Erma Bombeck once said, “When humor goes, there goes civilization.” In the early 1950s, America was still reeling from the effects of World War II and dealing with the current threat of the Cold War, while sending our men to fight in Korea. In the early 1950s a man named Art Linkletter joined our nation’s radio waves and television screens to remind us of the importance of humor. He hosted shows called, “House Party” and “People are Funny” but, is probably best remembered for his interviews with children on, “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” The idea for the show came to him during a conversation with his own son, Jack, after his first day of kindergarten. He told his father he would never go back. When his father asked him why little Jack responded, “Because I can’t read, I can’t write, and they won’t let me talk.”
Personally, with the looming election results, which at the time of this writing are still not in, and the suffocating effects of “you know what,” we could all use a little child-like, unadulterated humor. And so, without further explanation, I give to you our grandchildren, 1 girl and 6 boys, in all of their very little, unfiltered glory…

~ I notice our ever-so-serious 5 year old granddaughter putting her hand on her chest every once in awhile. I, jokingly, asked her if she was checking to see if her heart was still beating. Her serious response, “Yes, I thought it stopped before, but it didn’t.”
~ Our oldest grandson learning to ride a two-wheeler bicycle with training wheels. Me leaning on the bike behind him teaching him how to pedal and steer. I think I’m being helpful until I hear him say, “Nana, you’re just adding more weight to this thing.”
~ One of our favorite worship songs at church…”Glorious and mighty, you’re awesome IN BEAUTY…” Our third grandson’s version, “Glorious and mighty, you’re awesome AND NUDIE.”
~ While watching two of our grandchildren, the younger one has to go potty. I get that fateful call, “Nana, I’n d-o-n-e…(not a typo).” I go in to do the dirty deed of clean up and hear a pathetic little pleading voice ask the following question, “Nana, can you wipe ‘nice’?” This poor child! What did I do before?
~ A grandson falls asleep on the way to the grocery store, a one mile drive. I wake him up and tell him he can’t fall asleep right now because Nana has to shop. His response, “Nana, only one of my eye’s is sleeping.” As I carry him into the store, he has an epiphany, “Nana, look my shadow isn’t smiling.”
~ Our granddaughter at the age of 5 had a physical for kindergarten and had the following interview with the doctor as part of her physical.
“What do you do when you’re hungry?”
“Eat.”
“What do you do when you’re tired?”
“Go to sleep.”
“What do you do when it’s cold outside?”
(Our granddaughter hesitates. The answer the doctor was looking for was ‘put on a coat’. The response she got from our ever-so-practical little girl…)
“Stay inside.”
~ A grandson, watching me attempting to do a yoga video, makes an impressive observation. “Nana, you’re not smiling.”
~ A new children’s table and chair set for the four oldest grandkids. A new coloring book and set of scented markers for each. A new look for our grandchildren as each has smelled their markers so much they look like Hitler.

Kids and grandkids truly say and do, “the darndest things!” It really is the little things that bring us so much joy. We can’t do much about the rest of it. But, we can live with the realization that in the light of all eternity, it’s really not that big a deal!