Why did I say, “A dad teasing a child is like a doctor inoculating a child”? Because children are used to their dads teasing them as a part of play. Once, when Arlene tried to tease, Maggie broke into tears almost immediately. Maggie was used to her mom being empathetic and more serious—so in mom language, Maggie translated teasing as a serious criticism. Maggie’s tears convinced Arlene she was right—“teasing is borderline bullying.” She couldn’t get what Martin thought he was teaching when he teased. When Martin teased, he taught Maggie and Marty Jr. to interpret the meaning of a twinkle in
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