Tag: pets

Categories
children cartoons

Great Heights

Cartoon of a girl scolding a kitten. She says, "Come down from there! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Cartoon of a girl scolding a kitten. She says, “Come down from there! Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Heights and obstacles are a matter of perspective, aren’t they? Whenever a child is convinced an obstacle is just too much for them, I need to remember it really does look as big to them as they imagine it. Part of the challenge is to convince a student they can overcome an obstacle without belittling or minimizing their fear.

How do you get a child to overcome an an obstacle in a respectful, encouraging way? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I drew this for Illustration Friday. This week’s word is “heights.”

 

Categories
animal cartoons

Pardon Me/Love Me

Illustration of a man reluctantly holding a loving cat

Illustration of a man reluctantly holding a loving cat.

Sometimes love come when you least expect it… or want it. Cats are notorious for wanting affection on their own terms. I believe they wait until the least opportune time, then spring into action. Of course, they don’t care to love you when you come home. They wait until they are certain you are about to begin a new project.

One nice about having a cat, is they help promote procrastination. Everybody can use that, right?

Categories
animal cartoons

Perfect Personal Space

Illustration of a man with his coffee. His cat is sitting atop his head.

Let’s face it. Cats are not known for respecting personal space. Lately, our cat has been particularly neurotic when it comes to morning attention. It makes it hard to put on your thinking cap when the cat is atop your head. It makes me frantically look for a catnip mouse or a can of tuna as a distraction.

If your cat is keeping you from morning productivity, here are a few things you can do:

  • Try reverse psychology. I’ve noticed if you want to pet cats, they run away as if you’ve sprouted a second, evil head. If they think YOU want attention, they’ll sense they are no longer in control and run.
  • Stand up and walk. Cats are not keen on maintaining balance on moving objects.
  • Keep the coffee from the cat. The last thing you need is a neurotic AND a caffeinated cat.

Hang in there. This too shall pass!

Categories
Illustration Friday

Can You be Popular?

Cartoon of a girl with a can of tuna. She is surrounded by cats. The girl says, “Popularity is easy. All you need is a can of tuna.”

How can someone be popular? Why is it some people always have a flock of admiring fans around them? Some people have charisma. Others have money, skills and a winning smile that seem to flock people around them like cats to a can of tuna. I can’t control whether I get the red carpet treatment, but there are a few things that I’ve learned will help.

Be Generous

It doesn’t matter if you have much or a little. I’ve seen rich people who were selfish and poor people who were generous. Guess which ones were more popular? Generosity with your time, resources and compliments always bring people your way.

Smile a little

So often, I forget to smile. Yet when I do that simple thing, it’s amazing how people react to it. It’s another thing to be generous with. We all search for a pleasant look and a friendly face.

Forget About It!

Whenever I’ve fretted over what people thought of me, I’ve made myself so nervous I didn’t want to be around me! It’s one of those paradoxes of life. If I fret about being popular, I turn people away. When you relax and just be yourself, people will begin to relax around you too.

I drew this cartoon for Illustration Friday. This week’s theme is “popularity.”

Categories
cartoon

O Floating Tree

Cartoon of two fish staring at a tree. One say, "Every Christmas, it's the same thing. When will they make a Christmas tree that won't float?"

Cartoon of two fish staring at a tree. One say, “Every Christmas, it’s the same thing. When will they make a Christmas tree that won’t float?”