The first day of the month often feels like a breath of fresh air, especially now that it’s springtime. Probably the most infamous of this sort of days is today, which in case you don’t know is April Fools’ Day. 

It is the one day of the year that everyone from family members to classmates relishes making up hoaxes and playing practical jokes. It wouldn’t be the best idea to disclose some of the methods and ideas that can be pulled off in order to avoid liability from potential damage that could occur. 

What can be shared are some helpful hints that will make you less of a fool today, whether you are the prank victim or the prankster.  

The first piece of advice is pretty obvious, which is to be fully aware about the day. 

Be wary of someone offering you drinking glasses that might have holes in it or someone persuading you to look into the microscope in science class, unless you like to have black circles around your eyes all day. 

It may all seem like dated humor, but it happens more often than you think.

Pranks these days are often more associated with social media. If someone is posting something that your first instinct tells you to be totally ridiculous, trust that instinct and don’t fall for the prank. 

My dad once claimed to a group of my brother’s friends that he kept Luke Skywalker’s cut off hand from “The Empire Strikes Back” in a pickle jar and and one of them actually claimed in total sincerity, “Really?” 

There is value to earnestness at times, but please don’t be as gullible as that guy was if someone is posting Photoshopped material.

This is not to say that nothing bad can happen on this day. 

Motown legend Marvin Gaye was killed on this day nearly 30 years ago, and at first no one believed it. It wasn’t until the next day that the weight of Gaye’s death started to weigh in. 

As for the merry pranksters today, just have a sense of when you are crossing the line. If a prank involves bodily harm or property damage, that’s a crime and there is no exemption for claiming that it was a joke. 

Of course, not all pranks entice criminal prosecution. Someone creating false accusations about a breakup in a relationship is often carried out on this day and can be treated seriously. 

It could also cause some serious riffs in a friendship. 

The last piece of advice is that after acknowledging the lines that shouldn’t be crossed, maintain a sense of humor about whatever occurs. It’s OK to laugh along in a joke pulled by someone else or even on yourself.