Monday, June 23, 2008
Prevent Early Childhood Violence...
Watch the news on any given night--there are horrific stories about violence committed against children as well as children committing violent acts. The evidence is there with respect to children being violent, which is why it is essential to learn how to prevent early childhood violence.
Step 2: Incorporate structured and supervised activities. This will help the child develop social skills and learn how to interact with others appropriately. Children that are left to their own devices and have more unsupervised activities tend to crave interaction and may resort to violent behavior as a means to express that point. Structured and supervised activities give the child clear boundaries and rules to follow.
Step 3: Set an example the child can positively emulate. Yes, children learn their acceptable behaviors from the very behaviors their parents display for them. So a child that is exposed to yelling, screaming, aggressive means to handling conflict and even violence displayed by the parents are more likely to emulate that same behavior when they are confronted with conflict. Unfortunately, parents will discipline the child’s behavior without ever realizing the child learned it from the parent. Teach them how to communicate and resolve conflicts by showing them a positive example to live by.
Step 4: Refrain from using physical punishment as a method of discipline. We have all heard it before you grew up just fine despite being spanked. But correcting negative behavior with a physical punishment sends the mixed message to the child that using violence is acceptable, and yes spanking will be construed by a young child’s mind as violence. It teaches the child that it is okay to deal with conflict by hitting others to solve the problem. Did it not teach you that spanking was okay, why would you think that a child’s mind would be able to discern that it was not okay? It goes back to learned acceptable behavior.
Step 5: Set up clear and consistent rules, boundaries and consequences from birth. A child that grows up understanding the rules, boundaries and consequences that are present in their family thrive better in the structure and are less likely to resort to violence as a way to get their point across.
Step 6: Limit a child’s access to violent programs, music and video games. Discuss with them why these things are inappropriate and that their message often glamorizes unacceptable behavior. This will teach them to reason for themselves and understand that entertainment is just that--entertainment.
Step 7: Eliminate access to firearms. Also teach the child about the dangers associated with firearms and what they should do if they find one.
Step 8: Educate children about childhood violence. This is a good opportunity to teach children that it is alright to feel angry and hurt, but that it is never alright to use violence to release that anger and hurt feeling. Help them learn to use positive and effective means of expressing frustration and anger, and definitely encourage them to open up and communicate their feelings. A child that suppresses what they feel and feels like they have no one to communicate with, will build up stress. Stress has a way of erupting into negative, and often violent, behaviors.
Watch the news on any given night--there are horrific stories about violence committed against children as well as children committing violent acts. The evidence is there with respect to children being violent, which is why it is essential to learn how to prevent early childhood violence.
Here are 7 steps that we can take to help...
Step 1: Establish an unconditional loving relationship between child and parents. Children thrive on consistent love and attention, which helps to reassure them and make them feel safe and secure. This is their first real lesson in forming a positive relationship based on trust. A child that receives conditional love and inconsistent attention has more voids to fill and more anger to build, which can lead to aggressive and violent behavior in an attempt to fill those voids.
Step 2: Incorporate structured and supervised activities. This will help the child develop social skills and learn how to interact with others appropriately. Children that are left to their own devices and have more unsupervised activities tend to crave interaction and may resort to violent behavior as a means to express that point. Structured and supervised activities give the child clear boundaries and rules to follow.
Step 3: Set an example the child can positively emulate. Yes, children learn their acceptable behaviors from the very behaviors their parents display for them. So a child that is exposed to yelling, screaming, aggressive means to handling conflict and even violence displayed by the parents are more likely to emulate that same behavior when they are confronted with conflict. Unfortunately, parents will discipline the child’s behavior without ever realizing the child learned it from the parent. Teach them how to communicate and resolve conflicts by showing them a positive example to live by.
Step 4: Refrain from using physical punishment as a method of discipline. We have all heard it before you grew up just fine despite being spanked. But correcting negative behavior with a physical punishment sends the mixed message to the child that using violence is acceptable, and yes spanking will be construed by a young child’s mind as violence. It teaches the child that it is okay to deal with conflict by hitting others to solve the problem. Did it not teach you that spanking was okay, why would you think that a child’s mind would be able to discern that it was not okay? It goes back to learned acceptable behavior.
Step 5: Set up clear and consistent rules, boundaries and consequences from birth. A child that grows up understanding the rules, boundaries and consequences that are present in their family thrive better in the structure and are less likely to resort to violence as a way to get their point across.
Step 6: Limit a child’s access to violent programs, music and video games. Discuss with them why these things are inappropriate and that their message often glamorizes unacceptable behavior. This will teach them to reason for themselves and understand that entertainment is just that--entertainment.
Step 7: Eliminate access to firearms. Also teach the child about the dangers associated with firearms and what they should do if they find one.
Step 8: Educate children about childhood violence. This is a good opportunity to teach children that it is alright to feel angry and hurt, but that it is never alright to use violence to release that anger and hurt feeling. Help them learn to use positive and effective means of expressing frustration and anger, and definitely encourage them to open up and communicate their feelings. A child that suppresses what they feel and feels like they have no one to communicate with, will build up stress. Stress has a way of erupting into negative, and often violent, behaviors.
// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 5:14 PM 
