“When you have to stand up and use the bathroom, that’s called a No. 1,” I explained to my 3-year-old son. (I’ve always been an odd mom and person, and I always will be.) “And when you sit down to use the bathroom, that’s called a No. 2,” I elaborated. About to head off on a long drive, I was trying to gauge whether or not I needed to plan for a quick or long pre-ride public restroom trip with my son. “So, which do you have to do?” Without missing a beat, he said, “I have to do a No. 10.”
I cried over that one and it still brings a smile to my face. The imagery that “doing a No. 10” brought up in my mind (I’m a very visceral person) left me bent over in hysterics. It doesn’t hurt that I don’t mind and even appreciate, well, “bathroom humor.” And it had come so fast and effortlessly to him. Oh, the things children say!
But as time went on, I actually learned that he has a real skill for being funny in the right moment.
One time when he was a few years older (after watching Home Alone around Christmastime), we had a serious talk about his fear of a “bad guy” coming into the house and hurting us. I said, “That will never happen. I’d stop anyone who tried to hurt you.” He said, “If someone comes, I’ll bite them on the penis.”
If you’ve ever seen my comedy, you’d know my son is definitely my kid.
Later, a neighbor friend came over about the same age as our son for a playdate. At the end of the visit, I said it was time for my son's bath. The boy said he wanted to do bath time with our son. Our son quickly, tongue-in-cheek (and in a funny voice, to boot), quacked, “Ahh — inappropriate!” He brought down the entire room.
I spent a good chunk of my life from my 20s to my 40s traveling, performing comedy and ribald comedic songs on TV, radio, and major festivals around the world, and I still get on stage as often as a full-time employed, married mom of two kids under age 6 can. (Let’s just say, I performed a lot more pre-kid and pre-COVID.) I even wrote a joke book that enjoyed a No. 1 bestseller stint on Amazon.
So I think I kind of know what I’m talking about when I say my kid is funny.
It’s not atypical for a parent to dream that their child grows up and follows in their footsteps, or takes over the family business. Oddly enough, I have written jokes about how my child can choose to be who or whatever he wants to be, except a comedian. Being a professional comedian is a tough racket along the lines of trying to become a famous rock star or basketball player. But when a child shows as much promise and interest in a certain area as my child does in writing and telling jokes, it’s natural to want to offer them resources and encouragement.
I started taking him with me to watch me perform at some open mics. Open mics aren’t professional shows by any means, but they’re a great way to stay “in shape,” try out new jokes, log stage time and meet other performers. I thought it’d be fun for him to see me perform and maybe invite him up at the end if he wanted to join me, no pressure.
He had other plans. He insisted on getting up on the stage with me and delivering an impromptu performance alongside me. He absolutely literally blew me out of the water. The audience was smitten with him from his first word. I’m not just being a hyperbolic or a doting mama, here, either. As someone who has literally thousands of stage performances under my belt, I know when someone has “killed” on stage.
Being a mom of a budding child anything, much less a comedian, is a tricky thing. People are as fast to judge you as ever. Family members questioned me. “You shouldn’t let him get on stage,” one said. “It’s not good for him.” I disagreed. Performing comedy boosts confidence, helps develop a huge life skill — the gift of making people laugh (which can really come in handy during bullying phases of school), is fun and can even be lucrative. Comedy took me all over the world, allowed me to hob-knob with countless famous celebrities such as Joan Rivers, Kevin Hart, Nick Kroll, and so many more, and left me with 10 memoirs worth of hilarious (and sometimes kooky) anecdotes I’ll always treasure. While the idea of helping my child put all his eggs into that fragile basket is terrifying, I do see the benefits of helping him hone those skills.
Many kids are hilarious just by being themselves, but if there is one thing I’ve begun to hear over and over about my son from other people (and trust me, we parents are definitely listening, especially for the compliments), it’s that he is funny.
But if I was going to “Rocky” my son a bit, I had to think a little past open mics. I began looking for resources to support the budding skills of a child comedian, and I wasn’t able to find a ton. Although, I did stumble upon a very fun book that focuses on teaching kids how to craft their humor. LOL 101, A Kid’s Guide To Writing Jokes by David Roth and Rinee Shah, breaks down joke styles and actually helps them to start to imagine what jokes are and how to tell them. So I ordered a copy on Amazon and began working it into his nightly bedtime reading routine. I have to say that it’s been pretty fun writing jokes in bed with my kid at the end of a long day.
The book explains simple humor concepts, such as set up and punchline, elements of humor, like “wordplay” and “exaggeration.” Its colorful, fun, and inviting style was like candy to my son, and he has been loving going through it and practicing his already quite inherent skills.
In addition, I take him with me to my earlier comedy shows now that he’s getting a little older. He knows my bits and has even begun helping me pick out the songs and jokes that I’ll tell in my set.
I look to the future and wonder how far this will go. Will this become a part of his life that he begins to enjoy and celebrate? Or is it just another childish activity that he will eventually cast aside when a new hobby or interest arises? Only time will tell. I think it’s up to me to select a few things he seems to have talent in and push him in that direction, even if he seems to go through spells of disinterest. Focus isn’t something all people are born with. It requires practice.
When I was younger, I used to ask my parents what I should be when I grow up. They’d always answer with some kind of blanket, “Oh, honey, you can do whatever you want to do!” Maybe they were just appeasing me as an exhausted, temporarily tapped-out parent might, but to me, the limitless freedom was overwhelming, and as a result, I ended up not being able to make a decision around what to focus on for a long, long time. And then I became a stand up comedian — ha!
I don’t intend to turn all “show mom” on my son, but I can’t turn a blind eye to his obvious talents, either.
We will see how this goes.
And I promise, if he grows with this talent, I’ll make sure you get an invitation.
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