Nature versus nurture Dr Louis Franzini, US author of Kids Who Laugh: How To Develop Your Child's Sense Of Humour (Square One), does not believe having a funny bone is inherent. "No-one is born with a great sense of humour, a poor sense of humour or even no sense of humour. "A sense of humour is learned, just like most other skills we possess. Parents are the most important influences on their children's personalities. When a child's humour development is encouraged – that is, praised and appreciated by the world – it will flourish," he says. Dr Paul McGhee, a US guru on humour who has spent more than 20 years researching it, puts less pressure on mums and dads, claiming that even the offspring of the most sombre and grave parents will develop a sense of the ridiculous. "Having said that, parents can play an important role in nurturing their child's sense of humour as it moves from one stage to the next. The key is modelling humour yourself, particularly at a child's level, and being able to laugh along at your child's efforts at humour.The parents should also have a good sense of humour in order for the kids to acquire this skill. But it is not rocket science so it should be common like toner & ink cartridges. I just hope the Tatapilla has some of it by now.
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