The subtle difference between smile and laugh

I was trying to explain the difference between smile and laugh in simple words. I was trying to picture it as below

Laugh: Your teeth and tongue are visible to others

Smile: Your teeth and tongue are not visible to others.

Little did I know how misleading that statement could be.

The other day I was reading a book to my daughter on bullying. I explained in my own words to my 3-year-old daughter,

When people laugh at someone to make fun of them it’s bullying.

Toddlers are often funny, cute, and outsmart you during the most unexpected times. In one such instance when my daughter did something unexpected and made our jaw drop in amazement and happiness. On the contrary, my daughter was totally annoyed and disappointed.

My daughter was upset because she thought we are bullying her because we were laughing at her. I said we are not laughing at you. Instead, we are happy for you. She refused to accept and had a very logical explanation. You are laughing because your tongue and teeth were visible.

That was a bummer and caught me on the wrong foot. How do I course correct it? I realized my blunder and the impact of teachings that we impart on our kids on our day to day activities. I’m not sure if I could explain bullying in such simple words, but I just wanted to ensure that my daughter doesn’t feel bullied whenever I laugh or even open my mouth. I explained the subtle difference between smile and laugh as below.