With April First upon us many of us are searching for a prank to pull on our friends and family. Most of these jokes are harmless and will get the laughs we’re looking for, but sometimes they’re not. What you may find funny could actually really hurt the same people you’re trying to make smile. Here are a few pranks that you should really save for next year… or not save at all.
The Pregnancy Joke
Calling your mom, sister and best friends and telling them you’re expecting is a classic. You get them all excited for you and then you yell “APRIL FOOLS” into the phone. What you may not think of when you do this is that 1 in 4 women have experienced a miscarriage. Statistically, that means in the group message with your 3 besities, one of you has experienced a miscarriage. Don’t be the one to remind them of their loss through a well-intentioned but cruel joke.
The Messing With an Assignment Prank
Writing an obscene sentence in the middle of your roommate’s research paper that she’s been working on all semester may seem like the perfect joke, but her professor may catch it instead of her and Dr. Whoever probably won’t be as forgiving. Don’t jeopardize someone’s grade for a laugh. It really isn’t funny anyway.
The Engagement Joke
For the same reasons as the first example, just avoid this one. Don’t open wounds for the friends who may be going through a breakup, or waiting for a ring themselves.
Anything that Physically Hurts Someone.
Don’t feed someone something they’re allergic to. Don’t replace beauty products with chemicals. Don’t cause another person pain for a laugh. It wasn’t funny when the high school football players did it to the nerds, and it’s not funny now.
April Fools is a great time to smile and laugh with the people you love, but remember not to do it at the expense of hurting the people you love too. Stick to whoopie cushions and covering cars with sticky notes.