I might be biased, considering I’m the youngest child in my family, but I hate April Fools’ Day. I understand the general appeal of a day where you can play practical jokes on people and avoid being seen as a jerk, I guess?

In all honesty, I’m not entirely sure what the function or reasoning behind April Fools’ Day is, but I do know that it is far too easy for what should be a day of fun to turn into a day of bullying.

I don’t mean to get preachy or anything, especially because there are definitely a lot of ways April Fools’ Day can be fun for everyone rather than just those who play the pranks.

When people play pranks — like pretending to come out or pretending not to remember people or any number of things that can cause actual emotional distress — that’s really not a whole lot of fun for the people on the other end.

I’m not entirely sure what kind of fun it is for the people playing the “prank.”

Just to make sure I’m being completely clear here, I only mean pranks that cause any kind of actual stress, which are, in general, a bad idea and are considered bullying. Pranks that are only mildly inconvenient, while sometimes gross and uncomfortable, aren’t necessarily a bad plan, provided the person playing the prank knows their target well enough to expect a certain reaction from them.

Those legitimately distressing pranks include things that most people would probably peg as more cruel than funny — faking a suicide, telling someone they’re adopted when they aren’t, attempting to get someone to think they’re dreaming by telling them to “wake up.”

As I said before, I’m not really sure what kind of person finds these pranks funny. All of these pranks, and anything similar to them, are somehow touted as funny by someone when really, all they’re likely to do is cause a panic attack on the better end of the spectrum.

Stick to the plastic wrap on the toilet seat. Your roommate might hate you for making them clean up fresh pee, but they’ll probably be a lot better off than if you faked your own death.