Thank you for sharing your sage perspective!

I think we look at Jesus’ sacrificial death as a model, sometimes, but He did not allow Himself to be mistreated His entire life. He openly corrected His parents, the pharisees, and the disciples. He was “among men but did not entrust Himself to them, for He knew their hearts.” He shared things with his 12 disciples, but only personal moments with 3 of that group. Throughout His life, we see healthy boundaries in place until Gethsemane, where He makes the decision to give His life up for humanity.

In order for us to parent well, we can’t teach our children to be martyrs, but rather, how to have healthy relationships, strong boundaries, how to forgive, and when to reconcile.

It would be better, in my opinion, to teach them the principles of Mt. 18, to go to those who have wronged us to give them a chance to make it right. If it isn’t better, bring others (parents, teachers) to see if things can be resolved through mediation. But in the end, if someone just wants to be a jerk, we can not have that person in our inner circle because they will continue to hurt us.