Small Things Count

Gotta love those funny TV commercials!  How about the ad where one guy hits another in the head with a cell phone, twice, or where a woman bounces a cue ball off the forehead of an obnoxious man?  Then there’s the guy who breaks down a wall to be allowed to answer a quiz question.  We’re supposed to laugh, of course.  If we do, though, what we’re telling our kids is that violence is both an acceptable response to minor irritants and funny.  It’s time to change this way of thinking.  We start not by laughing at the aggressive scene but by using the ads as a chance to talk to our kids about violence against our fellow humans.  Our discussion will likely bring out stories of similar antagonism on the playground or among their friends and give us a chance to offer guidance in how to handle such situations.