First, let me apologize for the long delay between posts. My computer has been acting up, if computers can act up. Or else the internet is being argumentative, or something. Whatever the case, I couldn't get on to my blogs without the writing being miniscule and the site freezing every time I typed something. It seems like writing is a silly choice for someone who hates computers as much as me, but since my printing is incomprehensible and I can't help but write, I will put up with it. Please, don't hold my technological illiteracy against me though.
Okay, that was way off topic. What I really want to impart today is the importance of laughing. I am fortunate that I get to stay home with my children, but believe me, I still have some pretty stressful days. No one is immune to that. I remind myself almost every day though how lucky I am to have two wonderful children, and try to enjoy them as much as possible.
They make me laugh. J is quite the character, enjoying the spotlight. He will do almost anything for a joke, just to make other people happy. Of course he's at the age where his sense of humour is not quite developed to maturity, and often needs to be told when things aren't funny, but I only pull this one out in extreme circumstances. For instance, holding the shower hose out of the tub to flood the bathroom is not a joke. Yes, he's tried. Mostly though, I relax and let him have his fun if he's not a) hurting anyone, b) wrecking anything, or c) unfolding my laundry. I laugh at him all the time, even if I'm way too old for fart jokes, because it makes him feel funny and it's important to him.
E is similar. He also enjoys being the entertainment, and will look to someone else to see if it's a laughing matter. When it is, he throws his head back and lets out a huge belly laugh. Then of course he has to check to be sure we're still laughing with him. He plays jokes on me too, and his favourite lately is blowing a raspberry on my cheek when I ask for a kiss. He also enjoys tickle fights, although he asks for them first.
I love to laugh with my kids, because although life gets hard sometimes, we should never be too busy or too stressed out to be happy with our families. Sometimes it's over the silliest things, and sometimes what's funny to our kids isn't funny to us, but in sharing a laugh (even a fake one) we can teach our children that we want them to enjoy life too. Besides, even if it's a fake laugh it will still make you happy to make them happy.
My husband told me once that he wishes he found it so easy to laugh. Which made me think, maybe it's not common for people to laugh. This has since been verified by a lot of people watching (okay, it's just my nosy nature). I have found that most people aren't relaxed in general, at least when I observe them. I should specify that it's adults I'm referring to. Most kids that I see are ready and waiting for someone to make them laugh or share in the joke. Even if kids don't get the joke (or didn't hear the joke), have you ever noticed that one will start laughing just because everyone else is? The magic in this is that it's genuine happiness, even when they have no clue what is so funny.
So I have realized that I probably do laugh more than the average person, and I don't defend myself against it. There was a Facebook quote that said the average adult laughs four times a day. I laugh on average fifty times a day. I did a tally over a week, so you know. My advice to those grown ups who don't laugh so often, please try. If it's difficult, start with your kids. Do something fun together and laugh when they do. Copy their behaviour for once. Trust me, it'll be fun.
And finally, this is a public thank you to my own children. Thank you J and E, for making my days so interesting and fun. Thank you for laughing when things are funny, and even when they're not. Because I'll tell anyone who asks, when the eggs have broken all over the floor and a toddler decides to make pancakes with it using a broom as a spoon, and then topping it off with syrup (yes, it's still on the floor), all while Mommy is cleaning up the spilled spaghetti on the living room carpet, it's really all you can do to laugh. It's either that or cry, right?
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