|
Violence And Your Child
What possibly could be the circumstances
that would make someone so indifferent to human life that he wouldn't bat
an eyelid at the thought of killing thousands of people? The World Trade
Center tragedy sent shockwaves around the world, as the carefully orchestrated
plan wreaked devastation on so many innocent people.
Is it something in the genes of these
people that make them so inhuman? Or is it in their upbringing?
Hatred
Are you teaching your children to
hate? Think about it. Every time you criticize a neighbour, a relative
or another religion, you are teaching your children to hate. Think before
you speak.
Prejudice
Anger towards Pakistan. Dislike for
Hindus or Muslims or Christians. Class clashes. Gender biases. What are
we teaching our children, guys? Is this the world we want them to grow
up in?
Movies
Violence in movies and in other media
seem to increase with every subsequent generation, as plots keep amplifying
the scale of devastation and mindlessness of destruction. A movie like
Natural Born Killers had reached the top of the US Charts, and what was
it about? Youngsters on a killing rampage, for no reason other than the
sheer joy of taking a life.
Monitor
Do you, as a parent, monitor what
your child watches on TV? Ok, so you probably hop in every now and then
to make sure your child is not watching an 'adult' movie, which translated
in Indian terms means a movie which has at least one explicit sex scene.
But how many of us stop our children from watching a violent film? The
more violence your child watches, the easier it gets for him to accept
violence as a way of life.
Gruesome Scenes
If your child enjoys watching gruesome
movies and doesn't shy away from a scene which you find macabre, his tendency
towards accepting violence may be increasing.
Toys
G.I. Jo, toy guns and other violent
games should be totally banned from your child's playpen. What are you
trying to teach them by letting them play violent games. Think about it.
Do you encourage your children to play cards? Harmless games like Bluff
promise hours of fun. It's about time you started thinking about the games
you are buying for your child. Instead of buying him that toy machine gun
which has lights and produces a fantastic sound, pick up a toy cycle or
a colourful pair of skates. Who says every small boy should have a toy
gun?
Teach your children the importance
of a human life. More importantly, teach your children to love. The future
of the next generation is in your hands.
To read and exchange comments about this article click here -
3 comment(s)
Back to Previous Page
More on Raising Children Index
Email this Article to a Friend
|
