Sep 1, 2023 2 min read Getting Started

Humor, a Proclamation, a Love Letter

Researchers have found that at least 65 species of animals laugh, or have "play vocalization."

For many of us, humor is a love language, a coping skill, and a way to stay in balance when things feel really off-kilter.

This post confirms that I, Jen, recognize that using humor when talking about issues of mental health may be viewed as insensitive, dismissive, clumsy, or stoopid.

I'm willing to take that risk.

You should know that, like Dad Jokes, the humor you find here might suck, but it comes from a place of love. I want you to get a breather. You need a breather. I read the same headlines you do. I know what it looks like out there. But if you feel demoralized and overwhelmed, it can hamper your ability to help your child.

Exploring what the problems are and what the solutions are is a delicate balance. We can recognize that children, and particularly adolescents, are struggling - without losing hope and perspective.

Part of our work is to help our children not pathologize normal sadness or get lost in an echo chamber of collective worry. Things are hard. But we are humans. Things have been hard for a long while. So what is different now? There is a new landscape: new pressures with fewer time-tested coping skills being utilized.

So the goofery is not a reflection of how I feel about the work of resourcing kids. It's the heavy lifting that moves me to keep it light when I can. I don't know about you, but my ears and heart are way more open to the message when I don't hear Jaws music playing in the background.

Your lame, eye-roll triggering, "so embarrassing" efforts to be amusing with anyone 12+ is you modeling healthy coping. It may seem like they aren't registering humor as challenge-management, but they are. Kids need to see adults laughing. They need to witness silliness. Humans have laughed together through the worst of times. Your humor isn't ill-timed. It's necessary. Take a prat fall for the team.

So, there will be humor - or attempts at humor - because laughing is one of the best coping skills you can have.