Reasons My Kids Are Laughing

Yesterday I posted a list of reasons my kids cry – or, more accurately, nonsensical reasons my kids cry. Fortunately, my kids are generally very happy, contented children, and they find as many nonsensical reasons to laugh as they do to cry. They laugh not only at things that tickle their fancy for whatever reason, but sometimes just for pure joy and happiness. So in the spirit of fairness, here are some of the things that have made them laugh in the past 24 hours or so.

•         She found her purple truck behind the couch.
•         I sang “Peter Peter Penguin” with him.
•         She got to jump on the trampoline.
•         I gave him an English muffin with his name spelled out in honey.
•         She woke up from her nap.
•         I put on an episode of “Team Umizoomi.”
•         We listened to “Frog Trouble” on CD.
•         We listened to “Broken Piano” on CD.
•         We sang along to “The Heartache Song” on CD.
•         I let him wear his Iron Man sneakers.
•         I let her take off her own shoes.
•         I let him take off his pants.
•         I let her take off her pants.
•         I let her wear her “sparkly coat.”
•         I took off her “sparkly coat.”
•         We had ice cream for lunch.
•         We “skated” on the ice on the front steps.
•         I let him kick a snowbank the entire length of the front walkway.
•         I gave her another cup of apple juice.
•         He gave her back the toy she wanted to play with.
•         She brought him the toy he wanted to play with.
•         They whacked each other with the toys they were playing with.
•         I gave her a blue glittery sticker.
•         She found Sock Monkey.
•         We listened to Bach AND Beethoven.
•         I let her have two pillows.
•         He wrote his name without any help.
•         I let them play with scotch tape.
•         She stuck a crayon between her toes.
•         I let them draw with markers.
•         I let her have a Hershey’s kiss.
•         He squished a moth on the wall.
•         It’s Playdate Day.
•         I let her get a clean spoon from the drawer by herself.
•         I let her lick the table.
•         I got him another gummy worm.

Now, if you compare this list to yesterday’s list, you’ll note a significant similarity. Almost everything that made them cry at one time made them laugh at another, or at least everything that made them cry was remedied in a way that made them laugh. The lost was found, treats that had been denied were allowed, they got what they wanted, or for whatever reason they were decided that what they had was a good thing, after all.

Maybe this is why my kids’ sadness is so transitory and short-lived: either a little bit of patience or a small change in attitude is all they need to turn sadness into joy. I should take a lesson from my wise children.