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School shootings and the escalation of violence has become an alarming reality among teenagers today. Children are inundated with violent images in the popular media by way of television, the Internet, movies, video games, music and newspapers. As a result of this, children are becoming angrier and less sensitized to the consequences that resorting to violence can bring.
This violence is very obvious in school settings and as a result of the tragedies of school shootings, many schools have instituted anger management courses. Teaching a child how to cope with his anger is something that starts at home and should begin early in life.
It is important to pay close attention to your child's behavior and to recognize your child's cry for help. Your child may be heading down the wrong path if his demeanor suddenly changes and he begins to withdraw and no longer enjoys spending time with friends and doing the activities he used to enjoy. If your child throws temper tantrums and physically hurts himself or others when he is angry then a problem is developing that must be dealt with.
Children need to be taught positive character traits by their parents and other loved ones such as moral values and respect for themselves, other people and animals. It is important to model calmness and teach your children by example how to constructively cope with anger. Teach them that anger can be constructive or destructive and it must be dealt with as constructively as possible.
Be aware that anger can be contagious. If your child turns his anger on you do not respond in kind with anger. Establish a rule in your home that problems in the household will only be solved when family members are rational and remain calm and in control. This may take a while but it is essential to be consistent in putting this rule into play. Your child will come to learn that he must be calm and in control of himself in order to deal with problems that have arisen.
Teach your children how to express their anger by using a “feeling vocabulary”. Start this when your children are young and this will teach them to channel their anger into a proper avenue. Examples of words you could use include angry, frustrated, irate, annoyed, irritated, etc.
Being angry does not have to lead to the violence society is so used to seeing. Behavior starts at home with you, the parent. Let your children vent when they need to, in ways that are acceptable to you because if you don't, they will take their anger elsewhere.
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