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I don't know about anyone else, but to me, one of the greatest blessings in life is laughter! I mean, it would be like clipping the wings of my spirit if I could not laugh! When I have a good side splitting laugh, I feel like a soothing ointment has just spilled all over and saturated my entire being. Laughter connects and bonds us with people we love and those we barely know. On a personal level, laughter counters stress; on a social level, laughter counters hostility. It is a powerful physiological, social and emotional force that we should be stimulating in our homes on a daily basis.
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God was so creative when He decided to make us to laugh! He even gave us a few unmentionables to make sure it happens almost daily! =) (and yes it does happen at the Riordan's! HaHa ) Come to think of it, God must have a great sense of humor! He gifted people with the ability to carry an atmosphere of mirth and cheer everywhere they go; they have the talent to ignite laughter in the most dismal circumstances. Our son-in-law, Joe, has this most hysterical fake laugh that he will sometimes spontaneously break into at our family gatherings; it always gets all of us really laughing until we are red in the face!
Since God thought of laughter and provided the ability and the means to do it, obviously there must be a need for it. What better place to experience it than in the home? When our kids are grown, will they look back and remember home as a place of joy and laughter? Laughter brings to a home what sunshine brings to a day! So what's the "weather" been like in your home lately?
When we think of the atmosphere of our home, what words come to mind? Are they words like, lighthearted, joy, cheer, smiles, mirth? Or would words like strife, moodiness, frowns or hatefulness better describe it. Maybe our home is somewhere in the middle described by words like gloom, discontent or silent. Evaluating the way things are at home may reveal the need for a more lighthearted atmosphere. Parents, the atmosphere of our home greatly depends on us. If we wake up with a thankful, joyful heart our kids will follow our lead and instead of raining on our day they will be our sunshine! With a little effort to stimulate laughter in our home we can turn dismal into delight. Whatever the "weather" condition of our home, it is worth considering and making a few adjustments, if needed, to ensure a sunnier day tomorrow because we could all benefit from a little more laughter!
So get everyone's jolly bellies jiggling with laughter =) ! There is plenty of help online but here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Break into a spontaneous tickling session on the floor with your kids.
- Use a prompt to start a tall tale chain story at the dinner table with each member of the family adding their own crazy twist to the story.
- Have a family night when everyone comes prepared to tell their best jokes.
- My family and I have had a barrel full of laughs around the dinner table just telling funny stories from the past.
- We have had loads of fun watching ridiculous youtube videos or searched "funny"on pinterest.
- Have a Karaoke night with fun songs. YouTube offers Karaoke playlists.
- Learn a new dance together.
- Look at random photos of people in public places and make up silly scenarios of what might be taking place.
- Games are great for triggering laughter
- Give everyone a tiny gift bag. Award them with a Jolly Rancher every time they really laugh. Encourage them to collect enough Jolly Ranchers to fill the bag and give to a friend. This will encourage laughter and the joy of giving.
- Keep your camera handy and capture photos of family members laughing. Frame and place them all over the house.
Have gray skies been hanging around your home for a while? Here are some ideas to get everyone thinking, and create an awareness of the need to be more lighthearted.
- Have a family meeting and let your kids express how they feel about home. Is it fun? Do we laugh? Do we bicker a lot? Do we complain? Are we thankful? Encourage them to make a list of words that would describe the ideal atmosphere at home. Use the list to evaluate each day for a period of time.
- Set aside a week to focus on laughing more! Provide a calendar and some sun, cloud, and rain stickers. At the end of each day talk about the day with your kids. Was it a Sunny day, a cloudy day or a rainy day? Let them apply the stickers accordingly. At the end of the week, celebrate having more sunny days of laughter with a smiley face lunch (be creative!)
- Laughter comes from a thankful heart. Get everyone involved in making a list of blessings and write thank you notes to God, friends or relatives illustrated with their own artwork. Hang them around the house or send them in the mail.
- Your kids may not even know that the Bible talks about laughter. Have family devotions tonight using these verses: Psalm 126:2, Job 8:21, Ecc. 3:2-8; Prov. 15:13, Prov. 15:15; Prov. 17:22.
I am sure you have plenty of ideas to get everybody laughing! Be creative and have fun! Thanks for reading!
"I'm thankful for laughter,
except when milk comes out of my nose."
- Woody Allen
My blog has moved to:
Hope to see you there for more recent posts!
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