Dinner at Calvin's Place


It's interesting that we haven't met Mom yet, its just Dad, even though they're around the dinner table. I don't know if Watterson simply wanted to try out a couple characters before throwing more at the reader, or if he just wasn't set on Mom being present. There's not a whole lot going on in this strip; it solely consists of an interaction between Calvin and Dad about dinner. Calvin is obviously dubious about the delectability of dinner, and Dad doesn't dissuade him decently. I can totally relate to Calvin in this strip; I wasn't the pickiest eater as a kid, but I certainly wasn't jumping at the opportunity to try new things. 

I also feel that Dad's method here is all wrong. Obviously, Calvin is suspicious of the meal, as he's never had it before. His fear seems to lie in the unknown of how it is going to taste, as he tries to pin down the identity of the mush by asking his Dad. He wants an answer from Dad so that he feels a little more prepared going in. However, Dad dismisses him, not giving him a concrete answer, and simply asks Calvin to be comfortable taking a leap of faith. In my opinion, if Dad would have just given an answer that Calvin was unfamiliar with, the result probably would have been better, because at least Calvin would be able to put a name to the challenge. I may a little biased here, as I'm the type of person who wants to know whats going on, so that I can feel in control of myself even if the situation is one that I'm uncomfortable and/or unfamiliar with.

There may be some larger theme of trust between father and son that I could expound upon here, but I think I'll leave it here. One thing that this strip and my day have in common is that there's a whole lot of sitting going on, and I feel like I need to stop typing and go walk around.

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