Funny Bone

One of the things that makes life easier is a sense of humor.  Many times, it is hard to see the humor in a difficult situation while you are in the midst of it.  However,  if you can distance yourself from the  difficulty for a moment, many times, the objective view can be amusing.  Sometimes distance only comes with time. 

One of my goals is to cultivate a sense of humor in my children.  People who cannot laugh at themselves really take themselves too seriously.  At least, that is my oh-so-humble opinion.  :)

There are some amusing things that do not really need distance to appreciate them.  Daniel’s jokes, for instance.  The kids have, for some time, enjoyed riddles, jokes, and the terrible puns that they find on the back of Laffy Taffy.  Example:  “How do you keep a lion from charging?”   Answer: “Take away his credit cards.”  You get the idea.  A parent can only take so many lame jokes in one day, especially when you are all trapped in the cab of the truck together.

Daniel has taken this method of amusement to a whole new level.  He makes up his own jokes.  It really is funny to hear the riddles with which he treats us.  Most of his jokes have a similar theme – either something is crossing the road (what do you expect from an evangelist’s kid?) or they are jumping on top of something else.  Another point to note is that no matter what my answer is, it is always deemed correct, no matter how absurd it is.  When the other family members try to answer, their answers are always wrong (unless he has specifically directed the joke to them).  It is nothing short of blatant nepotism and favoritism.  It cracks me up!

Here are some actual jokes that he told recently.

Daniel:  “Why did the bison cross the road?”

Me:  (looking in the back seat and noticing that his shirt and tie were all askew) “Because he wanted his mama to button his shirt and put on his tie.”

Daniel:  “Yeth!” (he has a slight lisp on his s’s) “Okay, now this one is for Daddy – Why did the ice cube jump on top of the Popsicle?”

Paul:  “Hmmm… Why did the ice cube jump on top of the Popsicle?”

Daniel: “Yeth!  That’s right! Daddy got it!”  (This is where I start laughing, since Paul didn’t even attempt to answer the question and still managed to get it right.)

Daniel: “Okay, this one is for Mama.  Why did the carrot cross the road with the Popsicle (Popsicles are also a recurring theme)?”

Me:  “Um, because they were both orange.”

Daniel:  “Yeth!  Now this one is for everyone – Esther, Abigail, Josiah, Daddy, and Mama, and I can answer it if no one else knows the answer!”  Once again, I crack up at the totally crazy way he entertains us.

And on and on it goes, until we can’t take any more.  We have to limit him to about a dozen jokes, or it just gets out of control.  Like I said, you can only take so many jokes, especially when you have to make up all the answers on the fly.  But I love the fact that he is learning to appreciate humor.  It will come in handy.  Although at this point, I would still advise him to keep his day job.  :)