Give Your Mom the Gift of Laughter

Brighten up Mother's Day with some lighthearted jokes and joy

This Mother’s Day, give the woman who brought you into this world a reason to smile, chuckle, or giggle. (Biba Kayewich)

Some toddlers give that gift every day to their mothers. How about you?

For 2023, Mother’s Day is on May 14. Maybe you’ve already wrapped some gifts and made your plans to honor Mom on her special day. Maybe you’ve been overloaded and are just now scrambling for ways to throw the spotlight on Mama. Or maybe you’ve forgotten this holiday entirely and the words written here just hit you like a bucket of cold water in the middle of a nap.

If the last two categories describe you, have no fear. It’s still not too late to swing by the Hallmark shop, the florist, or the grocery store and walk out with the necessary accoutrements: a card, a bouquet of spring flowers, a box of chocolates, or some other treat. If Mom isn’t nearby, you can try overnighting a gift to her, but above all else, one detail is crucial: the all-important Mother’s Day phone call. Write yourself a reminder note—a huge note—fix it to the fridge, and make the call.

But here’s another thought for everyone celebrating Mother’s Day. Laughter, they say, is the best medicine. It’s also a vitamin, a morale booster, sunshine on a cloudy day, and fireworks on the darkest night. So along with those pink roses—this color denotes elegance, sweetness, and appreciation, perfect for Mom—and that celebratory brunch, bring the woman who brought you into this world a reason to smile, chuckle, giggle, and guffaw.

Here are some ideas that might tickle the funny bone of even the most proper matriarch.

Put the Little Ones in the Limelight

Knock Knock Who’s there Anita Anita who? Anita give you a hug for Mother’s Day!

Most kids love knock-knock jokes, and you’ll find several dozen of them just by searching online for “Mother’s Day Knock Knock Jokes.” Have your 3-year-old recite one or two of these, and that child will melt Mom’s heart.

If you’re serving Mom a special breakfast, have the younger crew gather around and sing to add some sparkle to the moment. Lots of kids, for example, know “Good Morning to You,” and with just a couple of word changes, they’re ready to belt out some special lyrics:

Good morning to you! Good morning to you! We’re all in our places With sun-shiny faces; Oh, this is the way To start Mother’s Day!

Don’t forget to break out the crayons, pens, and paper and have the kids make homemade cards and posters celebrating the day. Have them do the same for Grandma as well, and if need be, get those cards into the mail.

Touch the heart, and you bring a smile.

This Mother’s Day, give the woman who brought you into
this world a reason to smile, chuckle, or giggle. (Biba Kayewich)

Quotes and Jokes Offer Loving Strokes

So you’re sharing a meal with Mom. Maybe you’ve reserved a table at a Ruth’s Chris restaurant. Maybe you’ve gathered at Chipotle or Cracker Barrel. Maybe you’ve whipped up a special luncheon at home. The location doesn’t matter, but why not make this occasion even more memorable?

After the meal, have everyone present pay tribute to Mom. If friends or others outside of the immediate family are present, invite them to do the same for their own absentee mothers.

If you want to add to these salutes, slip everyone a motherhood quotation, humorous or inspirational, in an envelope, then have that person open the envelope and read aloud from the enclosed slip of paper.

Here’s one from Erma Bombeck: “When your mother asks, ‘Do you want a piece of advice?’ it’s a mere formality. It doesn’t matter if you answer yes or no. You’re going to get it anyway.” And an old Spanish proverb is perfect: “An ounce of mother is worth a ton of priest.” You can find these and many other such quips online.

Jokes—gentle ones, no sarcasm allowed—can also brighten the festivities and are abundant online. Here’s a common one: “Son: ‘Why is a computer so smart?’ Mom: ‘It listens to its motherboard.’”

All new moms think their babies are the best, so here’s one for them that should bring a smile:

Mom: I have the perfect son. Stranger: Does he smoke? Mom: No, he doesn’t. Stranger: Does he drink whiskey? Mom: No, he doesn’t. Stranger: Does he ever come home late? Mom: No, he doesn’t. Stranger: I guess you really do have the perfect son. How old is he? Mom: He’ll be six months old next Wednesday.

Small Surprises, Big Smiles

This gift requires a little preparation and stealth, but otherwise, it’s as easy as can be. Write out some notes to Mom—quotes, poems, jokes, riddles, or just little love bombs—fold them, and plant them in places where she’ll be sure to find them: the refrigerator, the dishwasher, her briefcase, her jewelry box, or under her pillow. If she misses finding some of them on her special day, all the better. When she comes across the note later, she’ll take as much, if not more, pleasure from the discovery.

Anyone who can read and write can undertake this project. If you aren’t feeling particularly creative, you’ll find plenty of online sites encouraging you to use their materials for cards and letters. At LaffGaff.com, for instance, we find one-liners such as this one from old-time comedian Milton Berle: “If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?” If you’re aiming for some quirk you’ve joked about in the past, here’s an example: “Happy Mother’s Day. Thanks for providing me with a love that’s as never-ending as your voicemails!”

Search online for “funny Mother’s Day poems and quotes,” and you’ll find a treasure box of material waiting for you.

Storytime

The oldest of my four children was 20 and the youngest was 9 when my wife, their mother, died. Today, all have children of their own, but even now, nearly 20 years later, Mother’s Day is tinted for them with reflection and sadness. Inevitably, however, that mood lightens when we tell stories about her, little bits of family lore about her sweet eccentricities, goofy humor, and loving touches.

Recollection is a fine way to honor our mothers, both the living and the deceased. And that word means exactly what it says—we collect and polish up bits of the past, pieces of ourselves and, in this case, of our mothers. These stories keep the past, and even the dead, alive in our mind’s eye. In my case, none of my grandchildren ever met their grandmother, but they know who she was through the loving stories that their parents share with them. Share the good stories with Mom, or about her, and you’re spreading joy.

Laughter, delight, and surprise are the candles on this cake of memories for our mothers if we take the time to bake it.

The Big Picture

For a number of people, Mother’s Day brings sadness and even anger. Their own mothers were cruel and uncaring when they were children, or they’re mothers themselves, but estranged, for a multitude of reasons, from their children. Others have lost mothers or children to death or were unable to have children of their own. Some of these women would be more than happy to see Mother’s Day abolished.

Here we might remember that Mother’s Day exists to pay homage to motherhood itself. However we might honor our own mothers—and here I’ve sought the way of happiness and laughter—this is also the day we pay homage to the ideal of motherhood itself, a foundation stone of civilization.