Just Teasing...

Hi, I'm Chris and I'm a teaser. I come from a long line of teasers, my father, my grandfather, my uncles and cousins. It's darn near an epidemic in my family and I passed it on to my own kids. In some ways I'm proud that they have so much of me in them but I'm also ashamed. You see, I've been guilty of exasperating my children, teasing them until their spirits are bruised. I've done them wrong. I've failed to heed the scripture, "Fathers (and mothers, and everyone who deals with children), don't exasperate your children by coming down hard on them." (Ephesians 6:4a, The Message)

Now I believe that the fun I've mentioned has some to do with teasing and that there can be some healthy teasing. Telling fib stories and making them believe something false in an "April Fools Day" attitude can be fun if it doesn't hurt anybody. But taken too far, we eventually are the little boys who cry wolf. Our kids won't know when to believe us. There may be a place for teasing, but it is a small place. We can have fun, tell stories and jokes, play tricks on one another but the teasing has to stop. We are dealing with fragile egos, developing characters and malleable spirits.

Ever had your eggs put on the bottom of a grocery bag? Not a good plan, unless you want to make a whole lot of scrambled eggs as soon as you get home from the store! Children need to be handled just like a carton of eggs, very carefully. Eggs are easily spoiled, easily cracked and easily broken. (And after handling it's always a good idea to wash your hands to keep from getting sick! Ha, ha, ha...just teasing!) They're fragile, children I mean. And we have to treat them accordingly.

Now you've heard it said that kids are resilient. They bounce back from adversity well. Truth is, they aren't that resilient. Not everything rolls off their backs, rather every thing that happens to a child is like another swipe of the scuplter's hand. It leaves a mark, a memory, a scar. Kids aren't as resilient as we think, they are just quiet learners that are affected by every word, action and circumstance. They need to be placed in the top of the bag and their spirits at the forefront of our minds.

Paul says instead to "take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master." (Ephesians 6:4b, The Message). We need to take seriously the task of raising children and this is for all of us, not just parents and grandparents. Remember, in the baptismal covenant we all take a vow to raise the children of the church. While we need to teach them we also need to treat them with love and respect and they will learn to love and respect in return. They are a treasure and deserve our best. Handle them with care.

Peace ><>
PC