One way to begin to reverse this alarming trend is to teach our children how to deal with not only the violence they are exposed to daily, but the conflicts that come up in their everyday lives. Before young people can become effective, responsible adults, they must learn how to deal with conflict.
Conflict is a normal and unavoidable part of life.
But without guidance, some children respond to conflict by giving in to negative pressure or mimicking the violent acts they experience in one form or another every day. They don't realize they have other choices. When their responses exacerbate the problem, children tend to feel that conflict itself is bad. They don't realize that constructive responses can lead to positive problem solving and can strengthen their relationships rather than ending them. Working together, we can break into this cycle of conflict.