A 4 year old and her first joke.

My daughter is almost 4. You would know that in the first 5 minutes as she says that all the time. She turns 4 on April 21st and I feel like she IS turning into such a big girl.

I don't know how it came about as I was in my son's room at the time but somewhere between brushing teeth and bed, my hubby taught my daughter her first joke. She thought it was hilarious and couldn't stop laughing when my husband was telling it, so she learned it herself. She took it very seriously, learning every word. I don't think she gets what she is saying...or even gets that it doesn't really mean anything but she LOVES that she is telling a joke. She loves it so much, in fact, that she wants to tell it all the time. It makes me laugh only because she gets so excited about the opportunity.

Then, I really thought about it. Telling a joke is a great exercise for a kid. Especially for a shy little girl like my daughter. My mom was worried about how shy I was when I was her age, so she enrolled me in our community acting class. All I remember is playing "Little Red Riding Hood"....and not very well! But when a kid tells a joke, they are using their memory skills, their listening skills and their verbal skills...not to mention the fact they get a great deal of confidence from a laughing audience. My daughter's face lights up when we laugh at the end of her joke. She feels a huge sense of accomplishment from delivering us a dose of happy and it shows.

So, keep um clean but enjoy the art of joke telling with your kids...it is really fun. Oh yeah, and here is her joke....
"Why did the chicken cross the road?" (Why?) "To get to the other side." Which has now turned into... "Why did the princess cross the road?" (why?) "To get to the other castle."