Monday, March 3, 2014

Dad, Don't Read This*

I made fun of my dad on Facebook the other day. It was harmless and I did it with full knowledge that even though he’s not actually on Facebook, my mother is and, therefore, he’d see it.

He was a bit surprised. I’m not sure why; I always make fun of him and I’ve done it on Facebook before. He has a good sense of humor—I’ve gotten some of my snarkiness from him (thanks Dad!)—and he doesn’t get offended easily. If I thought there was any chance of him being embarrassed by what I said, I wouldn’t have done it. Facebook is public, after all.

One of the reasons why I made fun of him was that it was funny. It involved a phone conversation we had:

Actual phone conversation between me and my dad (who is not on FB--hee hee):

Me: Hello.

Him: Hi? What are you calling for?

Me: To say hi.

Him: Oh. You don't usually do that.

Me: Yes I do, you just don't usually answer the phone.

Him: Oh.

My dad is not a big telephone person. That’s not to say he doesn’t like conversations; he just doesn’t use the phone for them. He’d much rather have them in person. And believe me, we have lots of them. In fact, after the above comments, we continued to have an actual conversation.

After I posted this on Facebook, several people empathized with me by telling me their dads weren’t big conversationalists either. My dad called to ask why I posted this and to joke about payback. I even responded to some of the comments by sticking up for my dad’s conversation skills.

What most people failed to notice, and the real reason I posted this on Facebook to begin with (aside from the fact that it’s funny) is that it’s really a slam on me, not my dad. If you read this closely, you’ll realize I’m showing a conversation where my dad it making fun of me for only calling when I need something.

Okay, I’ll admit, I often do call my parents when I need something. They live nearby and are extremely helpful. My dad it King when it comes to carpooling and schlepping. But I also call just to check in and say hello, even if he’s not aware of that.

In my opinion, the best Facebook jokes that I share are ones that make fun of myself as well. I love laughing at myself. I am very entertaining, at least to me, and laughing at myself prevents me from taking myself too seriously.

Which really should be the point of Facebook, anyway!



*If you choose to ignore the warning, none of this is my fault.

6 comments:

  1. My daddy will text once in a while with things like Bird Nose, Frog Lips, or Baboon butt. These are his little ways of checking in, saying he's thinking of me, and that he loves me. I love daddy's with a great sense of humor!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He sounds funny! Love it--thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  2. Not sure how my dad would act toward all this techie stuff. My dad been gone for years. Anyhow I would guess he would real be in to techie stuff..He would sit and read the dictionary.

    Coffee is on

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Jennifer...love your post. I'm always a big fan of making fun of myself, but a lot of folks think that's a sign of insecurity. I'm always had a weight problem and figure if I address the "elephant in the room," no one else has to. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ginger, I make fun of myself all the time. Makes people laugh and then they're laughing with me, rather than at me. Plus, it tends to put people at ease.

      Delete