Six Ways to Be A Sillier Parent

One of my most impressive traits as a mother is my ability to be ridiculously silly with my children. Or maybe it’s just that I’m still immature. Either way, according to this article, there are many benefits to being silly with your children.

As the article says, ‘As we “train” our children for adulthood, we teach them not to be so silly, and we certainly don’t partake in it. We are serious about the fact we want to be the best parents we can possibly be. But one of the best things you can do as a parent is to embrace the silliness…Not only embrace the silliness, but be a part of it. It can have positive ramifications in several crucial areas.’

Here are a handful of simple and easy ideas I do with my children that makes for some super-silly fun all year-round.

1. Backwards Day

This is super easy. I’ll tell my children it’s backwards day, which means they eat leftover dinner from the night before, for breakfast, with dessert (of course!) including ice cream or cookies! If it’s a weekend, we all come down to breakfast with our shirts inside out and backwards. For dinner? They get pancakes or cereal and also must wear their pyjamas to dinner. When they wake up, I’ll say ‘Goodnight! and when they go to bed, I’ll tell them ‘Good morning!’ It’s easy and fun.

2. Egg Races

Eggs aren’t just for Easter! I like to buy a carton (or three) of eggs and, together with my kids, we’ll put our eggs on a spoon and have a race on our quiet street. Whoever can get to the finish line without the egg falling off the spoon, wins! This is super fun, especially when the eggs breaks. Yes, our neighbours probably think we are crazy, but I always make sure to take buckets of water to clean up the yolk and we always try to pick up as many broken egg pieces as possible. Sometimes, I also make hard boiled eggs for my children to draw faces on that they later can eat. An egg with a silly face drawn on it, is just way more fun at meal time. Which brings me to…

3. Drawing Faces

I draw faces on fruits, like bananas or watermelons. In fact, almost every time one of my kids has a banana, they are greeted with a funny face I’ve drawn on. I draw funny faces on their yogurt drinks, too, along with words like, ‘Please don’t eat me. It hurts!’ My kids also love it when they take a bite of that banana and hear me say in a squeaky voice, ‘Don’t eat me! Don’t eat me.’ This is a great way to get picky eaters to eat. My five year-old loves to eat broccoli, but only after I say, ‘Please don’t eat me. I’m a baby tree. Don’t eat me! DO NOT EAT ME!’ Reverse psychology at it’s finest. And a lot of giggles.

4. Candles

I often surprise my kids by putting candles in their food, including breakfast and dinner, so they can blow out a candle and make a wish. It’s super fun for them, especially because it’s not their birthday. It could just be a random Wednesday! My daughter and son both eat peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast, and will often see a candle stuck in the middle of their sandwiches, or in a baked potato, ready to be lit and blown out. When they come down to the kitchen, they are incredibly happy to see that candle. Who says you can only make a wish on your birthday with a cake, anyway? It’s fun to make wishes, whether it’s blowing a candle on a cake…or on a steak!

5. Swimsuits in the Bathtub

It’s not because I care that my son or daughter sees me naked. Sometimes it’s just fun to pretend you’re in a swimming pool or ocean. Yes, we bring out not only the swim suits, but the goggles and the snorkelling masks and fins. Yes, water will be everywhere, and it will be crowded, but the laughs are plentiful. Also, we make many potions in the bath, so save up those freebie shampoos and body bath lotions, for those ‘magical’ potions. Speaking of washrooms…

6. Celebrate All the Milestones

After both my children were toilet trained, I threw them a ‘Bathroom party!’ I bought helium balloons and streamers to decorate the bathroom. Since the washroom is one of the smallest rooms in the house, it’s easy to do, and the kiddos love it. Next up for a celebration? I’m going to have a little party to celebrate the day my daughter gets her braces off. I’m planning on serving up all the things my daughter couldn’t eat with braces. The menu will include everything from carrots to bubble gum, and friends and relatives will be invited. Why not celebrate the little milestones as well? With my son, I pretend it’s his favourite Superheroes birthday, and will set up all his action figures and we will have a little party, because who really knows when Iron Man’s birthday is anyway? But why not pretend it is and celebrate with junk food and decorations?

Parenting, after all, can be pretty tedious, and who wants to be the Mean Mommy all the time? If you can be silly while still being their parent why not?

What are some of the silly things you do with your children!