Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 September 1887 — Teasing Children. [ARTICLE]

Teasing Children.

One of the commonest practices, and one that should be strongly condemned by mothers and guardians, is the pernicious habit of teasing children. Some people take particular pleasure in provoking a little child to anger. They will torment and harass it just to see its eyes flash and its little hands close tightly, and w’hen this end is attained they laugh heartily at the picture of anger and indignation they have wrought. Should the child under this provocation resent by an angry word or action the torture these people are heaping on it, that is a very different thing altogether; they are horrified at the expression or action; the child is impudent or vicious; its mother ought to punish it. Generally the mother or guardian does chastise it, although in their hearts they feel that, in justice, the child is not to blame and the punishment belongs elsewere. “Oh, dear!” you will hear these people exclaim after an exhibition such as the above, “that child is so hot-tempered and irritable, if it isn’t controlled when it is young the parents will have a hard time with it when it is older.” They are fond of citing, as an example for this child to imitate, one of their acquaintances who is totally dissimilar in disposition to the irritable one. The model child never gets angry, no matter how long they may torment it. It takes it all good-naturedly and never thinks of such a thing as resenting it. They usually attribute this trait in a child as the result of proper training, when, as a rule, it has very little to do with it. There are two kinds of children that do not mind teasing, and these are the ones that are usually set up as models. One is of a naturally amiable disposition, and will good-naturedly take a great deal of teasing before resenting it. The other is of the “don’tcare” kind, and would as soon be tormented as praised. A child that is indifferent to either censure or praise will bear watching, for such a child seldom amounts to much when grown up. Where there is a large family of children the irritable child will be tormented and annoyed by its brothers and sisters enough on account of its unfortunate disposition, without the aid of older people. Children are very quick to follow in the footsteps of older folks and are very observant. Seeing that the irritable member of the family is always the same one chosen by grown folks to tease, they very readily learn to imitate the latter, and, if not seen to by the parents, the tormented child will have a miserable time of it even in its own home, the place of all others where it should be protected. Parents should not allow teasing in the home, and more particularly where the subject of it is a child of such a temperment as the above. To be sure there is no necessity for spoiling such a child by allowing it more privileges than the other children. No, indeed. It will not ask any more. It will be perfectly contented to be let alone to quietly enjoy the same privileges as the other children without the fear of being annoyed on every occasion by reference to its unfortunate disposition. Other children are very sensitive to teasing who are not of irritable temperaments, and these little ones are tormented even more than the others. They will stand just so much annoyance without a sign of resentment/until the first intimation they give of being hurt is a flood of tears. Then in a contemptuous tone the epithet “crybaby” is applied to them by their persecutors. All children, but more particularly sensitive children, like the above, like to stand well in the estimamation of older people, and will do all in their power to further this. They work so hard to do what is right that when their little peculiarities are held up to ridicule they are bitterly grieved, and their disappointment is so great that their only relief is in tears. They do not care that other children tease them, they do not mind them but very little, and get over it in a short time; but that grown people, to whom they have never done anything to deserve it, should ridicule them until they cry, and then heap insult on injury by calling them “cry-babies,” is too much for their sensitive natures, and it is not to be wondered at their hearts being very sore.— American Cultivator.