Looking at the criminal landscape in this 21st century… it appears that the advancement of Technology, Media, and Popular Culture, all have an influence on “Criminal Behaviour”.
I think it’s way too easy to play the blame game though, as parents, everyone of us are in training in this somewhat misleading paradigm.
I was led to speak with Venessa Bobb, founder of A2ndvoice, who helped me gain further insights to some pertinent questions I had. For example: Are There really any criminals, or is there just ineffective communication. What if everyone plays their part, with all their heart, showing compassion for their community, and what is effective communication?
Surely it can’t be left up to the celebrity moguls in the media, who insist on bombarding us with their superfluous lifestyles, which they probably don’t even really live.
Of course children are targeted, because they don’t yet know themselves, as they are at the stage of forming their own beliefs and values.; and in trying to find identity they’re much easier to influence.
I think some of us can do with learning a new language, especially when dealing with children with special needs.
So much so that many young people with special needs are being exploited by these rising violent trends; and because of their particular needs, it’s harder for them to distinguish between what is illusions and what is reality. Apparently being a parent to a child with special needs couldn’t be harder, when up against “popular culture” and trying to go about steering them in the right direction…
We know for example, that teenagers are being added to police databases for sexting with their peers.
In cases such as these, I’m thinking, surely the police should have the discretion to refer the child to another agency for support, without it forming a permanent part of the record held against the name and undermining their future. In fact I think it’s high time to rethink how the police respond to those children whose behaviour is often related to their vulnerabilities and need for support, especially as resorting to criminal sanctions for childhood behaviours is often a waste of police time and extremely counter-productive in terms of healing our communication.
The truth is parents who are trying to get a grip of their child’s special need, and who find their child’s behaviour challenging to deal with, shouldn’t hesitate to reach out to organisations such as A2ndvoice for help. Altogether, Its good that some of us are brave enough to have conversations that matter, and even better still when we choose to put our own hands to the wheel and also help.
Thank you to Venessa Bobb – A2ndvoice.com and groomsafe.org for FREE information and advice.
