As a parent, you’ll experience some moments that make you cry tears of joy and make you feel like you’re the luckiest person on the planet. You might look at your newborn and believe that they’re the cutest creature the world has ever seen, and your heart might swell to ten times its typical size while watching your baby graduate from college.
But there will also be countless moments when you just want to rip your hair out. Whether it’s your baby spilling an entire bottle of wine on a rug or your teen crashing your car 15 minutes after getting their license, parents need a sense of humor to get through the tough moments; or they might not survive. And The Spicy Disaster Mama is the perfect place to visit when you want to feel less alone or need to get some giggles out. This page has over 117K followers and has shared over 100 silly posts, so we hope you enjoy your journey through the best ones!
Parents should never underestimate the power of a good laugh. According to a study published in PLOS One, kids who were raised in humorous households tend to have a better view of their parents or caregivers, are more likely to have a great relationship with their parents and are more likely to say that Mom and Dad did a great job. In fact, many even say that they would use the same parenting techniques as their folks with their own kids.
Dr. Katie Hurley also told CNN that humor can be an extremely useful tool for parents. “In addition to stress relief and easing social interactions, humor promotes language and literacy skills, creative problem solving, resilience and helps kids cope with disappointment,” she noted.
However, when it comes to cracking jokes with your kiddos, it’s important to use the right kind of humor. Dr. Hurley says very young children might love slapstick comedy, while preschoolers tend to prefer tall tales. But parents should never make jokes that are at their children’s expense, and it’s usually best to avoid sarcasm.
“Stick to the parent jokes and humorous problem-solving efforts that you know will decrease stress and keep the family engaged in a positive way,” Hurley suggests.
Just like in any other relationship, humor can go a long way in strengthening bonds between a parent and child. Mastermind Behavior notes that, in childcare, humor can help adults show that they care for little ones. It can also go a long way in forming strong connections, and it might even be a helpful coping mechanism in stressful situations. For example, your child is panicking during their very first flight as the plane takes off. Distracting them with a funny story or silly faces might be just what they need to relax.
According to Mastermind Behavior, humor in the household can also create more resilient children. When kids know how to navigate situations through a lighthearted lens, they might be better equipped for facing adversity. Plus, experiencing and sharing laughter with friends can help kids develop emotional fortitude, which will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
Being able to find humor in any situation can also be a wonderful way to ease tension in your household and improve family communication. It’s easy to become stressed or overwhelmed as a parent, but becoming frustrated or upset does not help most situations. If you can manage to take a deep breath and refrain from sweating the small stuff, you’ll be setting a great example for your children of how to handle stressful situations.
