Monday, January 21, 2013

GUNS, VIOLENCE, AND KIDS...

What combines guns, violence and kids? Violent video games.  Very sadly kids sit for hours and hours playing at shooting and killing people, human-like creatures, even zombies.  Young children play games on-line which use cartoon characters to kill other cartoon characters.  At a very early age children are learning to devalue life.  They are becoming desensitized to killing.  There is also too much exposure to violent behavior on TV and in movies. 

Star Jones on the Today Show said, "Violence has been turned into an ok form of pornography for kids." Sad but true.

Don't allow your kids overexposure to violent behavior in any form.   It teaches them violent behavior.  How much is too much? You be the judge (not your kid).

While we are on this subject, there are a few other things that we can do to combat this "overexposure".  Teach your child to label and express their feelings healthily.  Especially anger (and sadness, which can turn into anger).  Teach them to talk about it.  Talk to them also about some of the violence that they encounter, and is in their world.  Bullying, war and other killing reported in the news.  Help them process, understand, these events.  To not accept it as a normal part of life.  Also teach them kindness and caring. To relate to others with compassion even when they disagree with them. One of the best ways to teach them is to model this behavior. 

There is too much violence in our lives.  The best way to combat it is to understand that there are always other options, and to choose them.

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