Sparkle Schoolhouse

Exploring the Dry Gables Series - "Johann Bauer: Blacksmith"

The stories from the two Dry Gables Series include an accompanying post from the Sparkle Schoolhouse Educator, Meredith Markow. Each post offers insights into the characters and dynamics of the stories, along with suggestions for how to use the stories as parenting or teaching tools!

There is only one way to treat our Johanns… like royalty—not in terms of honoring their status, as much as respecting their power. Today we will meet the true power center of our Dry Gables’ community. Our blacksmith,

Johann Bauer.

Johann is self-confident, strong and assertive. Our Johanns stand up for what they need and want, and they stand up for the rights the needs of others. They have a ‘can-do’ attitude, and they are passionate about their beliefs. They are decisive and authoritative, taking initiative and making things happen to champion people. John Bernard tells us,

*“ But then there was Johann, my great Uncle. Now, it wasn’t easy to exactly pin down why Johann was a leader of the town, but everyone would agree he was. In fact, if one person did seem to be at the center of who we were as a community, it was Johann. In a sense, he was at the center of its founding. He was our protector, our champion, our loudest voice and strongest shoulders.”*

Johann, as a Bauer, not only wants his autonomy; he demands it. Johann is the first to protect and empower others to carry them with his strength. Johanns can turn a hopeless cause into a great success, but they’re also the kind of people who wouldn't do so unless they're fairly sure that the odds are on their side. Johanns do not easily show their soft side. On the contrary, they cover it up so well, that they can eventually hide it from themselves. That said, there is storehouse of compassion that lives deep in their hearts, sometimes to such a degree that they are able to defend and protect someone who may actually be a threat to them. And we saw this when Johann saved his ‘competitor’, Lloyd A. Boone, and we saw how Johann’s deed, in the end, warmed that big heart of his, and ours, too.

Bauers want to be in control, they are asking us not to interfere with their boundaries, and the emotion that often underlies their motivations or that they are avoiding feeling is Anger.

Our Johanns are actually among the easiest of our characters to identify… but perhaps the hardest to guide, once you have.

When your child is being a Johann, you might notice that they:

• Behave exuberantly and enthusiastically

• Can be defenders

• Rule over other children

• Have a great deal of energy and strength

• Always make their presence known

• Show anger and dissatisfaction freely

• Can be stubborn and bull-headed

• Are highly energized and need down time

• Speak and act with authority

• Work hard and play hard

• Need people to be real

And because they are Bauers, they want to control their environment and resist being controlled by it. Sometimes our Johanns can be quite aggressive and angry, if their boundaries are encroached upon.

But why?

What is their stubbornness and assertive nature telling us?

The primary worry for our Johanns is the fear of being harmed or controlled by others, and to compensate for their basic fear, a basic desire arises. In Johann’s case, it's the desire to be strong and self-reliant. Johann is going to be free to determine his own course in life.

What your Johann most wants to hear from you is:

YOU ARE RESPECTED.

Perhaps you’ll notice that this reassures them in their moments of upset, or if their behaviors, words, actions are challenging.

Here are four tips for building successful relationships:

• Your Johann needs to be given options, and your Johann needs to have some control. That said, your Johann will also respect you most when you, too, show that there are limits and boundaries.

• You need to have the self-confidence to stand firm. It may take some muscle, but in the end, Johann will admire you for it.

• Create an opening that doesn’t require them to be vulnerable. Let them always keep their self-respect.

• Be direct and truthful. Always.

The gift that our Johanns give to us is:

Strength and Aliveness!

They energize, protect and defend. And when they use their power for the good, they are our most magnanimous leaders.