“Do you get it?”
“Yep, I got it alright! It’s pretty darn funny!”
“No, I mean did you really get it? How do you get a baby astronaut to sleep? You rock-et (laugh, laugh, laugh)! You know instead of ROCKET, it’s rock-et. Like you’re rocking a baby in a rocking chair. Are you sure you get it?”
“Honey, I really get it. Really. Truly. I totally understand it. It’s so funny. If I could slap my knee any harder it would fall off. The thing I don’t get though is who on earth would put a clearance on a baby to go in outer space. That part doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“Well, maybe it’s dad who is a real astronaut couldn’t find a babysitter so he had to bring his baby to work with him.”
“Yeah, maybe. That sounds about like my luck too.”
And this is how it is now. My 8 year old daughter “gets” jokes finally. I never thought this day would come. For the last two years she has checked out joke books at the library and I have had to explain every single joke and she still could not comprehend them.
Just 6 months ago while going through a knock-knock joke phase she would make up her own jokes. Her favorite was:
Knock, Knock
Who’s There?
Tigger
Tigger who?
Tiggerific
It doesn’t even make any sense. If I heard that joke once I must have heard it 5000 times and I had to do an obligatory laugh every time she told it. There were days that I often considered dunking my head in a bucket of boiling acid but I held out hope that this phase would soon pass. And it did.
For a fleeting moment I was happy when she finally started “getting” jokes. That is until she started explaining every single one to me and why they were funny. She does not have to tell me why an astronaut’s mid afternoon meal is called “launch” instead of lunch. I get it. It’s so hilarious; now pass me the bucket of boiling acid.
I really should just be content with this new stage. It’s sweet and innocent. It really doesn’t constitute much effort from me except for a hearty laugh every time to let her know “I got it. I really, really got it!”
Besides, I’m sure I’m going to really despise the next stage; the next stage when she “gets” jokes like: “When life gives you lemons, stick them in your bra.”
“Do you get it? Instead of making lemonade you stick them in your bra because your boobs are as flat as pancakes.”
Yep, I got it. Totally get it. It sure is funny. It’s actually Tiggerific!
Motherhood Is An Art 
Tigger Knock Knock Jokes over boiling buckets of acid, ALWAYS!!!! 😉
You’re right Colleen! You’re right!!
Oh ! How I love It !! The wonders of humor and the pathway it evolves ….. It is so special that she now wants to clue you in ….. NOW that She GETS IT !!!!! LOL
I still remember thinking “Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger” was so hilarious!
My kids do this too. Ha Ha!
I guess there is worse things to complain about but man when she gets on a roll it feels like it will never stop!
Here’s something to chew on: you’ve got two behind her who will go through both stages — get it? LOL!
Hi Jackie! I actually might be lucky with Bency and bypass that stage. He finds this stuff so babyish. I found a joke a few months ago that I thought he would like, “What do you call a dinosaur that needs a bath? A stinkasaurus.” He looked at me and said, “That is the dumbest thing I ever heard.”
Yes, well, Bency is far too intellectual for that joke! LOL! Love it!
My 6 year old daughter is in the “I’m going to tell jokes because they’re funny even though mine don’t make any sense” stage. Such as: “Knock knock. Who’s there? Peanut butter! Peanut butter who?” She then proceeds by asking if we get it. Of course we don’t get it! There is no punch line! I bet we hear this joke every single day & sorry, sweetheart… we still don’t get it.
haha!! Oh man, I’m just dying to know the punch line to that one! I hope your daughter progresses sooner than mine otherwise you’re looking at another 2 years of this stuff!
You will never remember this when you are in the nursing home.
Liz, you really know how to put such a positive spin on everything! Thank you!
A real jokester that kid is. Put her on the stage.
My younger son likes to be on a stage but tells jokes that make no sense. He just looks around the room and says something like why did the chair talk to the table and then come up with some response that makes no sense.
So, bring me to the rocket stage.
ha ha! Who would have thought when we started out as parents we were going to wish for a rocket stage! Also, you are not going to believe this but I just did a search for chair/table jokes because I thought I had heard one before with my vast recent joke knowledge. I found one submitted by a kid that said, “Why did the chair talk to the table? The answer was “bench.” Do you think your son submitted that?!!! haha!
Ahh kids – keeping life interesting – or not.
My son does not repeat jokes he heard – unless they are from movie and then he bungles them – but makes them up on the spot. And it shows.
Ha! Love it! It’s evident the funny bone runs in the family. SNL better look out. Little Iris maybe writing jokes for them one day!
I think she better keep that gig as a hobby and keep her dream of being a teacher or whatever else she is planning at this moment!
I am laughing so hard because I can totally relate! Mikey is the same way! And then once he “gets” a joke, you MUST laugh hysterically every time you hear it. This includes when you watch a favorite show on repeat on a dvd or On Demand and the people on the show do “funny” things. EVERY TIME. “Mom, haha, did you see that? haha. wasn’t that funny? haha. why aren’t you laughing? aren’t you paying attention?” and so on and so forth! I do really like the lemons in the bra joke though. I may have to retell that one myself….and then explain it to someone 🙂
The funny thing about that lemon joke is that it was actually an old Maxine cartoon (the old lady) and my mom used to have it hanging on the fridge! It was the only somewhat risque joke I could think of off the top of my head!
