I miss fun and laughter and joy in my life. Not that I don't have moments, it's just different now and has probably been different for awhile, the change happened subtly. In a way I didn't realise how much that black cloud had impacted my life until it sent a massive storm of torrential rain and destroyed my sanity. Lately I find myself thinking about all the joyful moments filled with laughter when I was a child and I can't help but make comparisons to what my children experience. They are governed by technology nowadays and opportunities for those moments of jokes and stories, the human connectedness, are limited. Though somewhat dysfunctional routines in our household does not assist with cultivating those opportunities. Unfortunately it is what it is and it is something that I can't tackle right now, much of my energy is spent trying to continue to be stable and keeping the day to day cogs turning. Of course life wasn't always roses when I was a little though, but recently I have had a chance to reflect on some of the things I miss from that time when I was a young girl.
For instance my Mum has a special way of telling a story and a joke, she has the best sense of humour. I often think of moments as a kid where I would collapse in hysterics because of some Mum story or joke. I miss that. She often messages me with jokes she has come across. She did just that while I was writing this blog post, funnily enough. My Mum knows the value of laughter. Her siblings, my Aunties and Uncle, have that similar sense of humour too, and when they get together over the years, they have a way of bouncing off each other which is fun to watch. Sadly two Aunts have passed away now. I don't remember having much of that back and forth with my siblings, I think being the youngest it was a bit tough. I mostly remember being a bit of a nuisance to my older siblings. I Ioved reading joke books as a kid. I think I started to read them because I wanted to be funny. But I never was, I could never remember the jokes. Though my best friend's family thought I was hilarious, but often I think they mistook my straightforward responses as jokes or perhaps they were just making fun of me. I remember it would baffle me as to why they were laughing when I knew I wasn't telling jokes or trying to be funny. But I also couldn't quite tell if they were laughing at me either. I guess I was just happy to be in the presence of laughter. It feels like sunshine to be in room filled with laughter and joy. Anyway the funny hat in my family goes to my brother just above me. He was always quick witted and had a way of back and forth banter, especially with Mum. I would always fail with the comebacks, I would think of something to say hours or days later. By then it doesn't matter, but I felt redeemed at least in my head. I have some of that joke, banter stuff with my children occasionally. But not the sit down and tell funny stories kind of stuff I remember fondly from my childhood. Well maybe my perspective is skewed, the moments my children will remember and find meaningful will obviously be different from what I experienced as a child. That's just the cycle of life and the generation gap I guess. Comedy transcends generations though and I think I was brought up on some of the greats of comedy. Many passed down from my parents and older siblings. Billy Connolly, Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson (The Young Ones and Filthy Rich & Catflap were favourites), Eddie Murphy's Raw was a memorable stand up moment, though I probably shouldn't have been watching it at my age, I think maybe I was 10, but I still loved it. I absolutely loved watching all the Carry On movies too, sometimes with my Dad, though I don't think he was particularly a fan of them. They are bit frowned upon now, not politically correct and objectifying women, but I didn't care. I loved Sid James and Kenneth Wright,and Joan Sims always played the strong feminine matronly types. I remember we had a cassette of Bill Cosby stand up (though it may have even been a record) which was hilarious, I loved listening to that, though it would be hard to go back and listen or watch anything Bill Cosby now. The Cosby Show was a favourite too. Bill Cosby being in jail because of numerous rape charges kind of takes the joy and shine off all that stuff now. Another favourite was the Monty Python gang, though I didn't fully appreciate them until I was an adult. I grew up in the golden era of the sitcom, well that's what I think anyway. And it was awesome. I remember coming home from school probably in the late 80s early 90s and watching Perfect Strangers, I loved that show so much. Afternoon and evening sitcoms were great, though some were a bit hit and miss, but I would watch just about anything. ALF, Who's The Boss?, The Golden Girls, Full House, 'Allo 'Allo, Bird's of a Feather, The Good Life, Keeping Up Appearances, Blackadder. Often it was programs Mum and Dad watched too, or siblings. But mostly Mum and Dad. I think that was the best thing about it, spending time with family, with Mum and Dad especially and laughing. Dad always preferred the British shows, he still can't stand any American Tv shows. Mum would watch both. Nowadays with the internet and multiple streaming services, my children can watch just about anything they want to when they want to (well within reason). They aren't relegated to having to watch whatever Mum and Dad or older siblings are watching. Our loungeroom TV is often taken over by children's shows and movies or some YouTube viral video. Baby Shark was kind of big for the two youngest. And well if I could have watched Sesame Street on repeat when I was a kid, I would have. It is just a different time now. So trying to find more moments to connect with my children is a goal, in particular with fun and laughter in mind. Cultivating their sense of humour before they become old stick in muds like their mother. I think they all naturally have a quirky sense of humour, but our seven year old is at that particular stage where fart jokes are the best. Those special occasions where she declares to the world, "I just farted!", are not really what I envisioned for those opportunities of human connection, but I will take what I can get.
