What is your favorite part of parenting your son?
My son and I crack each other up. We are hilarious
When we are not engaged in a specific task, such as getting dressed, or eating your watermelon come on eat it you love watermelon gum why would you not like actual watermelon eat it!, we are often just hanging out together, laughing most of the time. There is an hour window between his evening shower and his bedtime, which is ostensibly “book reading time”, but usually winds up with me stoically intoning “Frog and Toad Are Friends” while feet are rubbed across my beard, or while my son slowly slides behind the cushion of the couch, giggling all the while.
It’s not just his joie de vivre that leaves me in stitches, but his jokes. They are not sophisticated, but he really sells them. Halfway through “Sylvester and the Magic Pebble” he’ll suddenly cry “tickle on your foot!” and I’ll tickle his foot, and then he’ll yell “tickle on your arm!” and I’ll tickle his arm, and then he’ll yell “tickle on your”, and I’ll watch him ponder his options for a moment while a smile creeps across his face, and he’ll end with “swimming pool!”. And I’ll yell “tickle on your swimming pool? That doesn’t even make sense?!” And we’ll both wind up laughing until we’re short on breath.
He’s a great audience as well. If I say something unexpected, or in a funny voice, or even just make up a dumb song on the spot, it’s a guaranteed laugh. No eye rolls, no grimaces, no “oh, dad”, just straight up giggles. It’s very gratifying. We are a comedy club of two.
This is really lovely. I’ve loved this series. Thank you.
Very nice. One of my proudest moments w/ my son was when I said something enthusiastically ridiculous to him and instead of scolding me or getting angry (like he usually would) he countered with something equally stupid and enthusiastic.
Q: What’s the difference between a duck?
A: One of its legs are both the same.
Absurdist humour is, well, absurd. But it’s humour, too. What a delight to be able share it with your son.
My son is two years younger than yours Matt but both physically and in personality they could be brothers. (your post about him climbing and hanging off things was uncanny) This series of posts is ringing all sorts of bells for me, please keep it up. My favorite moments with Nic are also when we laugh ourselves stupid together, the dumber the joke the better.
One of our standards is: See you later alligator! Reply: In a while….ostrich ! (or squirrel or ocelot or whatever anything but crocodile)