Also, I’d like to piggyback here to talk about teasing. Not everyone has the temperament for playful teasing right out of the gate, so steer clear of such behavior until you have a solid rapport. Or better yet, ask for consent. If you have the green light, stick to the same things: it can be okay to tease decisions, but not things a person has zero control over.
Getting teased at school by bullies, then coming home to get teased by my mom was very confusing for me as a child. It didn’t help that when I got upset, she just told me I had to “learn to laugh at myself.” As if it’s my problem that her words were the same as what bullies said to me.
This is the way.
Also, I’d like to piggyback here to talk about teasing. Not everyone has the temperament for playful teasing right out of the gate, so steer clear of such behavior until you have a solid rapport. Or better yet, ask for consent. If you have the green light, stick to the same things: it can be okay to tease decisions, but not things a person has zero control over.
Could you go back in time and tell my mom that?
Getting teased at school by bullies, then coming home to get teased by my mom was very confusing for me as a child. It didn’t help that when I got upset, she just told me I had to “learn to laugh at myself.” As if it’s my problem that her words were the same as what bullies said to me.