I can clearly remember when I sold shoes way back in the day and my boss and a co-worker tried to get me to go into the rest room, where they’d rigged up a bucket of water to fall on me. The bait was a first aid kit that I knew was not “on the back of the toilet.” Yuck, who would put a first aid kit there?? Anyway, the point is that I did not fall for it, but I did appreciate their effort and I would have laughed at the drenching.

My daughter told me that her friends talked her into calling her boyfriend at school, they go to different schools, and telling him that she is pregnant. His reaction, “Well, my life is over,” which of course it would not be, but still my heart ached for him when I heard what she had done. It must have felt like an instant punch to the gut. He works so hard at school and every day he talks about his plans to become a firefighter. Why would she think that putting that in jeopardy would be humorous? 

She told me that her friend had a teacher from school (which seriously makes me question this teacher’s common sense) call her Aunt, whom she lives with, to tell her that she had been caught at school with drugs in her backpack. She said that she was going to call me with the same news, but didn’t have a chance. I was flabbergasted.

What is this kid thinking of?  Unplanned pregnancies and drug busts as humor?  When did April Fools turn into horrify your friends and family day? 

I tried to explain my point of view to her. I said, “It would be like me calling you to say that I had cancer, when I don’t.” She said that would be horrible, because cancer kills.  I tried to explain that these other things were huge and life-altering, as well. We did not have a meeting of the minds. We both ended up frustrated, which is no kind of fun or joke for anybody.

What do you think?  What do you consider an appropriate or inappropriate April Fools Day joke or prank?

Bucket of water on the head = funny
Teenage pregnancy = not funny

Image credit: All Posters.com

Post from: Blisstree

Not A Funny Prank

So here are some they could choose that involved April Fool’s Day:

• Tell about an April Fool’s Day experience you remember from another year.
• Write about a funny, but nice April Fool’s Day joke you plan.
• Write about something nice you can do for someone on April Fool’s Day.
• Tell about a gift you can make for someone on April Fool’s Day, one student suggested.
• Older students could research the origin of  April Fool’s Day and write about it.

Do you have any suggestions?

Post from: Blisstree

April Fool’s Day Writing Prompts

Image: istockphoto

When I was a youngster, we enjoyed April Fool’s Day jokes in our family. However, Mother stressed ones that didn’t hurt other people nor their feelings.

Teach youngsters a sense of humor that encourages laughter, but not laughter at the expense of someone else.  Find jokes that are comic, not mean.  Discover antics that may be slapstick, but not harmful.

My mother told of her father’s sense of humor that involved actions such as wearing his glasses upside down on April Fool’s Day to see if anyone would notice.

Her brothers might button their shirts unevenly, wear a belt buckled in the back, shoes on the wrong feet (if they would fit that way).

She and her sister might put water in the milk pitcher, turn the calendar to May 1 instead of April and see if anyone would notice, pin a bow on the dog’s hair, wear different colored socks.

So Mother taught us to develop comedy that brought laughter, sometimes at oneself, sometimes at others, but not in a harmful or hurtful way.  This became a day of family fun. I hope that I’ve passed this on to my family, too.

What April Fool’s Day fun do you and your family have?

Post from: Blisstree

A Day for April Family Fun

Honey!!! You said you destroyed that tape!

Post from: Blisstree

Naked Video!?! Me?!?