Laugh It Off

Sometimes the only way for me to deal with things or to get through a situation is to add a little humor. And thats OK… You need too be able to laugh it off once in a while. It’s kind of therapeutic for me and sometimes keeps me from bursting into tears. For example, when Lyra got her outfit made out of UV protective material for her birthday, I said “Look, she got a HAZMAT suit” or when I say she is like a pinball when she walks around bumping into things. However I would have very likely become defensive if someone else would have made those comments first. Of course she is still a baby and I will be careful not to say things like this when she is old enough to understand. You can see a pic of the outfit below.
Other times, laughing it off means I need to make a sarcastic comment in response to someones question thus preventing me from blowing up or smacking them. Generally the questions and comments are sincere, but occasionally there are the questions that are just plain stupid. For example, on Sunday afternoon we were at a restaurant and I had Lyra in the bathroom washing her hands. A young adult came up to us, with eyes WIDE OPEN, and asked, “Is that her REAL hair color?” I replied with something I read on the NOAH forum and said… “No, we hold her up by her ankles and dunk her in bleach once a week.” Then I walked out of the bathroom. Seriously, why would her hair NOT be her natural hair color.
Other times I just get bored with answering the same old question the same old way. I posted a question on the NOAH forum looking for some variety in how to respond to “Where did she get all that white hair?” Here are some of the suggestions I got from various NOAH members:

• It is all in the genes!
• From God.
• I drank alot of milk when I was pregnant.
• The supermarket–aisle #6, Loreal color #35, $10.00 and you too can have the same color!
• It was “special order.”
• From Santa Clause.
• From the mailman.

Some of those aren’t really untrue, just a little more interesting. Others are obviously just a bunch of baloney. I’m not condoning lying. Sometimes I just gotta make it through the day.

Here is a link to a section on another parents website called “Dumb Things People Say.” It really cheered me up when I first read it when Lyra was only a couple of months old.
Dumb Things People Say

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