Tag Archives: teasing

Teasing or Torture?

I think the “teasing vs. torture” issue is universal in family life—it is not just for families with more than one child. It can be the interactions between a child and his friends, parent and child, or between two parents in the home. We may think we are being playful and teasing—but are we really? Are our jokes being taken as jokes or is the other person perceiving them as hurtful, annoying, or torture. Teasing should be light-hearted and fun, an opportunity for everyone to have a little chuckle. If someone gets their feelings hurt or ends up in tears, … Continue reading →

How Do You Punish Your Spouse for Bad Behavior?

Do you even punish your spouse for bad behavior? I’m not talking about major felonies, but minor misdemeanors. The times when they’re being PIAs (Pain in the A–) as my friend Roxanne likes to say. In 20 plus years of marriage can you believe it wasn’t until last week that it even occurred to me I had the power to punish Wayne? (By “power” I mean a threat I could wield to make him snap back in line.) The “Do” that Ignited the First Shot It all started in the morning. I guess I woke up with a wild hair … Continue reading →

Bullying: Do You Know Your Child’s Classmates?

Wednesday when I was getting ready for a Halloween extravaganza at my house, the phone rang. “Mrs. Crow? This is Kyle’s teacher. I’m calling because I need to let you know about something that happened to him last week during school.” Immediately I knew this wasn’t going to be pleasant conversation. She continued: “Last Thursday I had to leave the classroom for a while, and meanwhile my aide was dealing with a behavioral problem with one of the students in the hallway. So while there was nobody in the room…um…well, a couple of boys started picking on Kyle, calling him … Continue reading →

When Your Child is Teased

Teasing is supposed to be fun, right? At least that is what my mother taught us when we were growing up. She had two pat statements. One was “teasing is supposed to be fun” and the other was “if no one is laughing is not funny.” This was her response when we would try to excuse our mean-spirited behavior or things we said to others by saying: “It was a joke!” Still, sometimes our children have friends or peers who take teasing a little too far–or our child is especially sensitive–and teasing becomes a problem. I’m differentiating teasing from bullying–where … Continue reading →

How To Flirt

If there were one class everyone could take as a high school elective, flirting 101 might be it. Some people are natural flirts and others wouldn’t know flirting if it walked up and hit them in the head. The problem with flirting is it’s the natural form of communication between men and women. Flirting is almost a language of its own and it conveys many different things between people from amusement to interest to just playfulness. Your best and foremost weapon of flirtation is your smile. A smile invites another and once they’ve smiled back at you, then you’ve opened … Continue reading →

Teasing

Teasing and childhood seem to go hand in hand. Whether it is siblings teasing and pestering each other or peers and playmates teasing–this activity can be anywhere from light-hearted fun to very traumatic and life-altering. It can be a challenge for parents to get a handle on teasing and make sure it stays in the fun category. While we may not be able to control what other children do at school or in the neighborhood, we can help our child learn to cope with teasing, as well as NOT be someone who engages in inappropriate or hurtful teasing behaviors. Understanding … Continue reading →

Help Your Child Recognize Bullying

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This is a companion blog to my previous one, “Protect Your Special Needs Child from Bullying.” Children with special needs don’t always recognize what bullying “looks” like. That may be because rejection and cruelty has become all too common for them. Or maybe it’s just too difficult to judge the conduct and emotions of others. For example, it might be hard for a child with Asperger’s Disorder to determine whether someone is telling a friendly joke or laughing at him. Unfortunately, bullies will take advantage of these difficulties, putting our kids at risk. I looked around the internet for some … Continue reading →

Protect your Special Needs Child from Bullying

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Once upon a time, there was a bully. He was rough. He was tough. He was mean. He was obscene. He was large, and in charge. He thought he was cool, and he ruled the school. Although this is the image that comes to mind when we think of “bullies,” in reality, bullying takes many forms. In most cases, bullies look like any ordinary student at your child’s school. And they often strike in groups, where several kids encourage and feed off each other. A bully doesn’t wear a sign on his chest. And many of them (rather vicious at … Continue reading →