They Say Laughter Is Contagious :)

So... Tonight my son was sitting on the sofa watching Family Guy. His sister was sitting on the other side of the living room in a chair, paying no attention, wrapped up in something on her laptop - probably homework. I was sitting in my office, around the corner from the living room.

Something funny was said on Family Guy (shocker). I could hear it from around the corner, but I wasn't paying attention as I was focused on work I was doing. But it was said, and after a brief pause, some back part of my brain picked up on it and caught the joke. I chuckled to myself.

My son, in the living room, heard me chuckle to myself, realized I'd heard the joke, and laughed at my delayed catching on.

My daughter heard this sequence of events and started giggling to herself.

At which I laughed, from around the corner.

Then my son laughed even harder, and so did I, and so did my daughter.

This circle of laughter rapidly increased in speed and intensity until we were all laughing at once, even out of sight of each other. Then, every time one of us would try to stop laughing, another would chime in again. It went on for about ten minutes. :)

That's all - I just wanted to tell you. It was a fun moment, an odd kind of bonding that happens in families and is all to often disregarded or overlooked (in my opinion). There was more stress release and "togetherness" (at the risk of sounding drippy) in that ten minutes than I could have found if I'd taken the kids out for a movie and spent thirty bucks.

Save your money and tell your kids a joke now and then. ;)