Here’s Looking At You, Kid

Posted on by Wynne Leon

I was sitting side by side with Mr. D the other day talking about his stuffy, Bun Bun, or whatever else you talk about with a three-year-old when suddenly he reached up and touched my eyes.

“I can see your eyes, but I can’t see mine eyes.”

Drop the mic, my son just wrote a post about self-awareness for me.

I love to laugh, but I can’t write humor. I’m way too concerned about not offending anyone and unsure whether the reader knows I’m joking and so when trying to be funny, every sentence has to be punctuated with an emoji. 😊

So thank goodness for these kids that come along and say great things without taking themselves too seriously. The sequence of the development of a little human is fascinating to me – that they smile and laugh well before they learn to walk, talk, go potty in the toilet, clean up after themselves says something.

What it says is that you probably need to be able to smile and laugh if you are going to go through a phase where you pee your pants. Also, probably necessary to get others to smile and laugh while they clean up your messes.

Oh darn, now I’ve tried to be funny in a post about knowing oneself where I admit I can’t write humor. Well, I suppose that’s the thing about self-awareness – it’s a journey, not a destination.

Please visit my personal blog at https://wynneleon.wordpress.com and I also post on Wednesdays at the Wise & Shine blog. And if you want to follow me, you can find me on Instagram and Twitter @wynneleon

(featured photo from Pexels)

35 thoughts on “Here’s Looking At You, Kid”

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  3. I hear you! Humor is tricky…and I’m the girl who’s been lambasted for an overuse of emojis…I feel you. It helps to confirm the intention…if my writing lacked the ability to drive my message home. As for Mr. D? Wow. One can only wonder what else was bouncing in his beautiful three-year old brain when he said that. You are quite the mama for being a close and careful listener…and for sharing with us. 😊

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      1. Yeah…that photo of Mr. D. helping your brother with a project…concentration, baby! Kinda the same expression when he was mixing up mom’s “special juice” for her fun colonoscopy! Mr. D = dedicated! 😎

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  4. Mr. D’s comment is just precious and I always enjoy your humor, Wynne. This post made me smile for sure, but it also made me stop and think. How fascinating, as you said, to realize that laughing comes before so many of the other things in life. As if we must be equipped to handle the harder bits. And… it happens instinctively. Wow – great stuff!

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    1. Oh, Kendra – you really got me with “as if we must be equipped to handle the harder bits.” Wow, I think you just captured a deep truth with that. That feels so true!!

      Thank you, as always, for your comment, and sweet support. Even of my bad jokes… 🙂 Happy Monday, my friend!

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  5. As long as you can laugh much else doesn’t matter, Wynne. In terms of life happiness, temperament is higher on the list than most of the things we spend our lives pursuing. Your kids always look like they are having a good time, too.

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    2. Not only that, like Wynne said, they can reveal eye-opening (forgive the pun…) truths. Given what you said about humor and the possibility of it causing offense, I wonder if when we’re younger we’re “less afraid” and have fewer barriers to express our revelations?

      How often have you been in a meeting/gathering where you have something you believe would help the team, but were held back by “what if”s? And then someone else says something like it, and they get applauded?

      How many revelations have been suppressed because of that? How many groundbreaking ideas lost?

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      1. Love the pun, EW. That’s funny!

        Oh my goodness — I’ve done that in meetings so many times. Filtered my own self out. And yes, every time someone else actually said it and was applauded was my wake-up call. Such a great point, EW!!

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  7. The bit about learning to smile and laugh well before milestones made me laugh. When visiting a friend recently, her toddler walked up to me, squatted, grunted as she informed me that she was pooping, and then ran away while laughing manically to avoid the diaper change. Kids are so weird, so wise (in their own way), and an endless source of humor… whether or not we adult are skilled at conveying it, it is there!

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  8. Wynne, if you have any of your dad in you then humor is a component of the Wynne we know and love- even if you may not see it or doubt it about yourself. Take the leap more often and skip the emoji’s! I think you can easily handle the challenge!

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  9. I know it’s Monday afternoon, but here’s an early vote for Mr. D for offering up the smartest thing I’ve heard all week. “I can see your eyes, but I can’t see mine eyes.” Wow, I think of the phrase . . . “And a child shall lead them.” Wise kid. And yes, humor and sarcasm are so hard. I try to do both, but I know I fail at them. My wife always jokes that people must think I “hate” my kids, because I poke fun of them in my blogs or texts. I usually add a ton of emojis or “ha, ha” but I’m not sure they work. It’s one of those things that I keep trying though. Hopefully it comes through, because God knows we need laughter in our lives.

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    1. God knows we need laughter in our lives – yes!! I think you do a great job with humor, Brian!! And the fact that your wife can tease you about it is proof.

      I’ll let Mr D know that you are signing up for his witticisms. 🙂

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  10. Our kids teach us so much about the world and I love that in their innocence, they lack self consciousness so they can explore the world freely and free of inhibition. And you have a wonderful sense of humour of Wynne that comes through in your writing. 🙂

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    1. Free of inhibition – isn’t is great? I know how much you appreciate all of this because you are always up for laughing about all these lessons, Ab! And thanks for the compliment – you are a generous reader, my friend! 😉

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  11. Well you had ME laughing, Wynne. Have you ever thought that sometimes you’re funny without even trying? Anyway, what you may perceive as your inability to write humor is far surpassed by the wisdom that you convey in the lessons you glean from finding meaning in the mundane. Given a choice, which would you rather be? Funny or wise? No need for choices. You are both!

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    1. Oh my goodness, Julia, you did it AGAIN! You seem to always know the perfect thing to say. The way you juxtapose wisdom and humor – just amazing way to put it all in perspective!! Thank you, my friend!! ❤ ❤ 3

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