The Art of Being Funny

Moses has been known to love to laugh. This has at times brought much joy to people. When in church he is always ready to oblige a preacher by laughing heartily at his jokes…The laughter produced by Moses many times has been funnier than the joke that first extracted it. Moses can have an annoying laugh, one that has forced me to tell him to curb because it is almost demonic sounding. Forced laughter in our house is stifled. But in a natural state Moses has a very clean and unadulterated laugh.
Moses is also getting to the age where the elementary jokes form. These jokes are considered in the highest quality…lame. But to the innocent of mind they are funny. To the people that are just awakening to the world and all its meaning they are genius.
Moses’ favorite joke right now is “Pete-and Re-peat” and you will hear him in his room doing any number of chores telling himself this joke and laughing….
“Pete and Re-Pete were sitting on a log. Pete fell off, who was left?” He will then answer himself…”Re-Pete” and he laughs….
This unannounced need to show his comedian proes is enough to embarrass the fire out of you, when company comes and your eight-year-old starts spouting. You shrug, laugh, pat your son on the head and say…”Very funny sweetheart…thanks..” and then you pray that the accolades you gave were enough to curb any further stand-up.
After Moses’ last display of humor I think he sensed his audience had had enough and he needed to scout out new material.
We were on our way to church when Moses had a request.
“Hey, tell me something funny!”
Aaron and I exchanged a rather exaggerated look…that sighed inwardly. We laughed…well here it went…amusement for Moses.
Aaron looked back in his rearview mirror at his son. The look on Moses face was full of anticipation of the funny that would come.
“Knock-knock” Aaron said….
Moses’ face was still smiling…like a deranged manikin. His little eyes shifted over at me like…’is that it?’ though he sat there still waiting for the punch line.
Realizing the silence meant that our son had NO idea what we were talking about I snickered…
Aaron muttered to me..”He doesn’t know what a knock-knock joke is?”
“I believe this is when he gets taught…” I eyed my husband…finding the fact that we were going to introduce to our son an age old American idea…the knock-knock joke.
“Moses, when I tell you ‘knock-knock’ you’re supposed to say ‘who’s there’.” Aaron was grinning from the hilarity in teaching such a subject.
“Ohhhhh”
“Okay…let's try this again.” Aaron maneuvered the van while giving this lesson. “Knock-knock”
Moses was hesitating so I made contact with him and instructed while nodding my head..”Who’s there?” and Moses said it along with me…
Aaron took his queue’ and said “Banana”
Moses exploded in the back seat with laughter…Aaron and I looked at each other…I started laughing…and said “Good job, Honey!”
“Wow, I had no idea I was so funny.” He steered around a bend in the road.
“You just had to have the right audience.” I gave a rye glance his way. He rolled his eyes..
“I guess.” Aaron looked into the mirror to see if Moses, who was genuinely laughing had stopped.
“Moses, Moses….” Aaron drove and talked to his son…”Moses you’re supposed to say ‘Banana who’….” He looked at his son…
“Oooooh”
“Okay, let’s try this again. Knock-knock.” He paused..
I prompted Moses…”Who’s there”
Banana?”
Aaron then proceeds with a joke that is supposed to say “Banana” is at the door about 3-4 times….the joke ends with it being “Orange”…the punch-line being….”Orange you glad I didn’t say Banana again?”
We never really got that far….every time Aaron answered the “door” as a banana it just made Moses crazy with laughter…
We did manage to get through the entire joke once….but he seems to be happy with just answering the door to find whatever ridiculous object his father has dreamed up.
Aaron tried out a less elaborate knock-knock joke.
“Knock-knock” he started
“Who’s there?”
“Boo!” Aaron answered….We waited for Moses’ laughter to subside, he then responded (with prompting)
“Boo-who?”
“It’s just a joke; you don’t have to cry about it.” Moses who doesn’t always fire on all cylinders hesitated for only a moment before bursting, and I do mean BURSTING into laughter.
I still don’t think he understood the logistics of the “knock-knock”….he got to church and he still was making jokes that ran like this..
“Knock-knock”
“Who’s there?”
“Orange!!!” then would follow rails and billows of laughter!!!!
Adults look at us like we have lost our senses….As funny as it is I still cannot believe this is my son…when I have been known at times for a bit of a dry wit…can have a son who is floundering in the area of slap-stick.
Oh well…maybe one day he may have enough of a grip for me to unleash my favorite play ground joke….
“Why do cannibals not eat clowns?”
“Because, they taste funny.”