Fooling with Your Kids

How to Embarass, Fool, and Joke with Your Kids

Not only is it our "birth"-right to play jokes on our children, it is also our sacred duty, and one that my wife and I take very seriously. After all, how else will they learn patience? How will they learn humility? How will they learn to fool and embarrass our grandchildren when the
 time comes?

Embarrassment
There are numerous ways to embarrass your kids. Some kids are embarrassed by the mere presence of their parents when they're hanging out with their friends. This should be exploited whenever possible. Accentuate whatever traits you possess that your kids find embarrassing. If possible, combine these traits for maximum impact. For example, if your singing embarrasses them and they can't stand old country music, pull up to the school to pick them up with your windows open, belting out "Lovesick Blues" at the top of your lungs. Volunteer to chaperon the high school dance, and show up wearing the same pastel-colored velvetine tuxedo you wore to your 1979 prom. While there, offer to teach your daughter, her date, and all her friends how to do the "Electric Slide."
Embarrassing your teenage kids is almost too easy, and can be done pretty much anywhere at any time. Whip out the baby pix showing your son in the buff. Say things like "Aw, my little man is growing up. Looks like he's finally gotten over the 'girls have cooties' phase." These are especially good when your son is spending time with a new girlfriend.

Related information
  • Practical jokes on your kids is fun and educational. Well, at least humbling.
 
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B.A. - Yes! That is *exactly* the kind of thing I'm talking about. The older I get, the more convinced I am that embarrassing my kids, along with a general decline in my concern for political correctness and the freedom of expression thus allowed, are the things that make aging tolerable.

Posted on 02/05/2009 at 6:02:30 PM

Joe, I could not resist an article titled "Fooling With Your Kids," and I was not disappointed. In fact, your story reminded me of an incident I was tangentially involved with with a mother-daughter fooling time. We were pulled into a spot at a fast food place where they brought the order out to the car. For some reason, my friend's mother got out of the car---which prompted my friend to think it would be funny to lock her mom out. Mother returned and began to pull on the door handle, imploring her now giggling daughter to unlock the door. Finally, Mother said: "If you don't open this door, I will stand here and outdo Ethel Merman in singing the Star-Spangled Banner." Well, you can guess what happened next . . . We were too slow on the draw and before we knew it, yes, Mother was filling her lungs with a mighty breath and letting loose on our heart-warming national anthem . . . !

Posted on 02/05/2009 at 3:02:59 PM

Quite and interesting article that is a pleasure to read...

Posted on 02/02/2009 at 7:02:04 AM

Haha! Great article!

Posted on 11/26/2008 at 9:11:53 PM

Nice job with this article. I love to cut up with my kids but sometimes when I am serious its a hard sell. They think Im pulling their chain. I remember when my daughter first asked me what gay was. She thought I was making the whole thing up and had to call my mom to see if thats how it really worked. Kids are a blast. My daughter leaves for college this next week and I will miss her with all my being.

Posted on 08/06/2008 at 12:08:49 PM

Great read. Nice article.

Posted on 04/23/2008 at 8:04:44 AM

LOL Good job Joe!

Posted on 04/11/2008 at 10:04:05 AM

Hillarious, Joe. Thanks for discovering my story so I could discover your good work. I'll be back for more, you can bet on that!

Posted on 04/10/2008 at 9:04:17 AM

Umm, Joe that is so mean but very funny!

Posted on 04/04/2008 at 5:04:22 PM

Lol!

Posted on 04/02/2008 at 11:04:33 PM

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