Silence the Violence for Children’s Sake

There is a lot of talk about violence in our society, but many people aren’t sure what they can do about it. This uncertainty places one of the most vulnerable segments of our population in jeopardy: our children.

Consider the fact that every 17 minutes a child in our country is starved, beaten, shot or killed in some violent way. If they are not victims, chances are children have witnessed some form of real-life violence.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has designated violence prevention as an important theme for the national Child Health Month this month.

During Child Health Month, I urge everyone to join our effort to reduce violence in our children’s lives. We can start by raising children in safe and loving homes. Children learn by example. Nonphysical methods of discipline, such as timeouts, help children deal with their emotions and teach them nonviolent ways to solve problems. For older children and teens, some examples of nonphysical discipline are canceling a social activity or assigning extra chores around the house.

We should watch television together with our children and talk about what we see. By age 18, young people will have viewed an estimated 200,000 acts of violence on TV alone. Television glamorizes guns and wrongly teaches youngsters that it’s OK to use violence to resolve problems. Numerous studies have found the more violence children watch, the more aggressive they might become.

We can make our streets safer by building a sense of community. Get to know your neighbors and organize activities such as block parties of neighborhood cleanups. Hold a neighborhood meeting and invite a police officer to speak about safety issues. Ask your Police Department for Neighborhood Watch materials you can distribute at the meeting. Our children deserve a lot less violence in the world around them. By working together, we can “silence the violence.”

SELFA SAUCEDO

Ventura