Over the past 5 months, I have had the great fortune of spending a considerable amount of quality time with my sons L and C. While the nature of that quality has not been all pleasant all the time (frequent arguments, occasional tantrums, random mayhems), I am very proud to say that they have been extremely well-behaved most of the time.

“L, I know you said they are ninjas, but which one is the REAL ninja? Tell me, tell me”!!!

What I have also learnt is that whenever I need some comic relief, all I need to do is closely watch my two sons as they go about their usual business. Without ever intending to, they can genuinely make me burst out laughing with their indiosyncracies, mannerisms and just the way they interact with each other.

Here are just 10 of many things L and C do that tickle my funny bones:

1. The way my 4 year-old second son, C, says “scoooose me” with the most cheeky smile whenever he breaks wind;
2. The way my 6 year-old first born, L, replies “that’s disgusting” with the most deadpan, Will Ferrell-esque tone whenever he hears his brother breaking wind;
3. The way L, with his innocent face and matter-of-fact tone, slowly drives my wife to the edge of sanity with incessant complaints (“I’m bored!“, “What can I do?“, “How I can make XYZ?“), and then pushes her over the edge and straight to the crazy house (“I’m still bored!“, “I don’t feel like doing that!“, “Can we make ABC instead of XYZ now?“);
4. The way C shakes his booty while singing to Gangnam Style with the most serious facial expression (most likely because he’s trying to pronounce the lyrics);
5. How L would invariably join in the singing and dancing, accidentally headbutts or tangles with C, and then ends up full-on wrestling with his brother on the floor, while somehow still lip-syncing to Gangnam Style;
6. The way C runs out of breath whenever he’s near the end of saying a very long (and terribly important) sentence;
7. The way that, whenever L and C are in the midst of something exciting, they try to hold their bladders by clutching at their crotches and hopping on their feet, until they can hold no longer and bolt to the restroom;
8. How L so earnestly and patiently tries to teach C all the intricate traits and weapons of characters in Ninjago;
9. How C pretends he is following and then blows his cover after L’s 10 minute lecture by asking “Ok, ok, but tell me, who are the ninjas again?“;
10. The way L and C trash-talk each other whenever they are competing on an iPad game (“You’re not the master, I’m the master!“, “Oh yeah, if you’re the master, then how come you can never get the bonus points?“, “That’s because the bonus points are too eeeeeasy for me so I don’t worry about them, so there!!” and so on and so on).

As I am writing this blog, C is occasionally sticking his nose right up to the laptop screen and interrogating me on what I’m doing, what each word means and pressing the “Save Draft” button every now and then. While he’s doing this, C is clutching at his crotch and hopping on his feet. I have already asked him three times whether he needs to pee. He shakes his head “no” but I know what is about to happen.

Keep on pounding.