"I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant. I believe that even amid today's mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow. I believe that wounded justice, lying prostrate on the blood-flowing streets of our nations, can be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Excerpt of Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, 1964
There are no easy answers. I wish there were. Children killing children; and children just killing says much more about us than it does about our children. And, what is it with their parents? Well, many of them are children themselves. Please, don't get me wrong. I too am angered by the growing number of body bags and what appears to be lack of parental attention and oversight of our youth. I too can not understand the cavalier approach to human life that seems to be turning our communities into war zones. Our children have become foot soldiers from the war torn far reaches of Uganda to the short blocks of East Baltimore. No, I don't understand. I am fortunate enough to be able to say it was not my life.
Some time ago I found the work of artist Tracey Malloy who has done a series called Kids that Kill Kids
I urge you to take a look.
Her work is striking. However its format provides an entry point for dialogue about this volatile issue.
Last year, NPR hosted a series focused on understanding the adolescent brain: Frontline: Inside the Teen Age Brain. I remember blogging after reading transcript:
...the teen age brain is not fully developed. And further it appears that that portion which is the slowest to develop is that which governs our ability to make appropriate choices. It's the reason for the constant parental mantras: "What were you thinking?" It appears that there really is a scientific bases for those stop signs that contained only the words "...because I'm the Mommy that's why!" Would I have been more compliant/understanding if I knew that I couldn't always trust my judgement because I wasn't functioning with a full deck? I think I would. I think it would have also assisted my daughter understanding why I parented in the way I did. Heck, it would have helped me understand. But generally, as a parent, it was more about operating from my gut and my historical "learned" behaviors and observations. That there was a physiological reason for me to not abdicate responsibility for decision making to my teenager never crossed my mind. Who knew?
And recently, I read an article by New York Times op-ed columnist Nicolas Kristof which begins
"PERHAPS the most widespread peril children face isn’t guns, swimming pools or speeding cars. Rather, scientists are suggesting that it may be “toxic stress” early in life, or even before birth."
This article focuses on a recent policy statement issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics. That policy statement: Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Role of the Pediatrician: Translating Developmental Science Into Lifelong Health
This statement provides additional insite gained from 20 years of research by scientific scholars. The initial challenge: Do we believe it? The second: How do we use it to develop sound policy based on scientific research? The third: Do we REALLY want to?
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