Parenting With Humor: Funnily, It Works
Raising a child can be a tough job for even the most experienced parents. But who says it always has to be all frowns and serious faces? EYFS Nurseries and Early Learning Center’s in Dubai understand the importance of positive relationships and make sure adults connect and bond with babies and children 45 days to 5 years. Let’s look at why humor is an important aspect of parenting.
Believe it or not, parenting with the occasional humor is immensely beneficial for both you and your child. That’s because silliness can be a great tool you can use to diffuse tension, ease stress and build connections with your children. Funnily enough, it works like magic.
Here is why parenting with humor is beneficial for your children, and yourself:
Connect With Your Children
A good giggle is something everyone can share, not only is it free, but it’s the only contagious thing out there that is good for us! Furthermore, humor helps us reconnect with our children on a deeper level. Children enjoy acting silly and they need to release their giggles and laughter without any fear or rejection. Childhood stress and anxiety is on the rise and laughter is one of the best remedies there is. Immunity levels are increased and stress levels of children fall. They enjoy it even more when mum and dad join in and this builds bonds built on trust, comfort and lots of love.
Ease the Rough Times
Parenting is not always a walk in the park. There will always be days when your child might be in a grumpy mood, or they may want to test the boundaries and so your job becomes 10 times harder. This is where humor helps you smooth that rough patch. Injecting a little comedy into a stressful situation helps children step out of a negative mindset, self – regulate and enjoy the moment with you. This way, they become happier and more optimistic about things in the future.
Remove Power Dynamics
Parenting involves an obvious power difference, where the parent has more power than the child. However, such a power dynamic shouldn’t feel like a dictatorship for the child!
A great solution for that is – you guessed it – humor. For example, if your child isn’t listening to something you’re asking them to do, such as putting away their toys, add in some humor by cracking a joke, or just by acting silly! It’s more likely that your child will laugh along, forget their frustrations and listen to reason. By using laughter, you can simply overcome the power struggle between you and your child, so that you are both on the same level. As a result, your child will feel better about the situation and listen to reason.
Expand Your Child’s Creativity
Children’s humor is entirely different from adults. They see the simple things in life with wonder and joy. Parents need to ‘downsize’ their seriousness and try to see things from the child’s point of view. When your child laughs at something or makes a silly joke, it makes them feel valued as an individual when you laugh along and find them funny. It’s a great opportunity to catch the moment and extend their vocabulary and thinking skills as well. Children can have fun making up silly names for animals or food or ultimately making their own jokes.
In reality, cracking and creating silly jokes allow children to exercise their thinking skills. Jokes take them to new levels of creativity, not even a paintbrush could achieve, allowing your child to experience ways of thinking outside the box. By helping them unleash this creative, witty side of them, you’re wiring their brain to be good thinkers and problem-solvers, which will surely assist them in the future.
Want to know something else interesting? Nurseries, Kindergartens, Day Care and Early Childhood Centers also provide a great chance for children to get creative with their humorous side: Here at Oakfield Early Learning Centre in JLT, close to Jumeirah Parks and Meadows, we have a culture of happiness which encourages children and teachers to have fun together on a daily basis. Activities such as sing-alongs, painting, and even role-playing all help children connect with their inner comedy so that they grow up to be happier people.
In conclusion: don’t hesitate to giggle along with your little one – you’re doing them and yourself, a lot of good!
