Let’s be honest, being a parent isn’t all cuddles and giggles. A times, parenting is just plain frustrating. When you’re trying to get to work on time but there are breakfasts to be made, shoes to be tied, diapers to be changed, and car keys to be found, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Even for parents of teenagers, coordinating schedules, assisting with school papers and projects, and walking them through adolescence’s many changes is a lot to juggle. But through the milk spills, broken dishes, and lost homework assignments, sometimes we just need to laugh.
Proverbs 17:22 says that “laughter is good medicine,” and good medicine is something of which parents could use a dose. This is especially true according to a 2023 report from the Surgeon General’s office. which stated that nearly half of all parents say their day is “completely overwhelming.”
This verse isn’t just a feel-good proverbial phrase, it’s a fact that is backed up by science. According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter benefits mental and physical health in both short and long term ways.
Los beneficios a corto plazo de la risa incluyen la disminución de las respuestas corporales al estrés, como la frecuencia cardíaca y la presión arterial, así como el aumento del flujo de oxígeno a órganos vitales como el corazón y los pulmones.
In the long term, creating a routine of laughter can have positive effects on your immunity, allow your body to fight off serious illnesses, and even relieve pain through its own “natural pain killers” that are produced when the body laughs.
One way to keep things in a light-hearted perspective amidst the crazy and the chaos is to make a “You Know You’re a Parent When…” list. On this list, record every bizarre and unbelievable thing that happens. Then every few months, pull out your list and have a good laugh at all of the “real-life parenting moments” you’ve recorded.
Here are a few of our Ignite Parenting team’s favorite “You Know You’re a Parent When…” moments:
You Know You’re a Parent When…
- You’d rather have a brain-freeze that lasts 15 minutes from drinking an extra-large slushy than share it with your toddlers.
- Waking up with a foot in your mouth isn’t anything you think twice about anymore.
- You take an extra-long bathroom break at church before picking up your kids from the nursery just to have some “you time”.
- Puedes coger cualquier objeto del suelo con el pie.
- You know the dire consequences of not checking for Legos on the floor before walking into your child’s room.
- Lo único peor que el sonido de niños gritando es un silencio prolongado.
- Cuando oyes el sonido de un inodoro al descargar, buscas inmediatamente el móvil y el control remoto de la televisión
- The closest thing you’ve had to a massage lately is letting your son drive his monster trucks up your arm and down your back.
Ser padre conlleva muchos retos, pero también el doble de bendiciones. De hecho, centrarse intencionalmente en esas bendiciones y practicar la gratitud intencional puede tener los mismos beneficios para la salud mental y física que la risa.
Even if you aren’t able to find moments of laughter, consider instead making a list of things for which you are thankful and saying a quick prayer of thanks to God for all that He has given you and done for you, including sending His one and only Son as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.
If you feel frustrated and overwhelmed at life’s current circumstances, find little ways to laugh or reflect on the goodness of God in your life and watch as that “good medicine” starts to revive your weary spirit.