As we strive toward the creation of peaceful, caring communities within which our children can grow and develop, it is important to provide parent education and support in order to extend the principles of non-violence to the home. Minnesota Community Initiatives . Many forces shape and influence the development of children from conception through adolescence.
Parents are the first, and most continuous, teachers and models for most children in our society.
The resources they provide, the climate they create, the nurturance and guidance they offer powerfully affect the development, the well- being, the achievement, and the behavior of children and, hence, of communities and society. The importance of parents in the protection, support, and socialization of young children is well documented. Parents probably have more concerns and questions about the discipline than about anything else. One of the most perplexing aspects of childrearing for parents, and one of the most controversial issues to the public, is the use of physical punishment or spanking. In order to break the cycle of family violence, we need to help parents become more thoughtful about how they deal with their children.