In Defense of Dad Jokes

 

“Did you hear about the invisible man and woman who got married?”  My children shook their heads, expecting the worse.  “Well, their children weren’t much to look at either.”

Victoria said, “That’s not even funny, Dad.”

I decided to continue.  “Do you know why there aren’t any billionaires at the North Pole?”

Elliot said, “Because the taxes are too high.”

This was a good answer, maybe funnier than the answer I had thought of.  Billionaires do seem to have a moral aversion to paying tax.

“That wasn’t really what I was think of,” I said.  “Because all of their assets are frozen.”

This was the sort of joke that took a while to work out.  After some explanations, my children once again came to the conclusion that their father wasn’t a comedian.

I took one last stab at it.  “Why was the little strawberry so sad?”

No one seemed to know.  “Because all of her family was in a jam!”

Elise seemed to find this joke funnier than the rest – mainly because she doesn’t understand high brow humor at this level, but does like laughing with everyone else. 

People take aim at Dad Jokes a lot of the time.  They think they are corny and not particularly funny – or at least not funny enough to tell in public.  If it is your dad who is telling the jokes, it is probably quite embarrassing.  “Why can’t he be quiet like my friend’s dads?  Or actually funny for once?”

Humor is something that is underrated as a way to lift the spirits.  “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine; but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22)

There is something worthwhile when a conversation can turn to humor – even if it is for a brief detour.  There is only so much time that can be devoted to serious topics and with a high level of earnestness comes mental fatigue.

Maybe it is time to appreciate the patron saints of corny humor, dads, who make it their life’s goal to figure out ways to weave puns into every day conversations. 

Sometimes, we simply need someone to ask the important questions in life, like, “How do farmers get the water in the watermelons?”

"They plant them in the spring!”

 

 (I guess I’ll show myself out now)…