One of my favorite sounds in the whole world is the sound of laughter. Not just any laughter, but the laughter that literally makes someone’s whole body shake, and their eyes water with happy tears.
The thing is, we can learn a lot from children and laughter, and as adults I think we need to observe kids more and take a leaf out of their silly book.
I’ve heard some funny things in my life and since being a parent, I think the things that come out of our children’s mouths can be hilarious. Sometimes disturbing. Sometimes innocently inappropriate, and sometimes just so cute it makes your heart melt.
Having sons, most of the laughter in our home is from inappropriate behaviour. I constantly catch myself laughing at the kids antics even though I know I shouldn’t encourage them. From them telling their daddy that he is furry like the dogs or smells as bad as them, to catching them sniffing each other’s butts to see who’s fart smells the worst. I’ve seen it all. With my first born it was easy to turn away and laugh without him knowing and then the behaviour stopped. But my second child really is a clown. Since he was little he has made his big brother laugh, it is his favourite thing to do and it is a daily occurrence. The older they get the sillier they become.
It is so hard as an adult to not laugh when your youngest is doing something inappropriately funny, and his big brother is crying with laughter. From terrible puppet shows where every hand puppet dies then flies through the air, to dancing like he has been electrocuted, or the magic tricks that are so bad you can’t help but laugh. Kids sure know how to have fun.
The inappropriate things they say innocently is the absolute worst. I wanted to curl up and die when one of the boys were nearly two and they pointed at an African man at Bunnings and said, “Monkey” (thankfully he laughed and said it happened all the time), to saying loudly in a restaurant, “Mummy what’s your doodle called again!?” My kids have said and done things that have embarrassed me many times that I have said loudly, “You wait ‘til I tell your mum” to try and stop the stares, for them to reply, “You are our mum”… Dang it, deflect plan didn’t work.
The thing is, if we ever need cheering up, being around children in a silly mood will brighten your day. As hard as it is, it’s so important, in our serious world, to embrace our inner child and have some fun. So jump on that trampoline (don’t wet yourself), run around the house, play hide and seek, jump on their scooter, and do silent-but-deadly farts. Your kids will love you for it.
