Taking Back The Fun

'Twas the night before April Fools and all through the house, sounds of UGH and NOOOO and ::sigh:: could be heard because ZOMG APRIL FOOLS IS THE WORST.

Ahem.

I vaguely remember a time in my life when I actually sort of liked April Fools. It was years and years ago when pranks were harmless yet fun. I was probably around Alexis' age when school was a day filled with suspicion and giggles because you never knew when your teacher was going to try to trick you with a fake test or made up history lesson.

It was all fun and games until the internet came along and ruined all of the fun.

I think that's what did it for me, anyway. April Fools was fun until the internet crashed the party with over the top pranks and believable products and all of that. The thing that strikes me about internet pranks is that they pretty much always suck because there's a disconnect between the pranker and the prankee.

For example, a fake positive pregnancy test prank could be funny if it's between two people who will get the joke. When you post a fake positive pregnancy test on Facebook, though? You not only miss out on seeing the prankees' initial reactions, you become a giant jerk. Sorry, but those sorts of pranks just aren't funny for all audiences. They're downright hurtful for some.

That's how it is with most internet pranks, really. There are some people who get the joke but a whole bunch more who don't. And it sucks.

But in thinking about the olden days and how April Fools used to be my jam, I decided today that I'm taking it back. I'm making April Fools fun again. And, no, I'm not about to prank you. I'm about to prank my 9 year-old who has the exact right sort of sense of humor to enjoy a few little tricks.

I taped streamers across her doorway so that she'll have to bust through them in the morning.

I'm going to put a few drops of food coloring in the milk so that her morning cereal is spiffy.

I might have put a fake spider in her lunchbox for tomorrow. Maybe. (It's bright pink, so she will only have a very minor moment of being alarmed. I don't want her to think it's real and do something that might embarrass her at school.)

And I'm going to come up with a few other smaller things to entertain her tomorrow.

It's going to be great.

Comments

[mumple]

Practical jokes have rules, and are not mean-spirited. My dad was a practical joker, and he taught us these rules: 1) it's only funny to do to someone else IF it would be funny when done to you. 2) no damage to person or property. 3) no public humiliation. Too often, it ends up mean spirited or hurtful, and that's why I no longer participate in April Fools Day.