Of Being an April Fool

When I was younger, my parents got a thrill out of duping their intellectually inferior little ones every April 1st.  Whether it was making my sister cry out of fear my dad would lose his job, terrifying us into thinking we would have to walk all the way to Pizza Hut when our car had "run out of gas" or making my sister cry by telling her she couldn't go to Girl Scout camp (or some such event), they got a kick out of their brilliance.

It wasn't until they made my sister cry and my brother angry by shoving cream pies in our faces that they finally gave up the ghost and swore off all future semblances of pranks against their children.  Apparently we weren't very good at taking a joke.

Even though they declared the end of an era, I continued to keep my guard up every year following, just in case.  I couldn't believe my prankster of a father would so quickly give up his old ways.  True to his word, though, he has not attempted another cry of "April Fool's" since that fateful pie-in-the-face day during my fifth-grade year.

In college I tried to hold on to his jokester ways and pass along the fun.  It wasn't until someone gave me a little taste of revenge did I realize I still, apparently, can't take a joke (Thanks, Tiffany, for opening my eyes).

While I, for the most part, have learned to be comfortable in my own skin, confident in who I am, it would appear one of the shreds of insecurities which remain would be my extreme discomfort at finding myself the butt of anyone's joke.  You can ask my husband, being laughed at is one of my biggest pet peeves.

It would appear I have passed this insecurity on to my daughter, as well.  For some reason, every time she uses the potty, she always gives me the most stern and annoyed of faces, declaring angrily, "It's no funny!"  And before you can ask, I do not routinely laugh at my daughter in the bathroom.  I have no idea why she feels the need to yell this every day.  It's just another of her quirks.

So, there you have it.  Next time you visit, don't laugh at the girls of the house and you'll be just fine.