One game people love to play with children around here is to "honk" their nose, or even steal their nose. You gently pinch their nose between the second knuckles of your middle and ring fingers, then make a popping sound and pull away. Quickly stick your thumb in the same spot and let it poke out. There, you've taken their "nose." It's all silly, of course, and I doubt any children actually believe it, but it's fun for everyone. Sometimes, it's good to throw your brain away and let yourself laugh.
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| My girls, playing in the mud, as all kids do. |
I absolutely love slapstick comedy. I grew up on Laurel & Hardy, Jerry Lewis, Red Skelton, and many other marvelous physical comedians. However, you can't think overly much about what's going on, or the fun is destroyed. How could anyone slip on a banana peel? Do legs really fly up in the air when you fall down? Nobody can take a hammer blow to the head and laugh it off. Doesn't that hurt? Yeah, leave those questions behind and just go with it. The ultra popular British comedian "Bean" is a modern example--his antics make very little actual sense, but are so overwhelmingly funny you can ignore the logic and play along anyway.
Children are the masters of this, probably because they don't have fully developed senses, see the world through innocent eyes, and don't have much logical maturity. You can learn a lot by watching children play with other children. The games they create are dazzlingly complex, ridiculously simple, and span whole universes. Even more, children can make a game out of anything. Go on, try to stump any child with seriousness, and you'll find yourself scratching your head in bewilderment. Well, there's only one thing for it ... jump in with both feet and let the fun overwhelm you.
- M
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