think the proper response to this would have been to ask “Why do you say that, what has she done?”, then get Amanda’s side of the story too. Right now she’s doing the same thing Trunchbull did when Todd contacted him about his kids bad behavior.
As much as I loathe Andi, I’m somewhat on her side here. Kenneth blindsides her in a public space and starts laying in to her daughter? Thats a really inappropriate way to handle the situation so I can completely understand her immediately going on the defensive. Kudos to Todd for stepping in to try and defuse the situation.
Yes Amanda’s behavior is beyond unacceptable and it unquestionably needs to be addressed. And Kenneth, as a father, has every right to look out for his daughter. But there is a time (and a temperament) for addressing these things and I think he choose very poorly in how he did it.
If Andi’s response gets called out as weird, I’m okay with it being her response as defensive and so on.
Still, seeing someone’s truthful-ish but aggressive/overbearing comments responded to with “You’re such a stupid liar” puts me on KENNETH’s side. And yeah, he’s being a bit of a jerk here, not really an appropriate venue, he’s been established as not very tactful before, all that, but dang.
“I have an entire giant folder of evidence that Amanda has been physically harming other children, among other things. I have just gotten lambasted by the parent of one of her potential victims. I shall respond in a way that makes me sound flippant and unconcerned with the actual problem, directly positioned against you as the concerned parent of the victim, and quite possibly to be seen as one of those parents who think their child is a little darling who can’t do anything wrong (much like Truck’s dad).”
I can’t appreciate Andi’s response here as the least bit rational or helpful. At most it could be said that she is refusing to just accept accusations against her daughter without proof, but she’s not asking for proof, or saying “This isn’t an appropriate time or place to discuss this, give me your number and I will call you” or the like, or even saying “You don’t realize what is going on in her life right now; I am dealing with it” or anything useful.
No, it’s “You’re a liar, and I’m not even going to take you seriously in the first place.” Not. Helpful.
“I can’t appreciate Andi’s response here as the least bit rational or helpful”
Why should you expect her to be rational or helpful in this situation? She’s only human. We’ve already seen that doing the complete opposite of rational or helpful is her usual response to emotionally charged situations.
No, what she did was not rational. What she did was definitely not helpful. She’s very new at this. She’s new at being an adult, let alone a mother. Should she have done something different? Hell yes. Can we hope she would make better choices? Hell yes. Can we expect her to do better with what little experience and her previous background has shown? I don’t think so.
Good man, Todd!
I’ve been worried about Andi, wondering how much more she could take before really breaking. In fact, I wonder if she would have come out with anything half as flippant as that if she hadn’t been under so much stress.
Oh, Kenny. You really do need to realize you’re only hearing one side of the situation before you go this route. Tell Andi there’s been issues, yes, but keep Amanda away from Heather? Why not find out what, if anything, Andi KNOWS about the situation? Or maybe remember Amanda’s from the orphanage, too, and Andi may well not have been around when the punch happened (after all, she wasn’t).
Amanda and Heather both have a right to be angry about what happened. At this point, the best way to solve the situation would be to be an adult about it. “You both messed up, you both owe apologies.” Now we just need the parents to be adults, and Kenneth is looking a bit too Overprotective Dad to be sufficiently adult here.
Good on Todd for stepping in. Shame Amanda left (though I understand why she did) before she got to see more about how much Todd cares about her. And with the info Selkie has about the conflict, we may see what kind of sister she’s feeling like being today.
“Tell Andi there’s been issues, yes, but keep Amanda away from Heather? Why not find out what, if anything, Andi KNOWS about the situation? Or maybe remember Amanda’s from the orphanage, too, and Andi may well not have been around when the punch happened (after all, she wasn’t).”
If Ken had been smart he would have asked Andi to a slightly more out-of-the-way corner of the Gallery (but still within sight of everyone), told her “We need to talk at some point soon, our kids are having issues with each other.” and then given her his phone number. (After which they could meet at a neutral, public location — the school would be ideal, especially if they can get Ms. Afkhami to act as a mediator. Bonus points if Andi can bring in Ms. Haversham-Zhang to present the evidence of the abuse that she suffered.)
(testpost, checking if I can get through)
Story time: so one of my little brothers had speach and anger issues when he was young. He often got in trouble for hitting or biting other kids. One time we were at the park and this lady came up she was one of his classmates mom’s. Well she comes up to my mother yelling at her in front of everyone saying ‘your bratty son keeps hitting my son. He shouldnt be allowed other kids he is horrible! Why do you let him hit my son!”
My mom is a very even temper woman and very calm, but this lady rubned her the wrong way so in a flippant tone like Andi she replied “then tell your son to keep his sticky hands off my son. He keeps touching Dylan’s ears and neck which are very sensitive. Dylan has been telling him to stop but he hasnt thats why dylan pushed him.”
I had seen the kid do this and my brother oviously in pain when the kid would do this so he would lash out and bite.
My other brothers were abopted and came from abusive households before. One of them reminds me a lot of amanda. He came to us with a lot of anger and i use to have to bail him out in school cause he replied with his fists alot out of a fight or flight mode.
There are always two sides to every story. Just keep in mind.
I’m really bad at keeping details of former plot points in my head. I would love a link back to the beginning of the previous Kenneth Fairweather sections.
This is a test to see if the posting problem is fixed.
Alt text: “…by the way, that was indeed a joke. Get it? Punching? Because punchlines? Ha ha um right so”
Gee Todd,
you deserve a manliness award.