So my dad left me a message yesterday asking 'didn't all kids have a sense of humor'? Well yes, they do, after a fact, unless they are substantially abused or something, kids will laugh at pretty much anything.
But what I was pondering this weekend is how to keep kids laughing, and not getting sullen and defensive when they are being joked with. As an example, on Saturday I had told the boys that we would go to McDonalds after their swim lesson (as a bribe so we could go computer shopping afterwards). Well as we were getting dressed I started making comments like 'okay time to go home and eat lunch' or 'let's go to a boring restaurant'. And instead of freaking out, or throwing a fit about how I had promised him McDonald's, James just went along with the joke.
So how did we get to that point where I can joke about something like that, or tell him we can't go shopping for Lego's? Or any of the many other dry and often sarcastic comments I make when joking around with him? I guess the first part comes from trust, James knows that if I promise something I won't really back down from it without a very good reason. And the second part is keeping it gentle, but to not be afraid of joking about things. So I guess like most things you have to work on it as a parent, but the key element is security and trust. Which probably explains why my nephew Austin is not easy to joke with, because has hasn't had a lot of security and trust in his life.
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