Dad Jokes Are Puns. Mom Jokes Are Dark Humor: The Real Difference

I posted on Facebook asking why there aren't Mom Jokes like there are Dad Jokes and had a good laugh. After thinking about it more, I determined that there ARE Mom Jokes. They're just not puns—they're wrapped in survival strategies disguised as humor. Dad jokes make you groan. Mom jokes make you cry. lol!

Here's some funny ones I came up with:

1. On Running Away

   1. Dad joke: “I thought about running away once… but gas prices were too high.”

   2. Mom joke: “I told my kids I’m running away. They asked if I could grab snacks on my way back.”

2. On Hobbies

   1. Dad joke: “My hobby? Napping during kid movies.”

   2. Mom joke: “I used to have hobbies. Now I just Google slang and reheat chicken nuggets.”

3. On Being a ‘Safe Place’

   1. Dad joke: “My kid calls me their superhero. Must be the cape of unpaid bills.”

   2. Mom joke: “My kid said I’m their safe place. That’s sweet... Meanwhile, I’m hiding in the pantry crying into a granola bar.”

4. On Therapy

   1. Dad joke: “Why go to therapy when you can just mow the lawn and not talk about your feelings?”

   2. Mom joke: “I don’t need a therapist — I have a teenager who reminds me of all my flaws daily.”

5. On Breaks

   1. Dad joke: “My wife asked for a break, so I paused the TV.”

   2. Mom joke: “I told my husband I wanted a break. He handed me a KitKat.”

6. On Doing Their Best

   1. Dad joke: “My kid said I’m the best dad ever. I said, ‘Don’t tell your mom — she’ll expect more of me.’”

   2. Mom joke: “I asked my daughter if I was a good mom. She said, ‘You’re doing your best.’ That’s mom-code for ‘therapy will be fun someday.’”

So if you're surviving motherhood with dark humor, welcome! You're in excellent company. Because sometimes the only way through the chaos is to laugh at it—preferably while hiding in the pantry with a granola bar.

What's YOUR favorite mom joke? Drop it in the comments—I need more material for when my kids inevitably put me in therapy.