humor. The ability to see and to
show just how foolish or funny some situations are will turn many a
tragedy of childhood into a comedy. Whenever children laugh at the
distresses or faults of others, help them to laugh at their own.
Cultivate the habit of seeing the odd, the whimsical, the humorous side
of things. A sound sense of kindly humor often will save us all from
unkind teasing.

Sec. 4. SOME CURES FOR TEASING

Help the habitual and unkind teaser to see how cowardly the act is, to
see how it is against the spirit of fair play. Call on him to help the
weaker one. If he is teasing for some fault of temper or some habit,
show him the chance that is afforded to do the nobler deed of helping
another to overcome that fault.

Let the cowardly teaser reap the consequences of his own act; he must
bear the burden of the critic, the expectation of perfection. Teasing
him for his own shortcomings will sometimes cure him, but usually he
loses his temper quickly. Make him feel the injustice of the teaser's
method. If he is a bully he needs bullying. If ever corporal punishment
is wise it is in such a case. He who inflicts pain simply because he can
deserves to endure pain inflicted by someone stronger. But one must be
careful not to confirm him in the coward's code. The injustice of it he
must see, see by smarting under it. If ever punishment before others is
wise it is in this case; for surely he who delights in humiliating
others must be humiliated. But though justice suggests this course,
experience shows that it does not always work; the bully only bides his
time, and, cherishing resentment, he wreaks it on the weaker ones.

The best cure for brutal teasing will take a longer time than is
involved in a thrashing. Besides, the teaser will get his thrashings
very soon from other boys. It requires time to change the habits that
make bullying possible. Try gradually helping him to see the beauty and
pleasure of helpfulness. Give him a chance to give pleasure instead of
pain. Help him to taste the joy of praise, the praise that helps more
than all teasing criticism. Help him to see that it is more truly a mark
of superiority to help, to cheer, to do good, than to oppress and tease.
Take time to habituate him in helpfulness.

In dealing with teasing in the family, two other things are worth
remembering: First, the teased must be taught the protective power of
indifference. Teasers stop as soon as their barbs fail to woun