My little family received a compliment from one of my eldest daughter’s friends the other day. He said that he liked being around our family because we “always found a way to laugh and have a good time, even when things were chaotic and stressful.” While I think we tend to take our senses of humor for granted, and I sometimes even worry that we can turn to humor TOO often, it was nice to hear someone else’s “take” on one of our family strengths.
If there is one thing parenting and family life has taught me, it is that it doesn’t matter how organized or “perfect” I try to be, unpredictable, stressful, chaotic things are going to happen regardless. It is just the law of nature and the law of averages all blended up together. The more living creatures you get in relatively small space, the more opportunities there are for all sorts of interesting things to happen. Expectations go out the window by necessity and the only thing you’ve really got to get you through is a smile and a chuckle and the ability to see the humor in just about anything that happens. After all, some things are just so weird and difficult there is nothing to do BUT find a way to laugh and enjoy one’s self in the midst.
Strong families laugh and when we learn how to laugh not just at events and things that happen, but at ourselves, I think we’ve really developed a solid coping mechanism. The ability to see the humor in one’s own bumbles and struggles, as well as laugh away stressors and tension is such a fabulous gift. Even if we have been accused of not taking things seriously enough sometimes, I would rather be able to laugh in the face of strangeness than to overreact and fall apart. And, it seems, there are others who appreciate our family humor too…
Also: The Healing Balm of Laughter
Laughter Really Is the Best Medicine
Learning to Laugh at Ourselves