Go Ahead and Laugh

I loved watching Kids Say the Darnedest Things hosted by Art Linkletter which aired on CBS from the 50’s to the 70s.  Most of the children on the show would be about 5 to 8 years old.  Art Linkletter would ask them, questions regarding life at home with Mom and Dad, friends and neighbors, events at school and current world events.  It was funny to hear the innocent replies of the children and imagine what facial expressions of shock, embarrassment and/or surprise parents would have sitting in the audience; you would always hear the laughter.  Here are some examples from old clips of the show I found on YouTube.  Go ahead and laugh.

1.        What do you want to be when he grow up
“A bus driver or a pilot.”
If you were a pilot what would you do if all four engines on the plane stopped what would you say?
“Our Father, who art in heaven...”

2.       What makes a perfect husband.?
“A man, who provides a lot of money, loves horses, lets you have 22 kids and doesn’t put up a fight.”
And what do you want to be when you grow up?
“I want to be a Nun….”

3.       Who’s the boss in your house your mom or your dad? 
“Both of them.”
Hey you’re a diplomat aren’t you.
“No I’m a Catholic Baptist”

4.        What does your father do for a living.
“He’s a funder.”
Oh, he’s a fundraiser.  Who does he raise funds for?
“For himself….”

5.       What do you want to be when you grow up?
“A movie star.”
Do you know what movie stars do?
“Get up have a movie star breakfast, gets in a movie star car, has a movie star lunch go to the studio, gets into a movie star car, goes home and goes to bed with another movie star.”

Here is a story about me that my mother tells, which I don’t remember.  When we would go for a long drive and should my brother or I need to go to the bathroom, my Dad would have an empty cup or bottle and tell us to pee in them.  One day, as Mom tells it, we were crossing a four lane avenue and trolley cars were moving east and west and on the tracks.  In the middle of crossing, Mom hears cars honking their horns and she turns to see why the cars are honking and spies me in the middle of the avenue peeing into my empty water ice cup.  Mom was really embarrassed, I thought nothing of it and Mom wagged a finger at my Dad when we got home.  We were taught well.  Every time my Mom tells this story, I could imagine her facial expression; not a good one back then but hilarious now and I can laugh at myself.  Go ahead and laugh.

This is a story I don’t mind sharing because I do remember, ha, ha, ha!.  My brother and I received a Spirograph for Christmas that we shared; a toy that uses four color pens inserted in holes in plastic wheels with teeth that fit inside larger wheels and you would stick a pen in one of the holes and go around and around creating a design.  My brother was using a red pen and we were playing with the Spirograph on our beds; with white sheets and horses drawn on them by my grandmother that she gave us.  My brother accidentally went off the drawing board and made red lines and spots on his sheet.  “Oh, Mom is gonna have a fit,” I said.  My brother, having a great idea said not to worry he could get the stains out.  I proceeded to watch as he went and got a pair of scissors and I wondered what he was going to do {Snip, snip, snip).  “There,” he said.  ‘It’s all out, see?”  I looked and my jaw dropped.  “Yep it’s out but you made it worse.  Now you have a hole in the sheet.  Mom is really going to get you now.”  Back then, at the age of 5 and 6, this was not funny; not funny at all because we both were in trouble.  Looking back now, my brother and I laugh when this story is told.  Kids do say the darnedest things and they can sure do the darnedest things.  Picture it….go ahead and laugh.  It IS funny.



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