The Power of Laughter

When  our children are being home schooled we sometimes forget that they are under different kinds of stress than we are.  As we learn to understand ourselves it makes it easier to understand our children. In many ways they are a mirror of who we are and how we are acting.  There are times when we just can not get it together. Our mind wanders off into weird areas and leaves us wondering where we were at. The everyday minor problems overwhelm our ability to move forward. We forget to really listen to those we love and just assume that we know how they are doing. We snap at our child for not doing a simple math problem correctly that they mastered weeks ago and then feel terrible because they have the look of a wounded squirrel on their face. A single tear rolls from their eye and the day is a total disaster!  Stop! It is time to remember the power of laughter.

  Of course, it would have been better to have done this before the tragedy, but we all make mistakes!Laughter provides us with a release of tension. It allows our mind and hearts to recenter on what is really important in our lives. So, tell a joke. Here is a child friendly one. “What does a one ton canary say in a dark alley? ……here kitty, kitty!”  Okay, I know you can come up with better ones, but I remember my husband telling me that one on a particularly dark day and it made me smile and still does to this day.

  When you laugh there are physical and mental changes in your body. The physical body releases chemicals that heal and strengthen the cells. These chemicals react on the tight muscles and release the tension that is lurking there. The mind gets a vacation. All of those chemicals get to flush out the little negative slush that has accumulated in it and allows it to function in a more positive manner.

  Our children, whether they home school or attend public school, have their own set of problems and tension. They have times when everything is going wrong for them. That is a part of being alive! So use the power of laughter to help straighten out their hearts and minds. If you go over to YouTube and put in the word “Funny” or “Laugh” you can find a wealth of giggles waiting to be shared. Put on a monkey mask and act like a chimpanzee around the house, bounce around and make funny noises. Use all the wonderful free resources out there to encourage your and their Power of Laughter!  Get creative with your laugh causing ability and you will find that all of your days go better!

What are some of your ideas for encouraging laughter in your life? You can tweet me @homeschoolchris . I love comments and thoughts!