Something funny happened when my daughter, Lucy, turned 4 a few months ago: She become a little comedian.
Suddenly anything and everything is potential fodder for laughs. Me referring to my husband as “sweetie” the other morning sent Lucy into fits of giggles, and now she calls him that to make us laugh. My muttering “Move it, buddy” in made her snort with laughter, repeat the phrase, and then melt into a mess of guffaws.
Lucy has also found her musical comedy voice, penning a little ditty called “If you’re Daddy and a little stinky.” Actually, that’s not just the title – those are the only words to the song, sung over and over again, usually while she’s getting some help in the bathroom from her father. As you can imagine, she’s the only one (well, maybe not the only one…) laughing over this little number
Find out what's happening in Hunt Valley-Cockeysvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
I think Lucy’s newfound appreciation for comedy comes in part from watching her parents laugh at funny stuff on TV, so now she’s chiming in when the laughter starts, too. For instance, I know she can’t be comprehending the jokes on The Colbert Report, and yet she quickly picked up on the rhythm of the show, knowing to laugh in exaggerated fashion when we do, I think so she can feel like she’s part of the fun.
The funny thing is that Lucy is at her funniest when she’s not trying to be funny at all. A few nights ago at bedtime, she spent 20 minutes trying to persuade us that if we let her keep her sticker books in bed with her, she wouldn’t plaster herself with stickers as soon as we tucked her in and left the room. My husband and I just sat there listening to her spin her wackadoodle preschool logic and smiled at each other. In the end, all we could do was sigh and give in. Some battles are too funny to fight.
Find out what's happening in Hunt Valley-Cockeysvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
As my children get older, I find myself wistfully looking back at the stage that has just passed, thinking about how they will never be that small or baby-like again. But then they keep traveling forward into new phases, like Lucy’s comedy streak, and happily, they give me something new to laugh about.
