We became parents in the '90's so none of us "teaches" our toddlers to hit, scratch, bite or otherwise hurt others when they feel angry or frustrated.  Still, it happens.  By the time our children reach kindergarten age, they can learn how to express their emotions in safe and productive ways.
While our children are young, we monitor who they play with, where they play and certainly, we try to positively influence how they play with others.  This luxury won't last forever…
 

There is a primary role that families need to play, if our local schools are to best educate, serve and keep our children safe.  We must communicate with each other.

When there is even the slightest question that our children are in trouble, we must work with sincerity and commitment to find a way to manage the concerns.  When parents and educators regularly communicate - even about seemingly non-critical issues - children are better served.

We know that parents are busier today than ever before.  It is difficult to find the time to write a note, make a phone call, send an e-mail or stop by your child's class…but we urge you to get into that habit NOW!

When you let your child's teacher know what is going on at home, he or she can help support your child.  No one could argue that round the clock support by interested, concerned adults isn't a great thing for kids!

Our children are young.  Certainly they don't peruse the Internet trying to learn how to build "pipe bombs", nor do they devise ways to carry guns to school.  As concerned parents we must do what we can to ensure that our young children learn appropriate ways to express their emotions.  We must help them to learn respect and tolerance for all people.  We must help them to understand that there are consequences to their actions and we must help them to see how their actions can affect others.  We must help them find the courage and the self-respect to responsibly share important information about others when the consequences may be serious. Helping your child understand the difference between "tattling" and "telling" can be critical.

Our children, young as they are, are not too young to learn these lessons now.

Find the time…Make the time…NOW is the time to begin.

On a national, state and local level your PTA leaders advocate for many issues that have been cited as a key influence in the Colorado tragedy and other incidents recently in the news..

We are dedicated to:

    comprehensive safe school programs,
    legislation that prevents a child's access to weapons,
    support services, resources and intervention within schools and
            communities to address early signs of troubled kids,
    Internet safety,
    peer mediation, character education and tolerance programs,
    reduced violence in the media, and
    Improved parental involvement in our schools.

We extend our prayers and hope that these devastating occurrences will motivate the members of our schools and communities to prioritize our children and not the "business" of educating them.  Together we must actively question and address why children are not tolerant of others, and to look for sensible ways to meet the emotional needs of our youth.
 

PTA's Building a Healthy Child Parent Tips

Anger is a normal emotion experienced by everyone. Anger and conflicting needs can be channeled in constructive ways that don't cause injury.

Parents and families play crucial roles in helping children manage anger and conflict. How do you "negotiate"? When do you give in? How do you consider the other person's point of view? Do you admit when you realize you are wrong?

Children are more likely to fight when they feel powerless. Give your children a voice in family discussions and decisions. Gradually increase family responsibilities as they grow.

Children are influenced by the behaviors that they see. Monitor what your children watch on television or see in movies and video games. Discuss how the media distorts violence so that it seems like the only solution to a problem.

Give your children other options to use when facing conflict: find ways to compromise or collaborate on a solution, ignore the problem temporarily, count to 10 before responding, or de-escalate the situation with humor.