For instance my Mum has a special way of telling a story and a joke, she has the best sense of humour. I often think of moments as a kid where I would collapse in hysterics because of some Mum story or joke. I miss that. She often messages me with jokes she has come across. She did just that while I was writing this blog post, funnily enough. My Mum knows the value of laughter. Her siblings, my Aunties and Uncle, have that similar sense of humour too, and when they get together over the years, they have a way of bouncing off each other which is fun to watch. Sadly two Aunts have passed away now. I don't remember having much of that back and forth with my siblings, I think being the youngest it was a bit tough. I mostly remember being a bit of a nuisance to my older siblings. I Ioved reading joke books as a kid. I think I started to read them because I wanted to be funny. But I never was, I could never remember the jokes. Though my best friend's family thought I was hilarious, but often I think they mistook my straightforward responses as jokes or perhaps they were just making fun of me. I remember it would baffle me as to why they were laughing when I knew I wasn't telling jokes or trying to be funny. But I also couldn't quite tell if they were laughing at me either. I guess I was just happy to be in the presence of laughter. It feels like sunshine to be in room filled with laughter and joy. Anyway the funny hat in my family goes to my brother just above me. He was always quick witted and had a way of back and forth banter, especially with Mum. I would always fail with the comebacks, I would think of something to say hours or days later. By then it doesn't matter, but I felt redeemed at least in my head. I have some of that joke, banter stuff with my children occasionally. But not the sit down and tell funny stories kind of stuff I remember fondly from my childhood. Well maybe my perspective is skewed, the moments my children will remember and find meaningful will obviously be different from what I experienced as a child. That's just the cycle of life and the generation gap I guess. Comedy transcends generations though and I think I was brought up on some of the greats of comedy. Many passed down from my parents and older siblings. Billy Connolly, Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson (The Young Ones and Filthy Rich & Catflap were favourites), Eddie Murphy's Raw was a memorable stand up moment, though I probably shouldn't have been watching it at my age, I think maybe I was 10, but I still loved it. I absolutely loved watching all the Carry On movies too, sometimes with my Dad, though I don't think he was particularly a fan of them. They are bit frowned upon now, not politically correct and objectifying women, but I didn't care. I loved Sid James and Kenneth Wright,and Joan Sims always played the strong feminine matronly types. I remember we had a cassette of Bill Cosby stand up (though it may have even been a record) which was hilarious, I loved listening to that, though it would be hard to go back and listen or watch anything Bill Cosby now. The Cosby Show was a favourite too. Bill Cosby being in jail because of numerous rape charges kind of takes the joy and shine off all that stuff now. Another favourite was the Monty Python gang, though I didn't fully appreciate them until I was an adult. I grew up in the golden era of the sitcom, well that's what I think anyway. And it was awesome. I remember coming home from school probably in the late 80s early 90s and watching Perfect Strangers, I loved that show so much. Afternoon and evening sitcoms were great, though some were a bit hit and miss, but I would watch just about anything. ALF, Who's The Boss?, The Golden Girls, Full House, 'Allo 'Allo, Bird's of a Feather, The Good Life, Keeping Up Appearances, Blackadder. Often it was programs Mum and Dad watched too, or siblings. But mostly Mum and Dad. I think that was the best thing about it, spending time with family, with Mum and Dad especially and laughing. Dad always preferred the British shows, he still can't stand any American Tv shows. Mum would watch both. Nowadays with the internet and multiple streaming services, my children can watch just about anything they want to when they want to (well within reason). They aren't relegated to having to watch whatever Mum and Dad or older siblings are watching. Our loungeroom TV is often taken over by children's shows and movies or some YouTube viral video. Baby Shark was kind of big for the two youngest. And well if I could have watched Sesame Street on repeat when I was a kid, I would have. It is just a different time now. So trying to find more moments to connect with my children is a goal, in particular with fun and laughter in mind. Cultivating their sense of humour before they become old stick in muds like their mother. I think they all naturally have a quirky sense of humour, but our seven year old is at that particular stage where fart jokes are the best. Those special occasions where she declares to the world, "I just farted!", are not really what I envisioned for those opportunities of human connection, but I will take what I can get.
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