Gathering with your family members can be exciting for many reasons. Perhaps you only get to see your siblings a couple times a year, or maybe you’re thrilled to finally have a home cooked meal that’s been made with love by Mom. Or you might just be excited to find out what’s been hiding in Mom’s china cabinet!
One woman recently posted a story on the Petty Revenge subreddit detailing how she’s been getting back at her mother for being blamed for a broken plate over a decade ago. Below, you’ll find all of the hilarious details, as well as some of the replies amused readers shared!
This woman was blamed for breaking one of her mother’s plates over a decade ago
Image credits: dj_norvo / reddit (not the actual photo)
So she’s been on a mission ever since to find the perfect replacement
Image credits: shotprime / envato (not the actual photo)
Image source: Jacknollie
The best pranks are harmless yet hilarious for all involved
Breaking a plate that’s been in your wife or mother’s cabinet for decades does sound like a scary thought. How will she react? Will I ever be able to replace it? Is there any way I can just glue it back together? My mind would be racing.
But deciding to blame another relative probably isn’t the best course of action, considering that, well, they know they’re innocent. The woman in this story, however, had the perfect reaction. Instead of turning this into a family soap opera, she decided to accept the blame and go out of her way to make it right.
Approaching essentially any situation with humor is typically the right move, and a harmless prank of joke can certainly bring people together. According to the Cleveland Clinic, there are a variety of benefits that we can enjoy from pranks and jokes. They build and strengthen cognitive skills, and they can improve our social skills.
It’s necessary to have a complex understanding of language to “get” the double meaning of a joke, and telling or laughing at jokes can certainly strengthen your bonds with others. To have a good sense of humor, you have to understand social norms and what would be a funny way of breaking them. Plus, you need to be an active listener who recognizes the perfect moment to respond with a joke.
Utilizing humor in your daily life is great for your health
Empathy is also another important aspect of being funny, to ensure that the joke lands well but doesn’t step on anyone’s toes or hurt anyone’s feelings. Innocent pranks and humor can also build teamwork, improve self-confidence and make an individual more resilient.
You might even see health benefits from utilizing humor often. The Cleveland Clinic notes that laughter can provide us with a healthy cocktail of oxytocin, dopamine and endorphins, which can greatly improve our moods. But, of course, to have this effect, the humor must be positive in the first place.
Offensive jokes or pranks that leave one person heartbroken are not the way to go. But harmless, inclusive humor that leaves everyone giggling and no one humiliated is always a safe bet.
This plate prank is the perfect example. Nobody is injured, and no additional property is damaged. But the whole family gets to enjoy a good laugh every time they gather around for dinner and Mom pulls out the new mystery plate.
Humor can also be a wonderful way to bond with family members
Sharing jokes as a family is a great way to stay close or strengthen bonds. In fact, experts recommend that parents utilize humor with their kids, even if they’re met with eyerolls.
A recent study published in the journal PLOS One found that people who were raised in humorous households are more likely to have a positive view of their parents, have a good relationship with Mom and Dad, say that their parents did a good job raising them and say that they would borrow parenting techniques from what they saw modeled during childhood.
Aside from allowing the family to enjoy a good laugh, Dr. Benjamin Levi, professor of pediatrics and humanities at Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, tells CNN that humor can serve several purposes for parents. For example, it can help de-escalate tense situations and relieve stress. Finding the funny side to any situation can also help children cope with disappointment and teach them not to take life too seriously.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this silly revenge, pandas. How would you react if your plate collection gained hilarious additions every time you pulled it out of the cupboard? Then, if you’d like to check out another Bored Panda article discussing harmless but hilarious petty revenge, look no further than right here!
Amused readers shared their reactions to the silly story, and the woman joined in on the conversation
