Was always against pun-based icebreakers until a triple-header at my nephew's party last Saturday

I've spent years rolling my eyes at dad jokes in group settings (you know, the kind that make people groan). But last weekend at my nephew's 8th birthday party, I had 15 kids and 4 parents staring at me blankly after the cake. I dropped a quick "Why don't skeletons fight each other? They don't have the guts" and suddenly everyone was laughing and sharing their own. Now I'm wondering if I've been wrong all along about these things being cringey. Has anyone else had a moment where a silly pun totally saved a conversation or am I just getting old and soft?

2 comments

2 Comments

markm273d ago

Hold on, I'm the guy who still groans at these things. Respectfully, you had a room full of 8 year olds. They laugh at anything. Try dropping a pun at a work meeting or a parent teacher conference and watch the energy die instantly. They're a crutch to fill awkward silence, not a real conversation builder. Sounds more like the cake sugar kick and the novelty of it all did the heavy lifting. Just saying.

leohart3d ago

@markm27 Exactly. Tried a pun at a staff meeting once. Dead silence. Never again.