I just spent a good half hour reading through knock-knock jokes, jotting down the ones I thought Scooter might enjoy. At bedtime, we read a book that included a few, and he laughed so much that I realized I needed to refresh my memory. My mother-in-law told me when I wandered back to the living room that she and my father-in-law had turned down the television so that they could hear his laughter.
There is, of course, the wonder that is little kid laughter. I consider myself very lucky that Scooter has always been prone to the giggles. And he has always sought out the silly and funny in life; I like to think it reflects well on his upbringing, though it could also be his genetic programming (particularly my father's side).
There is also a little thrill for me in this discovery of knock-knock jokes, because it seems like he actually gets why they are funny. He understands the puns--and understanding puns requires an understanding of language and how the expected has been violated.
His delivery of the jokes is pretty much what I'd expect at his age. When he's not repeating the ones he's already heard, he tries variations on them that don't quite work. Example from tonight: Knock-knock. Who's there? Orange. Orange who? Orange porange. This, of course, after having heard from me (albeit a couple weeks ago now) the old standard of "Banana" several times, followed by "Orange you glad I didn't say, 'Banana?'" But at least he's rhyming. And I'm pretty sure neither of my sisters told jokes any funnier than that at his age.
Scooter's absolute favorite knock-knock joke, possibly the first one that really connected for him, is an old stand-by. Knock-knock. Who's there? Boo. Boo who? Don't cry. It's only a joke.
Except that for me, it's even more than a joke. It's an encouraging reminder of how far he's come!
4 comments:
Aww so cute!
I love it when the kids start enjoying jokes! Liam has always been a huge fan of knock-knock jokes. When he was two a dear friend gave us a CD of "Silly Jokes and Riddles" and it is *non-stop* silly knock-knock jokes and slapstick riddles. Perfect for long car trips if you can stand it.
That's awesome!
Matt loves saying "knock knock" but doesn't get it - he just laughs because he knows it is funny.
But you're right, kids laughter is infectious.
We are in eactly the same stage right now! She gets why the jokes I tell are funny, but when she tells them, she either uses rhyming words that don't really make sense or a collection of words she finds funny, usually including "head" or "poop," like "banana zucchini head!" or "orange chicken poop!" It's silly, but also cute and I let the ruder words like poop slide in that venue, so it gives her a way to say them, to her great delight, without it being name-calling (which is Trouble).
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