"We learn to reparent ourselves with gentleness, humor, love and respect." BRB p. 590

The great advantage of teaching our Inner Child to look at life with as much good humor as possible is that it relieves tension. Think for a moment about the last time we heard someone say, "I'm right and you're wrong." Did we automatically assume a defensive posture and scan the speaker's throat for their jugular?

With the help of ACA, we can teach our Inner Child that instead of reacting, it's possible to reach instead for humor and say something like, "Even a stopped clock is right twice a day, so who knows who's right or wrong? What time is it, anyway?" Learning to smile in the face of criticism is an important skill. It helps when we learn that going to war isn't always required if we can sometimes use our wit instead.

Using humor to ease tensions is good for us. On days when we feel unlovable, silly good humor can be just the remedy to lift ourselves out of a funk. Maybe we can tell ourselves "Go find a mirror, look at your wonderful self and give yourself a kiss." That person in the mirror is our Inner Child who will be grateful for our attention. When we find the humor, we're helping our Inner Child's urge to have fun, something that didn't happen nearly enough while we were growing up.

On this day I will remember that humor has a purpose and I can use it to my advantage in the care and nurturing of my Inner Child.