Think about the value of laughter during lockdown

Victor Borge said,

‘Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.’

Here we are not talking about social distancing. We are talking about mental distancing. Let’s create the shortest distance possible!

When we consciously choose to keep laughter alive in our life, we naturally feel better and connect better to those around. People are attracted to warm and cheerful people. Laughter is life giving.

We know, through research, that laughter is a stress buster and at the moment, hard though it maybe, what we all need is a good injection of laughter in our life.

Children are naturally drawn to being cheerful and happy. So, for them, being in a family that laughs together is a natural and healthy way to live.

If laughter can keep us together, then it makes sense that in these tricky times, we use laughter as therapy. Think about the suggestions that follow to keep the laughter alive in your family.

• Use a joke book and each night have some family fun reading out jokes.

• Play a joke on your child during the day and surprise them with some laughter.

• Watch a funny movie together that brings laughter and cheerful attitudes to the house.

• Physical exercise can bring laughter into the home as everyone chats about the fun activities they did on their bike, skateboard etc.

• Write little cheery notes and put them under your child’s pillow. This is a wonderful surprise element.

• If you have a pet such as a dog at home family fun together can bring laughter to the house.

• Play family games. There are many board games etc. that bring laughter and fun to everyone.

• Do you have any funny family stories to tell the children? This can often be an entertaining time for all.

Laughter is cheap. It doesn’t cost anything and if we simply look around our home, I am sure you will find reasons to smile and laugh.

• Become a witty, fun person around your children. You will get so much positive feedback from engaging with your children in this way. You feel more fully alive when laughing with your children.

• Be imaginative. Draw, dance, skip with your children. It brings out the laughter and creativity of the family. This may mean being a little different from the usual person you are, but we are in times where we need to stretch our imagination and accept challenges.

• Take care to limit the negative talk. People generally feel better and happier when less negative discussion is around.

• Be a little more tolerant when mistakes are made. Less time spent in behaviour management and more time in being happy together makes for a calmer, more cheerful family.

• Try noticing less mistakes and problems around the house. This will slow down feelings of anxiety and cheer you up.

These thoughts are all about finding different avenues in which to bring joy and laughter into the home. Every family has their own unique way of laughing and playing together. After all, happiness is a very natural state for a person in which to live. Our physical and mental health is all the better for laughter in today’s unsettling world. See it as another important immunisation against mental deterioration.

“A day without laughter is a day wasted.”

— Charlie Chaplin

The Art of being Happy

Our children deserve to be happy. By nature of being a child, they are keen to smile, feel happy and enjoy their early years filled with imagination and light. Sounds idealistic I appreciate. We also know how we have to keep them in the real world which at times can be a quick shock to be taken out of fantasy, creativity and imagination.

However, being happy around your children is a warm and delightful way to demonstrate that life can and should be happy. Some of us have more serious dispositions. Some are lighter and look for the enjoyment and lighter side of life. Therefore, all families will be different in how they present themselves to their children.

We do need to teach our children that happiness can be found in any moments of the day, across a lifetime. It should be clear what makes us happy and we should be looking optimistically for things that make us happy. Such a disposition is mentally healthy. It is all about how we feel inside and we all naturally want to feel healthy and happy inside ourselves.

If a classroom does not have a happy disposition, the children’s capacity to learn is down. They want to be around happy light-minded teachers as they feel reassured and valued. Such teachers give them reassurance that they can make mistakes as they learn.

When hiring teachers, I was always looking for those teachers who savoured life and had a happy disposition. I owed this to the children they would teach.

My job as Principal was to ensure that the pal was very obvious in the word, Principal. The more they saw you as a friendly, happy person, the more approachable you seemed to them and therefore the more relevant.

Consider the following concepts that you teach your child when you are happy in yourself.

Let’s teach our children that happiness can be found in any moments of the day, across a lifetime.

• They want to imitate that sense of being happy. You’re modelling here is so important.

• They see it as the right way to be rather than anxious and unsettled. This means that they are less inclined to gravitate around people who bring them down.

• They seek out similar children who likewise enjoy being happy and avoid those that bring them down.

• When they are happy, they likewise will attract similar personalities.

• Children begin to condition themselves into wanting to feel good. It is a more satisfying feeling than being down and intense. This is a positive outcome from being happy.

• They are developing into more interesting young adults when they seek out happiness. People notice warm hearted people.

As they build on happiness, they become more insightful people who see life as a great opportunity and a place in which to be.

“Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.”

—        Charles R Swindoll

Let’s celebrate the simple joys of being around our children.

How much thought do we give to how many times we just smell the roses and experience joy with our children? Time passes so quickly and with it, life experiences move swiftly passed our consciousness. What can stay and linger in our minds is how we shared a laugh and simply enjoyed the moment with our children.

There is nothing more rewarding than walking into a classroom and hearing laughter from the teacher and children. That is a clear sign that the children are enjoying their learning experiences and trust in their environment.

Doing things with your children that you love should bring a sense of joy to all involved. Simply being happy with your child is an immense success as an effective parent. This sends a message to the child that all is well with themselves and parent.

The calm, steady sense of being joyful also feeds into a child’s sense of security, reducing anxiety and stress. Simple things like laughing about a joke together, telling jokes, noticing together the funny side of a situation. All of these display a positive, healthy disposition to life and send signals to your child that being happy is the best state in which to live.

When working with children, it was always important to set the scene before talking about matters that may concern the child. We would start with something light such as talking about the great sports day we had yesterday or the funny moment when the bell went at the wrong time. This gives a message to the child that we can discuss matters knowing that we share a common love of life in a positive setting.

Start looking at simple activities you do together as joyful times. Even chatting together in the car, playing “I spy” etc. is a time of joy and fun. It about being alive and positive together.

Family games are also a wonderful time to enjoy each other’s company and to find a sense of joy in the occasion. Choose funny books to have a laugh together when reading.

My own children, now well grown, will occasionally talk about the funny or quirky situations they shared with their mother. These are memorable and tell a story. Remember parents do not have to be perfect, just normal is quite enough.

If you are busy and tired take care not to show this tension to your child.  These occasions can be very real road blocks for having happy, quality time together.

Try keeping in mind that any situation no matter how ordinary can become a time of joy. All it requires is your awareness of how a situation can turn into a happy experience. For example, if all is quiet in the car, chat about the funny sign you just read or sing a song together.

Happy people that see the joy in everyday activities are very positive people that others enjoy being around. This blog is about finding the joy and sharing the moment.

“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter”

— Nicolas Chamfort