It’s no secret that parenting isn’t exactly a walk in the park. Everyone talks about how rewarding it is, how much they love their children, and how wonderful their little ones are. But nobody says it’s easy. So one thing that can really make the tough moments a bit easier to swallow is having a kid who’s hilarious.
Children say exactly what’s on their minds, and they’re not afraid to hurt their parents' feelings with the truth. But as far as why they’re so hilarious, Joshua Rothman at The New Yorker says that humor comes naturally to kids. In fact, babies start making jokes before they can even form sentences.
One reason why kids seem to be natural comedians is that their minds flow so freely. They’re constantly learning and thinking about the world around them, trying to understand it. As we grow up, we often become more narrow-minded thanks to societal norms and rules we internalize.
But kids are pure and unhindered by certain knowledge. They can make connections that adults might not even realize and come up with extremely creative jokes. If you’re a parent, aunt or uncle, or you’ve ever worked with kids, you know just how amazing their minds are. It’s beautiful to see how they perceive the world.
When it comes to how kids develop their sense of humor, Jennifer Dovey notes that it’s something they rely on to form social connections and develop their use of language. Apparently, having a great sense of humor not only helps kids make more friends, but those who have a developed sense of humor are also more agreeable to others and have better communication skills. Therefore, they’re able to build stronger relationships with others as well.
Now, not everything that kids find hilarious will be equally funny to their parents. I’m sure you’ve heard your kids make [gas] jokes or repeat quotes they’ve heard that don’t make you laugh at all. But we have to remember that there are plenty of things adults find funny that kids wouldn’t giggle at either. Just because you’re not slapping your knee every time your little one shares a joke doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with their sense of humor. After all, they’re still developing it!
Humor also plays an important role in stories for children. Just because a tale is funny doesn’t mean that it lacks substance. In fact, using humor can be a great way to tell stories with depth, as a funny story is always more memorable than one that isn’t. Dovey explains that kids with a developed sense of humor will be able to look at situations from different perspectives, which allows them to build their empathy muscles and emotional intelligence. Plus, a strong sense of humor is also associated with creativity and spontaneity.
The responsibility of keeping humor in a household doesn’t fall solely on the kids, though. Mom and Dad should be doing their part too, as Penn State University reports that humor can be a powerful parenting tool. Apparently, it’s easy for parent-child relationships to feel like business relationships, as there’s a power dynamic and one party is “in charge.” But researcher Lucy Emery says humor can be wonderful for diffusing tension and reducing the feeling of a hierarchy in the relationship.
