I have this horrible problem. I’ve had this problem since I can remember. Anytime anyone falls down, I laugh. Hysterically. As you can imagine, this problem has gotten me in trouble many times and has hurt many people’s feelings. I always thought that when I became a parent, things would change and I would mature a little and be more sensitive about people falling, tripping, etc.
Now I am a parent of two amazing little girls. When my 4-year-old walks into walls or trips on something, I can’t help myself, I laugh. Right in her face. I feel horrible about it and it’s uncontrollable.
The other day, I took Sunny to a park. We were having such a great time, laughing, playing and enjoying ourselves. Then Sunny asked me if we could get some ice cream. As we were walking to the ice cream truck, she tripped and did a double flip before landing back on her bottom. I knew she hadn’t really hurt herself because I could tell it wasn’t a bad cry, it was more of a scared one. I just sat there laughing in front of other parents and kids while Sunny scolded me and cried, “I would never laugh at you if you fell, why are you laughing at me?”
I felt like the world’s biggest idiot, the more I tried to stop laughing, the more I laughed. People were seriously giving me dirty looks. So I began to tell Sunny loudly (so that onlookers could hear me), “I’m not laughing at you, I’m laughing at that lady that just walked by.” So Sunny asked me, “Which lady?”
I then pointed to a completely random stranger nearby and began laughing in her face while she looked at me like I was completely insane.
Yeah… not going back to that park anytime soon.
same here with me sometimes i just piss myself with laughter sometimes they are just sooo hiliarious at some of the falls i see sometimes i try and capture the moment with my camera but they happen too quick some really do crack me up lol ha ha
Ha! I remember one summer we were at a six flags in Maryland and I noticed a very overwhelmed looking mother. She had a newborn in a sling, one tot in the stroller, and was leading a slightly older tot by one of those child leash backpack contraptions. Only this leash was not attached to mom’s hand, it was tied to the stroller(!). I had only a second to think, “Huh, that is probably a pretty bad idea,” and then a cacophony of events began to unravel. Here’s what happened…leash tot becomes very interested in a very large Yo Gabba Gabba plush, continues to walk toward it while mom gets distracted by little sling baby. Tot in the stroller begins to wail while something bad happens…somehow leash tot has gotten caught on the stroller release and folded stroller tot up inside, all while yanking leash tot back in the direction of the (now cocooned) stroller tot. This, of course makes the stroller (tot in all) topple right on top of leash tot.
Distracted mom takes one look at the scene, one look at her husband…and begins to laugh maniacally. At the time, I was a little appalled, but now that I have a child of my own I can only feel that I probably would have laughed too. (Though I probably would not have ever used a child leash, haha)
You are not alone!
I am soooooo glad I am not the only mom who does this! My daughter walked into a glass partition at the library one day. It sounded like a gunshot went off. Everyone was looking at us. And all I could do was laugh. I laughed until I cried while strangers asked my child if she was hurt. I can’t even think about that story without tears and laughter!
I get into trouble with my son all the time! He gives me the most deflated looks and swears he’ll never talk to me again, always adding to the impossibility of not laughing. Like the first time he discovered the nozzle on the hose…. you know its going to happen, but if you stop it, they’ve lost a life lesson!!!! Hes never looked deeply into ANYTHING again and pushed a button at the same time. He learned! I have to tell myself these things so that when hes angry and throwing out the ole “You ALWAYS laugh at me EVEN WHEN IT HURTS!!!” I can not loose myself in guilt.
Every time my son falls, I do the “awww hahahaha” laugh thing. I say aww, but the laugh seems to ease his stress/fear. Then I say “you’re okay.. good fall!” and applaud him or something to that effect. Honestly, if I don’t laugh, he cries… but if I laugh, he starts smiling then laughing as well. Don’t worry, you’re totally not a bad mom. And tell her that you’re laughing because it LOOKED funny, not because you’re happy she fell. Just ask her if she’s okay, then proceed to laugh. Tell her she looked like a cartoon or something, it’ll probably help her too.
It’s called Schadenfreude, which basically means “delighting in others’ misfortune.” Studies show, due to chemicals in the brain, humans enjoy people falling or hurting themselves (to a certain extent) You would be hard pressed to find someone that has not laughed after watching someone kiss the pavement.
ACK I do this too. She’s 16 months and everytime she falls, walks into something, bops her head, I laugh. I feel awful.
but falling is funny….
I also have this problem! Once I was at Disney World with a friend and an old man fell. While others rushed to help him, I burst out laughing. She had to rush me away so we weren’t hated by everyone in the area. I totally laugh every time my 2 year old niece falls. Obviously I feel bed when these things happen, but I can’t control it. There are worse bad habits to have!
Great article! I enjoyed it a lot but it also made me feel bad that I will always have this problem too! LOL
Guilty! We were filming a documentary in my first year at University and were at Winter Wonderland in Cardiff. We were filming the people ice skating and we caught on tape this little boy slipping, attempting to get up before slipping and this went on a few times. I was killing myself laughing and later in the editing room we kept rewatching and making the boy go backwards over and over again.
Yeah, we’re going to hell.
its good practice for when she starts tripping over things trying to interact while walking
A few years ago, we were at Disneyland and it was raining. A boy about 4 yrs old did a total slip and land on his butt. I laughed so hard, almost in his face. My friend had to pull me away. But it was hysterical. I still feel kind of bad, but it was really funny. Karma will get me back soon, I am sure.