Why Your Kids May Not Think That Your Sarcasm Is Funny
About a month ago a learned that children do not understand sarcasm because their minds have not developed past the point where they only view things literally. I also just read a fascinating study on sarcasm out of the University of Manitoba which determined that children can understand sarcasm at the age of six but doesn't really develop the ability to be able to detect it until sometime past the age of 10. I actually have some friends that are well into their 40's that don't get sarcasm so it obviously varies as to what age sarcasm will be understood.
This information made be feel like the most inept parent in the world. I beat myself up constantly by telling myself that I should have already known this information (I don't know how I should have but i just should have). Now it all makes sense. When I have parenting time with my twin daughters, I am very loving and laid-back with them. My voice is never raised and there has only been one incident to date where a Time Out was called for.
The curious thing about all of this was that when my girls were with their mother they would tell her that I was 'mean' and just 'said mean things to them' all the time. Their mother, let's call her Satan (ha ha like the sarcasm?) has a field day with this and just goes on and on as to how I am a bad father how my own kids hate me, blah blah blah, etc etc. For those of you that have read my other posts might know a little bit about the possible Parental Alienation situation so there just may be more of something going on here but then again, there might not be.
Maybe the girls just thought that me calling them 'stinky', what I intended to be an endearing nickname, and 'comedians', another endearing nickname I called them because they are just so darn funny and just naturally say the silliest things, to be just downright mean and hurtful. I mean little five year old girls should be sweet lovely little princesses that ride unicorns from cloud to cloud not fetid little boys that play in the mud with bugs and worms. Also, I don't think that they knew what a comedian really was so they just took it as a derogatory term.
The moral of the story is that I am glad that I learned that children are very black and white literal thinkers (see PS) until the age of six when they first start to grasp the concept of sarcasm. I have started communicating with my daughters in a more literal fashion since I heard this information and I have noticed that they have been happier. If you are a sarcastic and speak to your children with sarcasm you can obviously continue to do so, you don't really have to stop if you don't want to. However, if you try it you might like the results.
Until we read again,
Jaxon
p.s. If you have read anything about the Law of Attraction (LOA) over the past few years you may know the general concept(s). Did you know that they say that the subconscious takes in information in a very black and white fashion very similar to a five year old. There is a TON of information out there regarding the LOA. If you are interested in learning more I would recommend you visit the following link because this fellow explains everything in a more straight forward fashion than most of his counterparts.
