Sometimes we are on such a track to get things done and to have our children "do" that we forget to laugh at ourselves.
When my husband "lost" the car in a large mall parking lot and we were all searching for it (he had dropped us off so we had no idea where it was), our teens were complaining and teasing with "oh dad, not again..." type comments. All could have been lost if dad had gotten mad. Instead, he turned it around and, once he found the car, he purposely set off the alarm, laughed and yelled "Here it is!" just to allow our kids to groan, roll their eyes and laugh at the situation.
Then we joked about how not only dad joined the Stupid Club that day but so had brother. Younger brother learned the lesson about what happens when you leave wet clothes in the washer for multiple days without drying them. His clothes were dried in the dryer but he only noticed they STANK like heck after he brought his sweatshirt into the car directly from this pile of wash that was now dry. Yuck! We all laughed. He was in the Stupid Club too.
And then there was mom, me, .. who had run into a pole with her car on a dark rainy night the week before. Ugh... Another Stupid Club member!
Could all the laugher have been lost if we went overboard and teased the heck out of each other? Yes, certainly. There is a balance between having a laugh and being mean. Also, can we miss these opportunities of family fun if someone gets mad? It's a wonderful gift to show your children that adults can make mistakes too and move past them with humor and honor.
So, next time you do something "stupid" feel free to laugh and start your own Stupid Club.