Don’t you love “lol” moments, when you really LAUGH OUT LOUD!? I just had one of those today during a conversation with my three-year-old son. Here it is:
Judah: Hey! (while looking out the dining room patio doors) I just saw a LIGHT black squirrel!
Me: Also known as GRAY, Judah! (laughing)
Judah: (grinning ear to ear) Yeah…I always make people laugh ON me!!
Me: Oh, really? Why do they laugh?
Judah: Behuzz I BONK my head, like this! (does a “Three Stooges” self face punch)
Me: (MORE laughing) I wish that was the only reason we laugh “ON” you, kid!!
The reasons we’ve laughed “ON” Judah include (but are NOT limited to); discovering him giving himself a swirly in our toilet (Eau de Toilet Boy), finding him naked and slimed from head-to-toe in hand soap (Super SOAPer!), and walking into his dump truck dirt-landscape that used to be our living room (Extreme Dirty Jobs: Home Make-over Edition).
I’ll be the first to admit, in each of these situations, laughter wasn’t always the number one idea that sprang to mind. Sometimes, I had other ideas that usually had me turning into Charlie Brown’s mother…but, I’m learning I’m going to laugh about it eventually, so why not NOW?
We LOVE to laugh in this family. Laughter is like slamming down a shot of hope and peace in the midst of a storm (not that I know anything about shots…just saying). It warms you to the core and makes everything a bit easier to handle. These are just a few of my favorite quotes about laughter,
Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. ~Victor Borge
What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul. ~Yiddish Proverb
When people are laughing, they're generally not killing each other. ~Alan Alda
Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. ~Kurt Vonnegut
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. ~E.E. Cummings
Laughter is an instant vacation. ~Milton Berle
I think one of the greatest challenges when it comes to laughter is growing in our ability to laugh ON (i.e., AT) ourselves. Sometimes I plan our lives so carefully, it takes all the fun out of it…what’s wrong with a “flying by the seat of our pants” option every now and again?! Lately, when I realize I’m in my Mrs. Control-freak mode, I stop and LAUGH…at ME! I’m such a dork sometimes!
When I’m in full huffing-and-puffing, ready-to-blow-my-husband’s-argument-down mode, I let out all the hot air in my head and LAUGH at ME!
I ask my man, “I’m making a big deal out of nothing, right?” (of course, he looks like a deer in headlights as this question sounds strangely like, “Does my butt look big?” to the male brain) and I realize I just need to take a CHILL pill now and then. It’s OKAY to LAUGH at ourselves! Laughter is a God-given can of WD40 in our lives to make things run a bit smoother. Let’s use it!
Who’s laughing at YOU? Hopefully, it’s YOU! So whether you catch your kid with his head in the toilet or catch yourself being a straight up dork…just LAUGH. That could make the world (especially your children and spouse’s world) a better place to be!
I ask my man, “I’m making a big deal out of nothing, right?” (of course, he looks like a deer in headlights as this question sounds strangely like, “Does my butt look big?” to the male brain) and I realize I just need to take a CHILL pill now and then. It’s OKAY to LAUGH at ourselves! Laughter is a God-given can of WD40 in our lives to make things run a bit smoother. Let’s use it!
Who’s laughing at YOU? Hopefully, it’s YOU! So whether you catch your kid with his head in the toilet or catch yourself being a straight up dork…just LAUGH. That could make the world (especially your children and spouse’s world) a better place to be!
great thoughts. totally agree. ~Jessica
ReplyDeletelove this tara! you know, sometimes when elliana's being fussy we start laughing, ridiculously. she always seems startled- like, "hey, this isn't how you're supposed to react!" but then, often times she smiles and coos at us- forgetting that she actually was upset at all!
ReplyDeleteanyway- i always love reading your blog. it's the next best thing to hearing your stories in person! :)
I love this! It really gives me a sense of your children's personalities whenever you include quotes from them :) thank you for sharing. I love the "laugh ON me!" haha I'll make sure to use that next time and see who can pick up on that ;)
ReplyDeleteblessings to you & the family.
Ahw, thanks for this, Maribel!! We do a LOT of laughing ON life around here, it does make it easier! Blessings to YOU, girl!!
ReplyDelete