You Can’t Go Back

This week’s new Dustinland comic is about childhood fading. Definitely a bit ore melancholy then my usually strips, but it’s something I want to touch on. This really did happen to me, exactly like it was in the comic. There’s a weird children’s museum in Connecticut that my son used to love when he was a little one… say 3 to 6 years old. And then I remember going back when he was getting a little bit older, and he was so excited, but when he got there… the magic was just gone. It was honestly a bit soul-crushing. Just sad.

Like the title of the comic says… you can’t go back. There is a time in life for certain things, and when that time is over, it’s over, whether you’re talking about toddler activities or a 40-year-old trying to recapture the nightlife of their 20s. Life moves on, and that’s both beautiful and sad at the same time.

My Four-Year-Old Son Wrote This Comic

You know, one thing that kills me about Trump (one non-obvious thing that is) is that he makes me question whether I can post a comic about anything other than politics. It feels so trivial talking about other things while he’s out destroying America and our future, but you know, life does go on. And I have the right to talk about other things going on in my life. So here you go. New Dustinland comic that was literally written by my son. I sort of explained to him what I do on the side recently, and he said he wanted to make a comic, and told me word for word what it would be. Not sure if I’ll show him this one but hey, I enjoyed it. Hopefully you do too.

I’m not going back to 100% parental comics of course, but I just can’t do all Trump all the time. It’s just not fun, and it’s also really hard to say something interesting and original when there’s a topic that everyone in the universe is discussing 24/7.

No News Is Good News

Man, like I say in this week’s new Dustinland comic, you really come to understand just how many awful things happen in the world when you accidentally stick your kid in front of the nightly news. Even NPR, to be honest. I never watch the news myself, mostly because it’s awful — although local news is very unintentionally funny. I read the news. And I listen to NPR. But there have been many times on the ride to drop kiddo off at daycare in the morning when I’ve had to quickly switch stations. Not all the time, but sometimes.

But yeah. News. Oh and sorry if you are a religious person who is offended by that last panel. Taking the lord’s name in vain and what not. We’re probably not going to come to terms on this one but hey, at least I said sorry. That goes over well in church, right?

Toe Flush

This week’s Dustinland comic is about public bathrooms. It’s title “Toe Flush.” I think that says it all. We’ve all done it. But what inspired me to draw a comic about it was watching my son do it. At home. He didn’t actually learn it from me. He learned it from his mom. They were out at some dirty public bathroom and she did the old toe flush and now he tries doing it even at home. He just thinks it’s fun. He doesn’t get the concept of not wanting to touch a filthy public poop handle.

As for the caption, well, some of you may remember this classic PSA from back in the day. So there you have it.

Poop.

Daycare Bullies

I don’t know if it’s fair to call a three-year-old a bully, but you can certainly say he’s on the right path. As I say in this week’s Dustinland comic, it’s hard teaching your kids to stick up for themselves. A lot of it seems to be within them, at least at an early age. My kid is sort of nice and sensitive, just like I was. I’m trying to toughen him up a little, but it doesn’t seem to be working. He’s just a nice guy who doesn’t like to get physical in a violent way. Except with me, I guess. He has no problem punching me in the nuts or kicking me in the face. Happens quite often, and usually unprovoked. Maybe that’s the answer. “Just pretend the mean boy is daddy.”

Burning Marshmallow

Another week when I didn’t have to think about a new comic idea! Kiddo just said something and suddenly I had my comic. Man, he’s good, that little guy. Full of gems. I do like the combination of a child’s fresh perspective on the world combined with the unique way they look at words. They put things together in weird ways that are not entirely wrong, yet completely surprising and original. Poop is another fascination to them, and I have to admit, poop is weird. If you really think about it, that is. Not suggesting that you do, but if you did, it gets weird.

Poop.

Insanity

As I say in this week’s Dustinland comic, having kids really is great, even though it sometimes drives you insane. But overall it’s totally worth it. This particular strip was driven by a particularly difficult bedtime that in total took over an hour and a half. You really do feel like you’re losing your grip on reality when you spend so much time arguing with a completely irrational creature that is only a fraction of your size and strength, yet somehow is able to control so much of what you do.

But I really do like to get soon-to-be parents excited about it. I hate those parents who try to scare you with that whole ” your whole life is about to be over” thing. Even if you believe it, why would you put that on other people who are trying to balance nervous anxiety with joyous excitement? I guess you could say that’s exactly what I’m doing with this comic, but hey, I needed a quick joke on a Sunday night.

Your Side

I have a much deeper comic in mind regarding the subject of this week’s Dustinland strip, however, I have been reading this book about Bob Mankoff and New Yorker cartoons, and it has inspired this one-panel approach. Perhaps a bit darker and more graphic than what you’d find in The NYer but hey, you gotta have your own style.

Infinite Mess

Yeah, like I say in this week’s Dustinland comic, kids are messy. But that’s a give, and the strip isn’t really about that. The strip is about parental reactions to the mess. There are so many levels. You can give in and sacrifice your home to their toys and clutter. You can be a tyrant and force them to be as minimal as you are in your belongings. You can shove all their crap into a basement toy zone. But either way, you have to deal with it, and that requires some sort of decision or strategy, whether conscious or not.

Oh and in unrelated news, Birdy is back (at least temporarily).

Bright and Shiny

How do these kids wake up so quickly? Like I say in this week’s Dustinland comic, they’re like robots. There’s an on mode and an off mode, and that’s pretty much it. Me, waking up is a slow process. I ease into it. Him—nope. Eyes closed, eyes open. LET’S. DO. THIS.

And man, I gotta tell you, it is hard playing with trains from 6:30 am – 8:00 am on a Monday. I love the kiddo and every minute is precious but sometimes I wouldn’t mind if he’d wake up a little later, pour me a cup of coffee and ask me to help him with the Times crossword.