When Teasing Is Loving, and When It's Not (NYTimes)

Our peer mediators at Alexandria Country Day School design and enact skits each year for the full school on good teasing, bad teasing, and unintentional bad teasing. The quote below is extremely helpful in recognizing when teasing crosses the line.

Researchpointed me toward

But some teasing, called “prosocial teasing” by those who study these things, has benefits. It can be playful, reveal affiliations and help both the teaser and the teased feel closer. After all, only someone very close to you, or someone very mean, will tell you that your feet have a certain unappealing jungle quality. But teasing isn’t positive unless both parties perceive it as positive...

via When Teasing Is Loving, and When It's Not - NYTimes.com.