Give your children love.
Make sure children are supervised.
Know where your children are at all times.
Know who their friends are.
Ensure they take part in activities after school such as sports, extra lessons, community and fun activities.
Make sure the person looking after your children is responsible and trustworthy.
Set the right example for your child. You must teach them to:
Become better adults.
Be strong against harmful peer pressure.
Survive in a violent neighbourhood.
Survive in a school that has problems with violence.
Teach your child that problems can be solved without violence.
Discuss problems with them.
Teach them to work out problems with schoolmates and friends.
Let them know what can happen if they used violence to solve problems.
Let them know how good it is to solve problems without violence.
Do not hit (beat) your children
Beating children will make them feel that violence is all right. They may think it is okay to solve problems by hitting others.
Other punishments that can be used are:
Giving them a 'time out' making them sit in a quiet place away from others.
Prevent them from doing activities that they like such as meeting with friends (but this punishment should last for a specific time).
Don't over do punishments. Children must know that they can correct their mistakes.
Source: The booklet, Raise your child to resist violence is published by the Ministry of Health, 2-4 King Street, Kingston. It is adapted from a publication of the American Psychology Association and the American Academy of Paediatrics. For more information, call 967-1100.
