Teen years are tumultuous at best. Body reshaping and raging emotions are challenging for parents and children. The sweet child of eight, can evolve into a distant fifteen year old. The mellow ten year old, flares into defiant anger at fourteen. There is a reason why society recognizes teen years as time for giving space, while a young person adjusts and grows toward maturity.

Emotions run high in our teens. They are tender years. Which is why it was so disappointing to see negative commentary on Tim Walz’s son, Gus. His expression of love for his dad, during Walz’s acceptance speech, for the vice-presidential nomination, captured a special moment of joy. Seventeen year olds, ought to be free of pundits and off limits from the sarcasm of political commentators, regardless of the political party their parent is a part of.

It is particularly cruel for an adult to target a child. The callous cruelty of an Ann Coulter and others like her, show the limits of their compassion and the small, narrow, world they live in.

Adults are supposed to show children how to live and be in an adult world. In a culture, and among people who claim to be Christian, one would expect that both sensitivity and compassion  would be the hallmarks shown, especially where young people are concerned.

The apostle Paul made this point about Christian life. “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but do not have love, I am nothing . . . Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.” I Corinthians 13:1-2, 4-5a

And specifically, Love is not practicing casual cruelty toward the children, of one’s political foes.