Fake Laugh

My daughter has a laugh that could make anyone laugh. But she has two other laughs. One is the laugh, which laughs when I crack a joke. She’s figured out that I often joke and as soon as my wife laughs or giggles, my little one joins in, as if to say, ‘I get it too’.

The third type of the laugh is the fake laugh. It’s a loud shrill laugh. It could be for no reason. It could be to test your mood or reaction. It could also be an invitation to a game, urging you to pass a fake laugh back to her. I like to indulge her in the game, and the funniest thing is that it often turns into real laughter, at least for me. I am really surprised by this, because I’m a guy who hates the concept of ‘laughter therapy’ where people force themselves to laugh.

Here’s my message for you little one. I would take a fake laugh any day, from a genuine person, over a genuine laugh, from a fake person.