The Art of Amusement

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and suddenly realized that nothing is off limits when it comes to amusing your child. And I mean nothing.

There I sat…in the bathroom… peeing…bouncing an unopened tampon up and down between my teeth while making funny faces and humming the theme song from Bonanza. And there Punky sat…on the floor…fully consumed by one of those highly contagious belly laughs and clapping her patties for all she was worth.

Apparently, in that moment, I was the absolute funniest thing she had ever seen. I would pause a few seconds so she could catch her breath, and then resume the silliness to her delight. She would squeal with excitement and then the belly laugh would return…each time equally as hysterical as the first.

It was during my fourth of fifth rendition of the song when I noticed myself in the mirror. I could see why she was laughing; I looked totally ridiculous. I immediately flashed back to the Friends episode where Rachael makes the baby laugh by singing that big butt song…I forget the real title…

Anyhow, I really had to pee, and sometimes it’s just easier and faster to take her with me when we are home alone. My bathroom isn’t exactly baby-proofed and I needed to hold her attention for two minutes so she wouldn’t get into trouble and make me jump off the toilet mid-stream. My antics worked well.

Ah, the crazy things parents do to amuse their kiddos…