Things have been getting a little too serious around here lately. So I decided to brainstorm a bunch of quick, easy ideas for just having FUN. By “fun,” I mean anything that will get you laughing so hard that you can’t think about anything else!
Laughter, after all, is known to be good for you. But if even thinking about having a little fun causes your “single-parent-guilt-at-enjoying-myself” reflex to kick in, then think of this as “medical advice” that you must follow; not just for your own sake, but for your children’s sake and for the sake of anyone or anything else that depends on you.
First, here’s the scary cautionary notice:
WARNING: LACK OF BELLYLAUGHS CAN BE DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH
Now that I’ve frightened you into taking care of yourself, here’s the cure — you might more accurately call it “preventive medicine”:
Take (at least) two of these suggestions and you’ll still be smiling in the morning!
1. Read the “funny pages” (are they still called that or am I dating myself?) – I mean, the comics in your daily or Sunday newspaper. There are always a few that are laugh-out-loud funny or at least, that will get you chuckling.
2. Watch Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” – this show is hysterical!
3. Similarly, if you enjoy political humor, visit the often-hilarious www.jibjab.com.
4. Share age-appropriate jokes (there are tons of them on the Internet) with your kid(s). It’s so refreshing to connect with young people through laughter. Appreciating humor together bonds you in a way that no other parent-child interaction can.
5. Pop in a funny video or DVD. If you don’t have time to sit down and watch the whole thing, put it on anyway and enjoy a few minutes of silliness here and there as you go about your day.
Here are a few suggestions (all of them are rated PG-13 or less; most of them have silly sequels too):
o The Naked Gun
o Dumb and Dumber
o Kung Pow! Enter the Fist
o Austin Powers
o Airplane
o Caddyshack
o Monty Python and the Holy Grail
6. Sign up at www.generalcomics.com to have funny cartoons e-mailed to you or at www.extremefunnyhumor.com for funny pictures and jokes. (Please note: most are just funny, but some may be crude or risqué.)
7. Finally, just to get you in the right frame of mind, here’s something to make you laugh right now: (OK, so it’s not a side splitter, but tell me you’re not grinning just a little bit!)
Have fun!