The Dad Joke

So Sunday morning in between church services a handful of us were trying to explain the dad joke to a friend. I didn't know people grew up in a world without dad jokes but apparently some people have.

For those who don't know, the dad joke is a terrible a dad tells. It's usually a pun, or a play on words. Sometimes (with my dad) it's inappropriate. And it's almost always terrible. But the dad will always tell these jokes. And somewhere along the way, all male children will pick up this ability to tell the terrible joke. It's in the moment when men will utter the phrase "I'm just like my dad."

Here's an example of a dad joke that my father told. We were watching some show involving food on the Travel Channel and they were talking about either a fish sandwich or dish. And my dad turned to us with a smile and said;

"I would try that just for the halibut."

If you don't get it, say it out loud a couple times.

It's cringe worthy. You shake your head. And then a part of you dies while you ultimately succumb to laughter.

But there's another part of the dad joke that I haven't mentioned yet. I will tell a story to explain this.

I tweeted today one such awful joke.

"Peanut butter and jelly. It's the jam!"

Awful. Cringe worthy. And yet you still chuckled.

What makes this a classic dad joke is the sense of pride I have taken in the fact that I was smart and quick witted enough to come up with this true gem of comedy. Anyone who ha ever heard a dad joke has seen the face of one who thinks they are the new master of comedy. The prideful smile and laugh because they are funny.

I would love for people to share their memorable dad jokes and the stories behind them.