Getting to know you - Part 4: Using humour

Everybody loves a good laugh, especially children. In fact, one of the age old methods of distracting children (i.e. they are crying or insistent on getting an expensive toy) is to tell them a joke. Farting loudly works too - but unfortunately forcing it sometimes leads to messy consequences - which actually might be quite funny too.

Life is a stage, and we're all stand up comics trying to make a living, or at least get someone to smile. So if you're really trying to generate a few giggles from an audience, let them be your kids. It's simple, rewarding and when they are young, they'll laugh at anything. And as you know, laughter eases the tension, calms the mood and gives the neighbours one less reason to call the cops.

So tell them a joke. Suggest something silly. Make fun of them (don't overdo it), make fun of yourself, make fun of their friends. Ask them a weird question and then give them an even stranger answer. If all else fails, poke their bellybutton (that always works - see the picture of Amber here).

Kids were born to laugh, they want to laugh, they have to laugh. You just need to say or do the right thing to make it happen giving them the permission to do so. If you can't think of anything, just show them this.