On Christmas, you lie to your kids about the existence of Santa Clause to make their holidays brighter and smiles wider. On Easter, you lie to you children about a mythical bunny in order to explain all the chocolate and eggs that you’ve strewn around the house. But on April Fool’s Day, you lie to your kids – just for the hell of it.
Holidays definitely take on a new tenor once you become an adult and a father. As an adult, bringing a tree into the house, hanging socks on the mantle and singing about snowmen may seem more like the actions of a drunk man than a Christmas celebration.
And I’m not sure what hiding eggs has to do with religion, but each year I pray they all get found – or else the linen closet will be smelling pretty foul for months.
But if April Fools Day is the one holiday you can get behind, be careful not to get too overzealous this year, or you could be the one who looks like a fool.
1. It doesn’t matter how funny it was in college, filling your wife’s medicine cabinet with Magnum condoms is notlonger an appropriate joke. (The same goes for your children’s lunch boxes.)
2. April Fools jokes are only funny if everyone can laugh about them later. Sitting the family down and explaining that you’ve lost your job probably doesn’t qualify – especially if you’ve decided to take a long weekend.
3. Remember that you’re not the only one who recognizes the prankster holiday – especially after what you pulled last year. Check your bed, toilet, briefcase, shoes, hats, food, vitamins, toothpaste, car and shampoo before doing ANYTHING. In other words, get paranoid.
