Teasing Anne
Do you ever think about, or indulge in, teasing?
There’s “good” teasing and “bad” teasing, I think, and all sorts of shades between.
Bad teasing involves making fun of someone in a cruel or unkind way, often targeting their insecurities or weaknesses, and accompanies, or is a prelude to, bullying.
Whereas good teasing is part of a process of playful banter and, for me at any rate, an expression of affection, even love.
My sons and I have always teased our precious Anne, and now in this period of existential twilight, we have turned up the teasing machine to full blast.
We bug her about her about her voracious appetite and how she begins single-mindedly to devour her succulent repasts before others even have time to sit down.
We rib her for the silent way she listens to our every word like a wise owl, then chuckles at our ridiculous pronouncements.
We pull her leg as she totters about tidying our tiny apartment, a last vestige of her perpetual mania for order which made her such a meticulous decorator in her former life, creating beauty and elegance in the midst of a family of men, all three of us lummoxes and musk oxen.
We tease her because we love her so much, we know that these are priceless moments of deep connection, and that although ephemeral they will be forever engraved in our memories.
Your friend,
Robert
https://robertmcbrydeauthor.com/
