NORTH TONAWANDA —
One of the most interesting things about being a parent, I’ve found, is watching fledgling senses of humor develop over the years.
Sometimes, it’s predictable. Sometimes, it’s inexplicable. But it’s almost always cute (thankfully, we’re not in the little-boy stage where “disgusting” gets involved quite yet).
Sam, at 2, still leans mainly toward physical humor. Did Mommy trip over his toy race car? Did he manage to line a plastic ball off his brother’s head? It’s hysterical. Is Grandma making faces at him in an effort to draw more giggles? It’s so funny he can barely breathe.
Animals, seen on TV or while out for family walks, also draw chortles. They don’t even have to do anything. To him, they’re just funny, whether it’s the squirrel in the front yard or the koala bear he saw on a DVD.
Jim ... well, Jim at 5 has entered that little-kid stage where he’s realized he has the power to ... yes ... make jokes. They only make sense to him, of course, but perhaps that’s part of the charm.
He’s been recently captivated by the phenomenon of place names ... how something can be called a shoe store, and what do you know? It sells shoes! How cool is that? The toy store has toys! The pet store has pets! Who knew?
So what if there were ... a teeth store? It would sell ... teeth!
Isn’t that funny?
Well, OK, buddy. If you think so. It’s always good to hear you laugh.
We were at a local craft store a few weeks ago when he got going on a riff about where we could go next (I’d promised to take them to the adjacent pet store if they were good).
“Go to ... book store! Go to ... toy store!” Snickers.
Then things got silly.
“Go to ... spaghetti store!” Chuckle, giggle, laugh.
“Go to ... Sam store!” Snicker. Snort. Giggle. His brother looked at him quizzically. I refrained from commenting that we really didn’t need more than one Sam.
The next one was going to be good. He had to work up to it for a while, giggles escaping from the corners of his mouth as he tried to draw a deep enough breath through the laughter to get the words out.
“Go-home store!”
That was it. He was the funniest little boy in the universe. He laughed so hard at his own hilarity that he sat down right in the middle of the aisle at the store, tears of glee running down his cheeks.
I was torn between joining him in the gales of giggles or being somewhat mortified, but chose an in-between route, calming him down enough to check out of the store and then reinitiating the giggle-fest on the way home.
(I’m proud to say I’m the one who came up with “funny-store!”)
I’m glad my boys are developing their own unique senses of humor. We’ll just have to work at refining them a little bit.
Then again, their father thinks “The Family Guy” is funny.
Maybe I’m just out of luck.
Jill Keppeler is a page designer and columnist for the Tonawanda News. She can be reached at jill.keppeler@tonawanda-news.com.
Lifestyle
Related Photos
-
new.double.trouble.jpg
My sons, the comedians
- Lifestyle
-
-
Stories from the neighborhood, and the concentration camp
The person with a haunted past is a familiar and reliable trope in literature and film, and perhaps all of us have something about which to be haunted. A book by Lewiston resident Joseph Leary, “Klara,” sharply explains a story of past misdeeds in a well-written and evocative novel.
-
Some tips for the fathers-to-be
All of a sudden, I’m getting to feel like a bit of an ol’ pro at this fatherhood thing.
-
Clueless and late to the garden party
The more I get into this whole gardening thing, the more I realize how much I don’t know.
It started not long after I finished my first “Clueless Gardener” column, when I walked into a store with the idea of making some gardening purchases. Seeds, I thought. Maybe some plants to transplant. But mainly, seeds. That’s kind of the point of a garden, right?
-
Easy ways to enrich your pet's life and help the environment
The day has come were my finely articulated words have been placed on the bottom of my bird cage to be soiled upon. Sure, it was funny when it was Joe Biden’s face or another writer’s work. But mine? So cruel. So proud.
-
All that glimmers
Even during a drizzly February day, Gleam & Glimmer Stained Glass Studio is full of light.
It shines through the stained glass pieces in the front of the Webster Street shop, glances off mosaics and jewelry and lands on the works in progress in the studio area, where students can learn to create their own multi-colored art.
That’s exactly the way co-owner Suzanne Todaro likes it. -
HAYNES: Sizing up the Oscars
The big show is tonight and for the first time in my life, I have managed to catch every single movie nominated for the best picture award.
-
COLUMN: Make your popcorn red carpet-worthy
Annual movie award shows are the perfect excuse for hosting a party.
-
HAYNES: Celebrating the Oscars with a little 'Help' in the kitchen
-
Someone's gotta do it
Even though it's Christmas, emergency and health personnel still have to work
-
Celebrating another winter holiday, with lights
Jewish community observing fifth day of eight-day festival of Hanukkah.
- More Lifestyle Headlines
-
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
