SMILES Mentoring Program

What has four legs, four arms, four eyes, two heads and two HUGE smiles?
A successful mentor match, of course!

Okay, so that's not the best riddle you ever read and it's a pretty weak example of humor but it's the thought that counts, right?

Humor and mentoring go hand in hand, just ask Charlie Appelstein. Appelstein is an author, speaker and therapist who has been working with troubled kids for years. In his book, No Such thing As a Bad Kid, Appelstein stresses the importance of humor in establishing and nurturing a relationship with any youth.

Now, not all of us were born comic geniuses, right? Being funny and having the ability to make other people laugh seem to come naturally to some people but what about the rest of us?

Appelstein suggests buying a joke book and reading some jokes out loud to your mentee. You could even memorize a few. You know, build a repertoire! Other ideas include showing up wearing a funny hat or plastic nose and black glasses, or other funny costume; using props such as wind-up toys, cards and magic tricks; taking traditional games like Bingo and adding twists to them that make them silly and more fun than they already are.

Those are just a few of the ideas that Appelstein writes about. One thing he warns against is using any kind of sarcasm, as it, in Appelstein's words, "masks feelings of hostility" and is "a put-down."

Really, a little humor, especially the self-deprecating kind, can really brighten a child's day. And, it's another gift that you can give to your mentee: The gift of laughter.

The PSA at the bottom of this blog entry is a great example of how humor and laughter can help to strengthen a relationship. After you watch it, SMILES would love to know how you have used humor in your mentoring relationship, or any ideas for sharing humor that you might have.