While I realize that my boys will physically grow up, that they will – God willing – develop mentally and emotionally to the point that they will have their own lives, I am beginning to think none of us ever truly grows up.
Some examples of life in my house:
A child calls, “Mom, I can’t find my balls!”
A grown man says, “Ha. He said balls.” (There is only one grown man in this house, so you can probably figure out to whom I’m referring.)
A child says, “Wow, that’s a big one!”
Two grown people say, quietly so the child doesn’t catch on and repeat at school, “That’s what she said.” And then the grown people laugh and laugh, like they just made the funniest, most original joke ever.
Our oldest hears everything we say. We suspect he can hear our thoughts. So even though we think we’re exchanging our immature jokes quietly, we should really check ourselves. It’s only a matter of time before That’s what she said! is shouted in response to a well meaning teacher saying something like, Oh, what a big boy you are.
So far only a few harmless oddities have escaped H’s mouth at school. He hums the Sanford and Son theme song, because I do a little rendition of that every time I get frustrated about a mess. So, you know, daily. Doo-do-doo-do. Doo-do-doo-do-do-do-do.
And yesterday when Mark walked in the room to pick up H at school, our four-year-old shouted, “What’s happenin’ Raj?”* And Mark responded “Hey, hey, hey.” The preschool teacher gave Mark the strangest, most quizzical look, to which he just shrugged the international response: Kids, where do they get this stuff? At home. That’s where.
In my day to day life, in my interactions with almost everyone I know, I am – I swear – a mature adult. I’ve sat in meetings with CEO’s and senators. I made not one off-color joke in those meetings. Really. I even kept my sarcasm in check, because I realized a long, long time ago that almost nobody gets my sarcasm (should I be more self aware and realize that maybe I’m just not that funny? Uh, no.). Anyway, I am a real, live grown up person. Shut up.
But I live in a house full of male people. Before our toddler could even say Dada or Mama, he giggled at burps and farts. Men come wired to love a gross joke, an icky reference to bodily functions. And grown men? Everything – every.thing. – can be turned into a sexual double entendre. I’ve heard from friends with girls that their daughters can be just as immature, so it’s clearly not a male-only phenomenon. As much as I try to deny it, to be the lady of the house, there’s just something entertaining about tapping into that junior high sensibility.
It makes me wonder, where do we draw that line with our kids? Sure, we don’t want them shouting, Ha, he said balls! during preschool recess, but I believe it’s important for the home to be a place where laughter is shared over a variety of things. Not just appropriate, church-worthy jokes. We have to learn to laugh at ourselves and see the humor in every day. Otherwise life is just way too hard. Way too sad.
I really want my kids to develop a well rounded sense of humor. I want them to appreciate comedy in all its forms. I also want them to be mature adults.
So how do we strike the balance?
For me it comes down to their emotional maturity level. Can they understand the joke? Do they know enough to not blurt it out at school?
Our kids are really little now, and they are far from emotional maturity. Far, far, far. We keep things age appropriate (honest, we do), meaning we’ve curbed our exclamations, no matter how quiet, of That’s what she said, et al. For now we’re working on comedic timing and telling knock-out knock-knock jokes.
H’s current favorite:
Knock-knock.
Who’s there?
Interrupting cow.
Interrupting cow [insert loud MOOOOO by joke teller here] who?
I wonder, do you allow yourself the occasional regression? Or do you find it offensive when people go all junior high on you? What do you think about off color or immature jokes? How do you expose your kids to comedy?
*According to Wikipedia, so it must be true, Roger Thomas is shortened to Raj, not Rog. Why did I even look this up? I have no idea. I had this sudden urge to confirm my Raj/Rog spelling. I, apparently, want to show proper respect to the cast and characters of What’s Happeninning!!
Lapsed homemaker. Looking to hire a full-time housekeeper who will work for the sheer joy of a job well done and free coffee. Interested parties, DM please. 
LOL!! My girls tell that same joke! And after a while it does tend to get old.
My oldest is in 9th grade and comes home with all sorts of jokes and what not. Some are ok and others are not. While they may be funny we’re quick to point out that they’re not the kind of jokes that we say in a public setting. She knows and understands this.
@Jackie, Ha! I remember trying out jokes on my parents and watching their faces. I could always tell when I’d gone too far.
Missy, I so remember when The Boy came home years ago with the cow joke. Oh, we thought it was so funny & still do. I agree about trying to figure out how to balance. I think both my kids have a wicked sense of humor. Well, really, how can they not with me as the queen momma. Anyway, I think constantly teaching that “appropriate” timing is everything.
BTW, Dan would have totttaaallllllyyy said, “Ha, he said balls” too.
@Christina, I have no doubt your kids are funny, funny!
My kindergartner is really starting to love the jokes! I think it’s important to laugh and keep humor alive in the home! I find it very hard not to laugh when he is trying to rhyme and says a bad word without knowing it. Obviously, we don’t make a big deal b/c he has no idea.
Ofcourse toilet humor always gets a laugh even from our 3 yr old daughter who likes to say “tootie toot”!
@Melissa (Confessions of a Dr.Mom), Don’t you find yourself biting your cheek, trying not to crack up when they say crazy stuff? One laugh and you’re doomed to hearing them repeat it over and over and over… 🙂
I too am surrounded by males. And I can’t help but laugh at burps. And farts. I guess it was meant to be.
http://www.pampersandpinot.com
@Kristy, That’s how I feel. God knew I needed boys!
I swear I’m part 12-year-old boy. I giggle at the weirdest things.
But there is certainly a time and a place and I know better than to laugh in the middle of a meeting with our college president when she’s talking about duties.
“Haha! She said ‘doodies!’“
@Karen Peterson, Too funny. Duties/doodies is another one that always gets a laugh at our house (from the adults, since the kids don’t get it yet). I sat through many meetings biting the inside of my cheek, trying not to crack a joke about the things people said. What would life be like if we all said whatever we thought? 😉
This sounds exactly like my husband. And me. Ha! Hey, I know I have a dirty mind but I don’t care. I know when to reign it in. ; )
@Amber, That’s the key – knowing when to keep those thoughts to yourself. But it’s hard (that’s what she said…).
Hubby and I are always going “that’s what she said.” We’re totally immature like that. Big Roo thinks farts are hilarious and when I read a line about Thomas the Train “tooting” he cracks up. I think it’s just boys but I’m cool with that!
@Melissa {adventuroo}, Oh, H cracked up at Thomas tooting the other day, too. Boys. They’re so cute and so gross. I love it!
OMG this sounds like my house! Already my 4 yr old and almost 2 yr old crack up when the other burps. They think its the funniest thing ever. And my hubby will often crack jokes with them. We would like them to have a good sense of humor too.
@Tina @ Life Without Pink, A burb was one of the first things our toddler really cracked up about. And of course it made us laugh, which then made him really laugh. Now he fake burps to get laughs. We’re in trouble!
Love your new picture, by the way! 🙂
@Wonderfriend, That would be “burp” not “burb.” Oops.
This post made me laugh.
I taught an all-male eighth grade math class one year. The maturity level in that class was probably three years below my co-ed classes. The bodily noises abounded, but other than that, I loved them.
@angela, There is just something so great about a room full of gross, silly boys. They are who they are and you can’t help but laugh. It smells terrible, but at least they’re funny! I admire you for spending an entire school year with a room full of 8th grade boys – yikes!
Balls is the greatest word ever invented for immature men/boys like myself. I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of balls. That’s what she said.
@Pop, Just read this comment out loud to Mark. I think you may have scored yourself a new blog reader. He was dying.