http://www.eurowrc.org/ Material |
Violence begins at home
It is becoming clearer to us that the psychological damage done to a child attacked by someone she loves reverberates through generations. When a parent terrorizes a child, anger is stuffed down deep, carried into the future, and released there by that adult child in some form of violence. Today this has become our legacy, appearing everywhere in society as physical or sexual assault, domestic battery, child abuse and neglect, addiction to drugs and alcohol, and mental depression. When a mother or a father lashes out against a child we all eventually feel the affects. But violence is learned behavior. Children learn it from their parents and it is reinforced by our culture. Which is to say, we reinforce it, because we allow it to continue. And whatever is learned can be unlearned. There are young parents in this country who have suffered violence in their homes as children who are learning not to inflict it upon their children today. We will all benefit from their education. Although they know that pain is powerful and anger explosive, they are learning not to mix their love with fear. These young parents have something to teach us. Get involved
|