So Young Now...

KNOCK KNOCK...
In my entire life, I have never really gotten the humor in a "knock-knock joke." I get the puns and plays on words, but I just never found them funny. I don't think a knock knock joke has ever made me smile...until last night.

A little history...I don't know how Nicole and Max started telling these jokes, but it has been at least a few years that they have been doing them. One will say "knock- knock" and the other says "who's there" and then the first will look around the room and say any object they see, like "spoon" and the other will say "spoon who" and the first will focus on another object and say "spoon lamp." And they will both go into an hysterical frenzy of laughter and then the second one will start the joke and do the same thing. "coffee pot lightbulb" (laughter); "phone doll" (laughter). So, not only do I never find a "real" knock-knock joke funny, but I certainly haven't heard anything resembling funny in this house for a long time! (Lest you think I am mean, I DO laugh with the kids as they tell their jokes!) Anyway, I am sure Jack doesn't really get the knock-knock jokes, but he sees that they elicit a good response---laughter and happiness!

Last night, Jack woke up in the middle of the night. I have never been a good middle of the night person, and so when my kids have gotten up in the middle of the night (and thank goodness it is pretty rare!) they won't find me very receptive. Kurt went in to see what was up, and tried to get him back to sleep. He cryed out again a little later, and I went in to see what was going on with him. As soon as I walked in to his room, I said in a firm voice that it was night time, that he had to stop crying and that he needed to be asleep! I didn't make eye contact with him and didn't mince words. He knew I wasn't too happy. He didn't say or do anything for some time and then thinking fast on his feet, he tried to instill a little humor into the situation. I heard "mommy knock-knock!!" and he started laughing hysterically. I suppose he thought this would elicit the laughter that it did with Nicole and Max---and it did, but I did manage to hold it in until I got out of the door of his room!