I love Maxine. And how “daring” her comic strip used to be! haha!
i went through this 3 times with my daughters and it doesn’t get any better (or worse depending on your perspective), but this too shall pass, and you really will look back on it fondly )
I’m sure I will Beth! It seems like all of the stages kids go through don’t stick around very long but this one seems like it will never end!
Hehehehehe. Oh how I remember that stage!! It does eventually get better… And then you have the others that you get to go thru the stages with all over again!
Thankfully Bency is much more serious and finds knock-knock jokes so lame but I have a feeling Cesar will give me a run for my money. He is already imitating his sister and peels off the jokes for me and of course he gets them all wrong!
LOL!!
I love that phase when they make up jokes that aren’t jokes and you have to laugh! Kids knock knock joke books should come with alcohol coupons for the parents! (Love the cake by the way!)
You are so right! What an ingenious idea! Also, I was like what cake? Then it finally dawned on me as I looked at the picture again! This was actually a cake I made for the kids last season for the Packer playoff game. They had to blow out the candles and yell “Go Pack Go!” That’s what Iris was actually saying in this picture!
Lol. I’m currently at the tiggerific stage, so yes… Boiling acid is an option I would consider.
haha!! It’s nice to hear that others understand this!
Speaking of jokes … your best one … and you didn’t even know it was a joke or how truly funny it was .. happened when you were about 4 years old when we had Bucky the Billie Goat !! You said, ” Mom .. Bucky sure has big light bulbs ! ” In reply, I said ” He sure does “, as I’m splitting a gut trying not to fall down laughing !! We never discussed this, but at what age did you figure out Billie Goats don’t have light bulbs ??
You and that Bucky story!
Knock knock. Who’s there? At least five more years of jokes that make no sense-who.
haha!! Cheers to that!!
We’re still at the phase where just saying ‘booty’ or ‘hippopotamus’ is a joke.
We still like the word underwear here too so I don’t think they ever outgrow that phase!
I’m pretty sure it is a prerequisite to potty humor. Potty humor follows them forever… I think it dulls in women a bit, but my husband still enjoys a good fart joke. 😉
I sure am lucky. I have a five year old who really REALLY likes jokes. He doesn’t get most of them, but he won’t re-tell them unless he DOES get them. (He is the child who never asked ‘why?’ but ‘how?’ instead!) I find it fascinating how many jokes he just *can’t* understand because he doesn’t have the right frame of reference – “What do you call a gorilla with a machine gun?….SIR!” is a big hit. “Why are there no aspirin in the jungle?…Because the paracetemol. (Parrots ate ’em all)” makes no sense to him at all. It probably makes no sense to anyone in the US, where different painkillers are used!
Oh boy! It almost seems unfair that you bypassed this stage! I guess we really get the kids we deserve because I’m certain I couldn’t have handled the “hows”! I am bad enough with the “whys”!
Too cute and I can totally relate! my 8 year old feels like he needs to explain his jokes to me as I may not have gotten it! LOL
I think it’s because 8 year olds think they are smarter than their parents!
I still get the joke explanations, although now I assume it’s less because the kids are learning about how humor works and more because they really think I’m losing it. 🙂
Ha! That could very well be why my daughter is doing it as well!
I am pretty sure I was exactly the same as your daughter at that age. LOVED jokes. LOVED explaining them even more!
It’s nice to know you grew out of that stage! Can you imagine your stand up shows and you constantly saying, “Do it get it? Do you get it? It’s funny right?!”
Yes, I’m over it too. I’m also over making mixtures…especially before school. xx Rowena
What kind of mixtures?
hehehehe….it was a nice thing to read today 🙂
Oh, thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it and thanks for stopping by!
ha!ha! 🙂 funny little one you have! 🙂 can’t wait for Nate to be at that stage! 🙂
It’s funny! I remember being excited about my other kids getting older and doing things. And now I just want Cesar to stay 2 forever!
love it! my 5 year old makes up the most ridiculous nonsensical knock knock jokes that are actually hysterical since they make zero sense. such a funny post!
I know what you mean Melissa! But it seems like you ave a tad more patience than I do… 🙂
I thoroughly appreciate this post and the blog behind it. Oh my…LOL. If I may, you remind me of this:
http://aholisticjourney.wordpress.com/2013/08/08/words-between-mom-boy/
Thanks for sharing! Just got done reading it! It’s so funny and definitely reminds me of my own!
And he loves Tigger.
Just wait until you get my age and you no longer get it & you’re ashamed to admit it!
I actually wish I could go back in time…I’d cherish the boiling in acid moments a bit more cuz they’re too soon gone! Maybe that’s why we get a second chance with Grandkids??
What did the buffalo say to his.kid when he left for college?
“Bison”
Get it?
PS…I remember your stage of jokes since it coincided with Ryan’s…trying to vie for the biggest laughs from Grandpa & Grandma Muller!
My kisses used to make all the booboos go away when the boys were little…
But I learned quickly with my 1st grandkid that a bandaid cured everything…none of those dumb kisses from Nana… they had to be the expensive cartoon bandaids!! (But I’ve noticed the 2nd kid got more plain old brown bandaids & the 3rd kid gets generic! Too bad there won’t be a 4th cuz that one would have to settle for dumb kisses!) LOL!