Make 'Em Laugh!

By Liz Sheffield

Twenty years ago I was voted “Most Humorous” by my high school classmates. At the time I was pleased with the honor but I also begrudged the fact that I wasn’t voted “Most Likely to Succeed” or “Best Dressed.”  Now, as the mother of two young boys, I’m grateful for my sense of humor that helps me navigate daily life with my kids. When I remember to use humor in a variety of ways our days and nights are a lot more fun.

Humor offers a great way to get creative about handling situations with your kids. Unleash your internal comedian and you might just find that a little laughter goes a lot farther than you thought.

Become an actor

Our five-year-old son hates having his hair dried. After months of nightly battles about the hair dryer, I decided to try making hair drying something fun. I created a fictitious character: Madame Marie. This woman just happens to “own” the salon located in our pink bathroom, and while Madame Marie may have a heavy French-German-Dutch accent, she bears a strong resemblance to me.

When it’s time to dry his hair after our son’s bath, Madame Marie hollers that it’s time for his appointment. Instead of screaming that he hates the hair dryer, he now runs to the “salon” and giggles his way through the experience as Madame Marie rolls her r’s and replaces the letter “w” with the letter “v” – “Vhat do you vant for this style today?” Pretend play infused with humor has made hair drying a hoot.

Use your body

After I returned to full-time work outside the home, I found that my re-entry into our house each evening was really difficult. Both of my sons wanted special time with me – and with only two arms and one lap available -- someone always ended up crying. One night I decided to crank up the stereo as soon as I walked in the door. I tuned my iPod to Sister Sledge singing, “We Are Family,” and invited my sons and husband to a “dance party” with me. Our nightly “dance party” not only took away the re-entry blues, it helped bring smiles and laughter into our house as we each tried different (often wacky) dance moves, clapped our hands, and sang off tune as we danced to a new, upbeat song each evening.

Divert their attention

When I notice that our five-year-old son is getting grumpy about getting dressed, I look for something about the situation that I can use to divert his attention. I might grab his socks and put them on my ears and ask him, “Did you know this is how you’re really supposed to wear your socks?” This simple, quick humor intervention can save us thirty minutes of negotiation about getting dressed. Inevitably he wants to correct his silly mom and grabs the item of clothing to “show” me how it’s really done.

At the core of a successful humor intervention is a parent’s ability to be flexible. At first it might feel a little strange to let go, but you’ll find that it’s worth it. If your kids see that you’re willing to let loose and have some fun, chances are they will choose to join you rather than fight you every step of the way. At a minimum, your outlook will improve, and in most cases, a humor intervention will produce peals of laughter from your family as well.

Liz Sheffield is a freelance writer and mother of two living in Seattle.  She can be reached at motherlogue.wordpress.com