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Knock, Knock, Who's There?
Developing a Sense of Humor in Toddlers
By Beth Hering
Andrea Frazer Paventi of Los Angeles, Calif., employs a similar strategy to deal with whining. "I'll say, 'Oh, it's so sad for you. But you can't get it all. I want a maid, a cook, and...' Then they'll chime in 'A nanny!'"
Children are great at mimicking adults. Thus, our own ability to laugh at life or diffuse situations through humor can help them grow up to be more easy-going, peace-seeking people.
But don't expect that you and your child will always see eye to eye on what is funny.
"Because of their stage of development and rather limited comprehension, toddlers love good-natured teasing more so than actual jokes and riddles," says Dr. Jennifer Shu, a pediatrician and co-author of the book Heading Home with Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2005). "They tend to love it when adults look and act silly and not too bright, possibly because they're so used to being little, almost helpless people compared to all-knowing and capable adults. It can crack them up to see an adult practically acting like a child."
Julie Tilsner, a mother of two from Long Beach, Calif., agrees. "It's really, really funny when Mommy or Daddy does something obviously silly, such as put straws up their noses or eat off the plate like a dog," she says. "It's particularly delightful for toddlers because they can 'identify' the behavior as silly and not normal. It makes them feel more grownup ('That's not how you eat, Daddy!') while also getting a laugh."
To the dismay of many adults, young children often enjoy jokes about bodily functions. "My boys are 3 and 6, and, sadly, they love nothing more than a good potty joke," Hogan says. "We were reading a book the other day where all the characters had silly names like Professor Poopypants and Booger Toilethead, and they just about died laughing."
