Humor Connections: The Importance of Dads (and their jokes) in a Child’s Life

Dad jokes are known to be lame, which, when heard, induce spontaneous groans. We’ve all seen the memes and experienced a few of these terrible jokes in our lives. 

Have you heard this one?

Dad: “Did you know Coach King left football practice to go to the bank?”

Unwitting You: “No, why did he do that?” 

Dad: “Because he wanted his quarterback.”

A wiser You: “Ha, ha, ha.”, with an eye roll and groan added for effect.

 Knowing all about dad jokes; would it surprise you to learn that dad jokes are actually beneficial? That’s right! Dad jokes are important! Comedians Jim Gaffigan and Brian Regan (both dads), prey upon dad jokes for their fodder. One would think dad jokes would go out of style, but the truth is, relationships are built upon them.

Humor is a way a father and child can emotionally connect.

The more fathers are involved in their children’s lives, research has shown significant improvements in a child’s language, thinking, physical, and social/emotional skills (zerotothree.org). Mix in some dad jokes and let the fun begin.

Today, we are honoring the men in our lives.

Those who have bandaged our scrapes, helped with homework, wrangled us a good deal on our first car, celebrated our successes, and offered us their shoulder to cry on. Dads come in all shapes, sizes, and personalities. They’re not like any other member of our families. It also just so happens they are crucial in a child’s development. (Making Good on Fatherhood: A Review of the Fatherhood Research, (2016).

So today, when your dad tells the joke about the bicycle that couldn’t stand up because it was “too tired”, be grateful you have him around to share his jokes with you.

Thank you Dads for everything you do! 

To learn more about the importance of fatherhood in the lives of children please visit www.fatherhood.org.

-Leanne Spencer, Family Support Center Community Engagement Intern