Perhaps one of the greatest contributions I bring to my household and my children is the time-honored tradition of dad jokes. If you aren’t already familiar, a dad joke is a joke that elicits groans and eye rolls because it’s just the right mix of corny and punny. My family has always seemed to have a proclivity for the almighty dad joke. In some ways, I feel like I’ve been training for fatherhood ever since I was a child – my dad rarely missed an opportunity to lay down a dad joke (he still rarely misses an opportunity). Trying to one-up each others’ dad jokes around the dinner table became a standard part of the agenda. To this day, when we get together, we still find delight in crafting the right dad joke for any given situation.
My kids are either going to grow up loving or hating dad jokes because I’ve been feeding them a steady diet of them ever since they were born. My oldest son calls them “grandpa jokes” – unsure if he’s referring to my dad or just trying to emphasize how corny he thinks my jokes are. It takes a while for kids to really get dad jokes since so many of them rely on wordplay, and children are still playing catchup with the basics of the English language. But, it makes you all the more proud when your kids finally “get” your jokes. Better yet, when they start telling their own dad jokes and they actually make sense for once. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard jokes from them like, “Knock knock.” “Who’s there?” “Taco.” “Taco who?” “Just kidding. It’s poop!”
In my household, we use jokes to bond – humor brings us together. Humor can also help you push through struggle and strife. It puts a smile on your face and helps you to endure something that may be difficult to handle or to think about. And if I had to identify the bonds that tie my family together, and have for generations, I’m proud to say that humor is the centerpiece.
Dad Joke Battle
This Father’s Day weekend, Reno Dads conducted the first Dad Joke Battle in our area. That’s right, we crowned the Dad Joke King (boom, you’ve been #DadJoked). I’ve been wanting to do this for some time now, and it really just came down to locking in the logistics and spreading the word. People in the community packed the room – proving that everyone loves a good dad joke.
If you’re unfamiliar with a dad joke battle, it’s quite simple, actually. We’ll start with a group of dads. Two dads at a time will face off, head-to-head, and exchange dad jokes (we provide the jokes, they just have to read them). If they laugh, their opponent gets a point. Most points at the end of the round, and they advance to the next round. Last dad standing wins.
Here’s an example of a dad joke battle as demonstrated by our friends at the Reno Aces:
Laffy Taffy Wants Your Jokes
Laffy Taffy has been a supporter of the dad joke for as long as I can remember. To this day, if you don’t read the joke on your Laffy Taffy wrapper aloud to any person within earshot, you’re robbing people of joy. There, I said it. As both a candy and dad-joke enthusiast, I was thrilled to learn that Laffy Taffy had teamed up with Parents in search of the best dad jokes in the world.
Think you have a great dad joke? Then submit your joke on the Parents website for a chance to win one of 5 Amazon prize packages (valued at up to $2,000). What’s better (in my opinion)? Laffy Taffy will feature the best jokes on their packaging! I can’t imagine having my joke immortalized on Laffy Taffy. You only have until June 21, so make sure you submit your joke ASAP. More information on the contest and terms & conditions can be found on the submission website.
Note: Laffy Taffy is helping to sponsor the Reno Dad Joke Battle, but the thoughts and excitement expressed in this article about their promotion are 100% my own. My love for banana Laffy Taffy is real.
