If your family isn’t having a good belly laugh as often as you’d like, here are three reasons to lighten up and make a regular habit of laughing together.
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A few years ago, my daughter Ava discovered what she called her “mad scientist” laugh. To me, it sounded more like a witch’s cackle, but she and her three sisters all told me otherwise.
Do you want to know what happened every time Ava used this Dr. Frankenstein-inspired chuckle?
We all ended up laughing too. Not at her (okay, maybe just a little bit), but with her (mostly). And, as I’d witnessed so often in the past, I watched as these deep belly giggles were good not only for us as individuals, but for our family as a whole. Yep, the happy hearts that came from laughing together really were, as Proverbs 17:22 says, “good medicine.”
How about your family? When was the last time you laughed together?
If your family isn’t having a good belly laugh as often as you’d like, here are three reasons to lighten up and make a regular habit of laughing together.
1. Laughter Unites
Laughter—the kind that’s healthy and not at someone else’s expense—unites people. In my book, Team Us, I quote M.M. Belfie as saying:
Something special happens when people laugh together over something genuinely funny and not hurtful to anyone. It’s like a magic rain that showers down feelings of safety and belonging to a group.
While I’m not sure I’d personally go as far as using the phrase “magic rain,” I’ve noticed that when my girls giggle together or Ted and I have a good laugh, it draws us toward one another. It helps us to let our guards down and, in the process, eases any tension we might be feeling that day.
2. Laughter Creates a Joyful Home
I once gave Ava and her older sister Olivia this assignment in English: Write a three-paragraph persuasive essay on “Why laughter is important.” It was such fun to read their finished papers, Ava’s complete with sketches of a bored face and a sad face—both expressions she decided we’d likely wear without laughter.
What I loved most was that both girls pointed to laughter as bringing joy. Olivia wrote that it “brings joy to you, others, and most importantly, God.” A family who laughs together tends to have a more joy-filled home. One where, going back to the Belfie quote, members of the family feel like they belong and are safe to be themselves.
3. Laughter Creates Lasting Memories
Laughter not only creates a shared experience in the moment, but it also creates a memory to recollect and laugh at again in the future. Yep, I can hear it now—a decade or two from now—our family will still all be giggling as we think back to Ava’s mad-scientist laugh. She’ll blush and giggle too, maybe even imitating the past childish fun for old time’s sake. Ava’s fun that way.
This week, make laughing together as a family a priority in your house. I think you’ll find, as I have, that there’s always time for a good belly laugh with those you love most.
About Team Us
The best marriages have a teamwork mentality. Spouses serve each other, support each other, and celebrate each other. They tackle life as a unit, and when one slips, the other gives grace. They can be vulnerable together because they know they rise and fall as one.
Do you want a marriage like this? Team Us: The Unifying Power of Grace, Commitment, and Cooperation in Marriage. will help you and your spouse cultivate a teamwork mentality. Ashleigh Slater shares observations from her marriage while offering practical, realistic ideas for unifying yours.
Even if just one of you reads, your marriage can grow in intimacy and joy, providing momentum for the changes you long to see.
Team Us is available for order at Amazon and through Moody Publishers.
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