You remember Australia’s Funniest Home Videos, right? That ’90s homemade video clip show hosted by Jo Beth Taylor that mostly featured people falling and pets doing weird things?
Well, guess what? Though it ended in 2014, it had a slew of hosts in its lifetime (most recently Shelly Craft), and it always featured people falling and pets doing weird things.
And my son thinks such shows are hilarious.
I was initially hesitant to let him watch it. I didn’t need him getting any ideas about pranks to pull or odd physical feats to attempt. As we began watching it together, though, I found myself laughing right along with him.
I will, apparently, never tire of watching people slipping and sliding around on slick surfaces. (I’m pretty sure some of the Lifehacker staff thinks this makes me a jerk, but… it’s funny.)
What I realised last night though, while my son was laughing his way through yet another episode of the American version, is that AFHV is actually a great way to teach what I like to call “Life Lessons”.
In the episode we were watching, there was an entire montage of people on sleds or bikes running into things. In one particularly predictable clip, a kid goes down a snowy hill on a sled… and runs directly into the idiot adult who is standing at the bottom of it. “Well, why would he even stand there?” my son exclaimed through his laughter.
Yes, exactly, son. Do not stand at the bottom of a hill and watch people sled directly at you! That person just learned a Life Lesson.
Other life lessons we have learned from AFHV:
- If you ever have braces, don’t open your mouth while lying face down on the carpet; you could get stuck.
- Hammocks should only be hung outside and low to the ground.
- Helmets are very important.
- You should only jump on trampolines that have protective netting around them. (We’ve told him this, but now he sees why.)
- Feeding any animal that is not your pet is a bad idea.
- Don’t turn the treadmill speed up too high. (And always wear the clip that shuts it off in case you stumble.)
- Sledding down stairs? Not a good move.
- Never. Stand. On. A. Chest. Of. Drawers.
Incidentally, I just spent a really long time watching AFHV clips and laughing hysterically to myself in my empty house. Watching people on an amusement park thrill ride get so freaked out that they pass out and then wake back up and discover they’re still on the ride is just good stuff.
Though the show is no longer on air, you can while away many a fun hour watching clips of it on YouTube. You also have the American version to look through as well, for videos of people falling down you may not have seen before.
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