Having written hundreds of articles and a book about the undeniable importance of fathers being involved in their children’s lives, it dawned on me that I need to lighten up once in a while. Humor is an important aspect of life. It’s the salt that makes something bland, palatable.
It’s not that what I have written is really depressing, unless you recognize yourself as not being the best dad you could be. My articles just haven’t lent themselves to a lot of humor. One might think that I am one serious, dour dude, but I’m not! I’m often annoyingly not serious, trying to be clever or funny. You can ask my wife or any of my friends who have suffered from my brand of humor, puns, and occasional sarcasm.
But you don’t have to be ‘Jerry Seinfeld funny’ to have a sense of humor. Having a sense of humor means you are open to seeing situations in a positive light. Having a sense of humor is an indication of having confidence. Not often will you see a person, full of self-doubt, being light-hearted. A sense of humor will relieve tension whether it be in your body, or in a room. It does not consist of a preconceived joke waiting to be sprung; it is deftly demonstrated as a positive attitude that is welcomed by all.
It’s no surprise that being a good parent includes having a great sense of humor. If you can see the humor in most situations, you will be calmer, make better decisions, and not go crazy. At least, not go crazy as fast. One of my Seven Characteristics of a Successful Dad is “Fun”. It’s not just doing fun things with your family, but having that wonderful characteristic of seeing the humor in most all things.
Even this article about having a sense of humor is a bit serious. It’s important to remember that there will be many things we will not want to do in our lives, but must. So here is an example of having a sense of humor to utilize while doing something you may want to do, at least at the moment. It’s not necessarily funny, as you may see, but a sense of humor is not all about laughter, it’s about entertaining yourself when you are not being entertained.
An Example
With my wife, and sometimes solo, I watch three of my grandkids 18-20 hours week. They are four, three, and one year old. The kids are great! We love them so much! But kids are kids with energy, needs, and moods, especially at these ages. Talk about exhausting!
We don’t believe in babysitting with television as a tool, but we do believe in self-preservation! So once, and usually twice a day we will allow the little ones to watch a kids’ show to get a little peace and quiet. I’ve played cars, been a princess, had tea-parties, pulled wagons, broke up fights, changed diapers, made breakfast, looked for shoes, sang songs, read books, played hide and seek…I could go on. So the little quiet time that comes with them watching TV is very welcomed. But while I watch these shows, I can be very critical of them as a way of entertaining myself while the kids are being entertained.
These are thoughts I have had while watching kids’ TV shows that I would never see, or want to see, if not watching grandchildren. Unless you’re a parent or care-giving grandparent, you need not read further as you will have no idea of what I’m talking about. These comments are not necessarily funny, but represent a sense of humor – the salt that makes watching palatable.
A grandfather’s take on a few TV shows for children:
Curious George – George solves lots of problems being a monkey, but if George is so smart, why can’t he learn to talk? “Oo-Oo-Ah-Ah” gets very tiresome!
Shimmer and Shine – I’ve seen this maybe 20 times. I still don’t know which is which.
Dora the Explorer – I’ve picked up some Spanish lingo through Dora. Dora’s partner is a monkey that wears boots. That’s like a fish wearing scuba gear. And Dora really needs to get a smart phone with Google Maps.
Jake and the Pirates – that little parrot with the huge head and tiny wings wears me out. He works so hard to stay airborne, I can’t watch. Stop flapping little parrot and land on Jake’s shoulder!
Doc McStuffins – I doubt she has a license to practice medicine! But then again, all she is doing is “practicing” on Teddy Bears and toy soldiers. She’s an expert in recharging dead batteries and repairing button eyes.
Goldie and the Bear – I think Goldie ran off with ‘baby bear’ because he was “just right”, leaving Papa Bear and Mama Bear childless.
Peppa Pig – Yeah, I know they are pigs, but Daddy Pig has to go to find a decent shaver and get help for his constant snorting!
Caillou – His dad has a shaggy ‘doo’ - so when will this boy grow some hair!
Bubble Guppies – Clouds and deserts under the sea? Now that’s imagination!
Sponge Bob Square Pants – Never have I seen this series. My oldest daughter won’t allow it. I never bothered to find out why. I’ve seen enough cartoons so I’m not going to watch one just to find that answer.
Max and Ruby – Just where are the parents of these two bunnies? Making more rabbits? But I gotta give it to Ruby, she is a wonderful big sister. I wouldn’t mind babysitting Max and Ruby because Ruby does most of the work.
Elena of Avila – I only saw this show twice but it has a catchy theme song. The kids like it. Elena, like most animated females, is a princess. And like most princesses, she is pretty cute. But really, a talking, flying leopard as transportation?
And finally,
Teletubbies – They scare me! They scare me to no end! Very weird…
As many stay-at-home parents say, “Is there a grown-up I can talk to?”
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