Raising Kids of Strong Character: Sense of Humor

How many dads does it take to change a light bulb?
We'll never know, because he'll lower the ceiling to install a new fixture, replumb the entire bathroom, redo all the wiring and install a new floor before he gets around to it.

Everyone loves to laugh and even stupid jokes are fun. In fact, humor and laughter may be the world's oldest and greatest form of entertainment. A love of laughter, however, does a lot more than just feel good. A sense of humor makes a person more likable, which in turn helps both professional and interpersonal success. Polls say it is one of the most important traits that mates look for, and studies show it is one of the key factors in marriages that stay together. In addition, humor helps mental and emotional development. It develops creative thinking, increases alertness, and assists in managing emotions and reducing stress. It even helps our health, reducing heart attacks, clearing respiratory passages, speeding recoveries, reducing pain, and decreasing the sizes of welts. Plus, experts say that a hundred belly laughs is the aerobic equivalent of ten minutes on a rowing machine. Clearly, laughing with your kids and helping your kids love to laugh is one of the most fun-and most important-parts of being a dad. Perhaps some of the below tips will help you laugh with your kids, help your kids develop a sense of humor, and help you both lead a lifetime of laughing together.

1. Laugh with your child daily. A love of laughter is addictive so make an effort to get your kids laughing every single day. Even if you are usually the only one laughing at your jokes, having kids is your big chance to finally get a receptive audience for your comedic genius. That's because kids laugh when other people are laughing just to be part of the group, so you don't even have to be funny. Just make laughter a priority and go for quantity over quality. As long as you are enjoying yourself, your kids will join in the fun.
   
   
2. Find the types of humor that work. Every kid at each stage of development will think something different is funny. Toddlers might like funny faces. Five-year-olds might enjoy silly make-believe like pretending you don't know where she is when she is standing right in front of you. Bodily function jokes are the meat-and-potatoes of the universal language of laughter if you are willing to take the low road. And, honestly, most of our senses of humor haven't matured past seventh grade, so it won't take long for our kids to catch up. So just go with the flow, find what's funny for you, and see what makes your kid laugh at each age.
   
   
3. Don't take yourself too seriously. Don't be afraid of looking like an idiot-in fact, your own ridiculous behavior or stupid mistakes might be your funniest asset. You spill water on your shirt while you are drinking-you could swear, and stomp off to get a paper towel. Or you can yell "My shirt is thirsty," and dump the rest of the glass on yourself-a guaranteed laugh. Pretty much any situation that proves Daddy is a moron is sure to keep kids (and wives) laughing again and again.
   
   
4. Use humor to lighten the mood. Sometimes the best way to fix a bad mood is with laughter. Humor reduces stress and smoothes out tension. Keep some jokes in your head to tell your kids for when you are in a long line at the grocery store. Laugh together after a fight. Think of funny games to play for when you are stuck in traffic. Humor is the best medicine for any situation.
   
   
5. Encourage appropriate humor. It will be embarrassing when your seven-year-old says in public "Did you hear the funny joke about the rabbi, priest, and the preacher who walked into a strip club?" So use good sense yourself about what is appropriate to share with your kids. If you do use potty humor, explain when and why certain jokes are best kept within the family. When your kids do something funny and appropriate, give them positive feedback by laughing at their jokes.

Because kids learn humor by example, making that extra effort to play pretend, act silly, or remember a funny joke, will help your kids develop one of life's greatest joys. You'll be rewarded too; your kids' laughter and tomfoolery is priceless. So seek out laughter and encourage humor-a life of laughter is guaranteed to be a great one.