Some time ago, when first introduced to knock knock jokes, it was abundantly clear that some of the finer points of a good ( I do use the phrase very loosely ) knock knock joke were beyond the comprehension of either of our lads. I confess that at the time I did not recognise which skill had been missing. The last week or so, the boys re-discovered this genre of jokes. K(7) asked his dad to tell jokes, and with the help of the www, Carl obliged.
Knock Knock jokes have been around for a long time, and most adults will see the weak humour and smile indulgently at others' emerging attempts at sharing humour. When I hear my child(ren) erupting in belly shaking laughter and giggles the joke's value rises significantly in my estimation. The notable difference this re-discovery of Knock knock jokes is K(7)'s ability to understand the wordplay. His language comprehension has expanded considerably since the initial discovery of the jokes three years ago. This increased language knowledge is demonstrated by his response to the joke.
After hearing a few this time around, he clearly recognised the word play, as every now and then he would not laugh. In these instances, he would ask for the meaning of a word or phrase within the joke, and upon receiving the required information, he would either smile, or laugh, or ask for the joke to be repeated. Then he would laugh, the finer nuance comprehended.
My initial delight however is now waning. Every day, K(7) will repeat the jokes he favours most highly. Apparently my low key response was insufficient. I believe he thinks I do not understand the joke, and so he goes to some length to explain to me why the joke is funny. Initially this irked me. How to explain to him that I was not laughing because over my 41 years of life I have heard that particular joke so many times, that the novelty has worn off, and it just is not that funny? The simple answer, was also the obvious one. You do NOT do so.
While Knock Knock and Dr Doctor jokes ARE old hat to me, it is new and exciting for him. Just as when he was an infant and we shared the wonder at the first sight of bubbles, and birds, and wind on the face, the feel of sand, the sight of surf pounding on the sandy beach, and taste of new food elicited wonder and smiles in us both, so too should the equally exciting discovery of punnery and word play and social nuances that are inherent in these jokes. It was being present and being involved in, and sharing wondrous new discoveries with my children in their early childhood that attracted me to home schooling, and especially the 'Un-schooling' or 'Natural Learning' pedagogy. My boys' new experiences are more intangible and cerebral as they get older, they are however no less wondrous and exciting.
Unexpectedly, my not informing him that I do understand the joke and find it far from novel provides me with an excellent opportunity to gain a better understanding of the extent of his comprehension. Here is an example:
K(7) "Dr Doctor, everyone keeps ignoring me
(as the dr) Next please"
he explains to me. 'It's funny because the dr is ignoring him too"
Dr Doctor I feel like an egg
hmm, let's see if we can crack this case
"It's funny because you crack an egg, and crack this case means finding an answer."
T(10) too has been demonstrating his understanding of the finer points of the jokes. He has always enjoyed creating amusement for, and laughter in, others. His social awareness, and challenges in verbal expression result in him frequently utilising physical humour, as this bypasses the need to speak. As he listens to K's chatter on the subject, I think he realises that the familiarity of the same format of these jokes make an enticing, and less challenging, introduction to verbal humour, demonstrated as he tries to create his own jokes.
During our last foray into the world of knock knock jokes, his attempts were nonsensical. The punch line would bear no relation to the start of the joke. This demonstrated more clearly than anything else, that many of the words, ideas, and nuances of the jokes were completely missed. This time around, he is slowly sculpting ideas together. He appears to have a few ideas in his head of words that work together, and then he slowly states the aspects. Listening to him develop from
Dr Doctor, I think I am an egg, crack uhm... Dr Doctor I think I am an egg, Lets crack this, uhmmm Dr Doctor I feel like an egg, hmm, let's see if we can crack this case.
The observant reader will note that this is the joke that K(7) then explained to me.
I anticipate my boys will persist with these jokes for a while. There will be frequent repetition, and explanations as they deem them necessary. As they learn and live, I shall continue to love, laugh and learn alongside them. I shall endeavour to enjoy their explorations, appreciate their efforts,and value that these are, for them, fresh new discoveries.
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