Do you ever remember doing something unplanned and spontaneous with your spouse or children?

• Something simple,
• silly,
• memorable,
• and fun?

Do you remember a time when something like that chased your gloom, anger, and fear away?

Forced to Laugh

Do you remember a time when you became a little impatient with somebody because you were mad and wanted to stay mad, but they kept making you laugh until your grouchiness was gone?

Why not torture your loved ones a little that way?

Laughter with Kindness and Understanding

Sometimes we all feel bothered by a problem, and we want our concerns taken seriously. We don’t feel it is appropriate to laugh or take the matter lightly. It isn’t a joking matter.

Of course, we need to care. We need to laugh and cry with our loved ones and be sensitive to their concerns. And we need to be supportive.

However, when everyone has been mired in an issue weighed down with concern, and nobody doubts that everyone is taking the matter very seriously, sometimes it helps to take a little break from the gloom, to have some laughter and fun and relieve the stress in some way that will not make anyone feel the issue at hand is not being taken seriously.

Stress Relief

Did an overly lengthy burden ever lead to your getting into a game? A snowball fight? A pillow fight? A tickle fight?

Did it flop sometimes? When it flopped, did it at least open up a discussion that helped bring back a little joy?

Sometimes humor can appear dismissive as if it is playing down the importance of what has gotten the other spouse into a grouchy mood.

Even so, a little appropriate humor can help open up your spouses heart to talk about what is bothering him or her. And then you need to be prepared not to be oversensitive because sometimes you may feel a little grouchy, too. We all do.

Next time around

How are you going to cheer your spouse and yourself or your children and create good memories and good feelings about marriage and family life?

• games
• spontaneity