Calvin's father and mother are fairly typical. The reader only gets to see thier agitated side, because Calvin is around all the time. Watterson says he tries to show the parents doing other things, such as Calvin's mom working on a letter, or Calvin's dad biking.
Dad
Calvin's dad wants Calvin to see him as a source of wisdom, and often makes up stories as answers he doesn't know, such as where the sun goes when it sets, to which he answered "Flagstaff, Arizona." Calvin's dad makes Calvin do chores and play baseball and other things that Calvin doesn't particularly enjoy, saying that "it builds character." He loves riding his bike to reach "optimum heart rate," and works as a patent attorney.
Mom
Calvin's mom deals with Calvin all day, a job that, as Watterson says, "taxes her sanity." As a character, she has little depth. We can gather that she enjoys soap operas, but other than that we know little about her social life, as she is constantly seen as "Calvin's mom" and never as her own character.
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