May be child's cry for help 3. Fires well planned 4. Very destructive Firesetting is a family matter. In the time it takes you to read this sentence, a child could change his or her life and the lives of their family with the strike of one match. Make fire safety a family matter.
Children see their parents or others smoke and handle matches and lighters.
Parents try to teach their children that playing with matches and lighters are wrong, but then use them to light candles on the child's birthday cake or light fireworks on the 4th of July. These stimulating and satisfying experiences reinforce the use of fire. It is important that parents teach children that matches and lighters are tools, not toys. No, firesetting is not a normal phase for a child. If the firesetting behavior is not dealt with immediately, the behavior will escalate into criminal behavior.