In All Seriousness

So I'm switching to a serious note for a second cause this has been bugging me the past few days. The news has been filled with responses to how such a horrible tragedy could happen especially targeting ones so young. So many people are pushing for gun control and while I don't completely disagree, even if things are made illegal it doesn't prevent them from getting in the hands of the wrong people. People that want to cause harm or do other horrendous things doesn't exactly abide by the law. Decreasing availability will hopefully cause a dent but I don't think that is the end all be all.

I am in full support of a revamp of our mental health care system. Tonight on the news I heard the awful fact that the state of Wyoming only has six child psychiatrists and just to make sure I double checked this information. There are a number of psychologists in the state but many of these diseases require more than just talking it out on the coach and need medication to address an underlying problem in their physiology. I think another key element is that parents need to know this is an option and they need the access to such resources.

But here is what I see as being a major problem that we all have contributed to: the way we are bringing up our boys. It may sound sexist or anti-feminist (I believe it is actually exactly the opposite) but think about the numbers. Almost all of mass homicides that have occurred in recent years/ever have been carried out by males. There has to be a reason behind that. It isn't like there are way more guys on this planet then there are girls. As I was watching the special report on Friday night, one of the commercials that came on was for Saw 3D and it was horrible. For years people have been saying things about violence in the media and how it may negatively influence our youth but I think it is more than that. There is this expectation and norm that boys should/will like aggressive material. Whether it is video games, movies, books, or outside activities, there is this predetermined notion of what boys should like. So when this is what they are surrounded by, it isn't a far jump for this to be incorporated into their actions.

So this isn't a huge revelation but there is something we can do about it. Make it okay for your boys to like things that aren't violent. Buy the car racing video game rather than Halo or Call of Duty. Get them to watch a comedy with Jason Segel or Adam Sandler rather than the latest horror movie. Encourage activities like hiking or building things rather than paint balling (you can disagree with me on this being a bad thing but impressionable young kids have a much harder time separating shooting a paint ball gun from a real gun). We don't need to wait on the government to start making changes at home that could prevent horrific events like the Sandy Hook shooting.