Periodically, I like to chat a bit about humor and laughter here in the Parenting Blog, after all, can we be reminded enough that laughter is the best medicine for stress and misery? Parents of young ones often see the humor in their children’s antics more than those of us with older kids do, but regardless of the child’s age, if we parents can see a little humor or find something funny in those crazy, stressful times—we will have better health and a better disposition.
There are times when our kids do the most amazingly frustrating things; they may even do something that we see as dangerous or it we just cannot figure out what was going on in their heads when they made the choices they made. If possible, finding at least a morsel of something funny can help to get us through these struggles. Telling a friend (especially an older one who has been through it all before) can help to find the nuggets of humor in the situation. There is just something about talking it through with someone that can help to take the sting out of the questionable behavior.
Do you know how we say things like “We’ll laugh about this some day” or “This will be one of those things we look back on and laugh?” Why does it have to take years before we can see the humor in a situation with our children? Instead of waiting until we can detach and look back with humor, it might be healthier for us to try to find a little something funny in what is happening in the moment. This doesn’t mean that we do not take things seriously or that we make light of potentially dangerous situations, but find a moment to laugh and find something funny—the way your daughter put her hands on her hips or the words your son said or even the kooky chain of events that led up to the problematic situation. Find something funny and it will make it all more manageable.