Children and Violence The aspect of “education”

The best time for “education” of the young child is when he/she is bed-bound recovering from a bout of flu for a couple of weeks. It may sound a ruthless statement but let us face facts. Unlike many generations ago where values were instilled at home and school, children are now receiving an overload of academic education added with the access to social media. Parents excuse themselves citing “…oh, there’s so much more to learn from the internet than at school..” or “ we must move ahead with the times…” 

Words - Shanthi Wijesinghe

When a child is convalescing and has your full attention, it is a good time to instill the forgotten and overlooked value systems which will get him through life. Children are what they see. When parents use vulgar language in the presence of their young children, use rude body language children copy the behaviour. It is useless asking children to ‘cut it out’ when the brain has absorbed the signs/language. 
What children hear is what they repeat because they are great mimics. And the violence…where did that come from ? From the adult. They were not born violent ; we made them so. When a child is given a toy gun or an extremely expensive copy of the real thing a child will try the buttons and will let off a ‘trigger’ of shots. Adults pretend to fall dead at the child’s feet..the child will jump over the fallen adult, kick if he must, and expect a re-enactment of the brutal scene. If that was not enough children are now given access to computer games of gory and heartless behaviours where they play relentlessly- all in fun of course, but nevertheless to their impressionable minds it is the real thing. 

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