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WAR – THE TERRIBLE TERROR!

Imagine! Imagine a world without War? In the rat race of a new age life, parents stumble the blocks of kids in their own critical situations, beliefs, emotional outbursts or just about any ‘verge off’ political, communal tiff, natural or man made catastrophe, traumatic situations faced out in the world. The kids are Watching, Beware! Really speaking, the children need love. Love nurturing the relationships. They need the physical protection and discipline with appropriate experience for their individual development. They need the community support with the cultural experiences and faith. They need to build a better and protective future. These are the factors that the parents too need for their own development in today’s time! Children adopt the values we demonstrate to them. Adults need to create their own ‘Value List’ for a start and check out ourselves where we stand! Its too easy to preach rather than practice and this is when we realize our own ‘flaws’, our negative points, our levels of declining attitudinal traits. We need to draw a line and be alert to violence flare as violence acts decrease sensitivity towards the victims of fate, increase anxiety and fear, make a person aggressive, intolerant, rude, arise anger and fill the heart with morose feelings and hate dodging back from cooperative approach to chip away and stand at the crossroads of humanitarian principles.

Be peaceful, spread peace, keep the faith!

Editor - ILAXI (kidsfreesouls)

You can take a child out of the Riot terror but how do you take the child out of War? In the 20^th Century alone, more than 60 million people have been killed in wars over 30 years and conflicts rage around the world. In the last decade 1.5 million children have died in war, many disabled and traumatized. Kids have the anxiety of dangers and risks in the blowing sirens scare, the war and pass through emotional turmoil within. They sort for an understanding and levelheaded encouragement. Intellectual and emotional feedback demands a parental concern in these times when after a Riot, stands the worst fear of a possible war break on the borders.

“Why do people have to Fight and kill”? Why is the scare of the Biological warfare and the Anthrax? Why do humans perish? The fear syndrome grips on the young minds as war experiences psychosocial development on the tiny brains. Seeing armed combat, injuries, killings, etc on the tv screen, media or listening to the talks draws an image of a demon war inflicting scars for a life, crippling the generation. Their physical, mental and emotional state of temperaments stand at cross roads and especially for the victims of war, the trauma is worst who face the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, when they are affected, separated from their family, their family member is injured or lost, raped, hungered and stranded, weakening themselves. Survivor guilt reactions are common. Emotional indifferences, re-experiencing the disaster in terrifying memories and dreams, concentration difficulties are major threats imposed to the child sufferers of war. Withdrawal nature, isolation, recklessness and personal disregard are also foreseen with the PTSD victims. Young survivors of the holocaust who are adults today still face the nightmarish experience. Spiritual resilience finds in way as in spite of brutalized, starved and deprived of parental love, some children carry no hatred in their hearts.

War somehow has never changed since the dawn of history. The weapons have changed, with an exponential increase in the extent of killings and destruction that is possible.   Psychologist Sue Mansfield traces the outbreak of World War I to the belief of many leaders that their nations’ power would be destroyed unless they took offensive action. Violence in Colombia every year claims lives of ten thousand kids and over a 15000 are recruited by the military, guerilla and other armed groups. In 1996, Unicef called for a peace plan with nationwide support calling for peace, life and family. War itself is an ugly word that is barbaric and brutal. Tanks, missiles and mortars are the big war machines that calls for thrill to the kids with the zooming planes and combat war on the fronts. Hand bombs, grenades, guns, scare of anthrax, bio weapons are the many light weapons that pose threat to sustain life. Small arms and light weapons itself has killed children and more died of indirect consequences of armed conflict. The AK-47 Assault rifle is a name almost familiar to kids who watch the TV screen enthralled to see a villain on rampant spree. As recent riot nightmare comes in fore, children has been ploy to fling the bombs to innocent victims. When a country poses for violent turmoil, its children pay a heavy price! As seen in riots, during war too, schools and educational activities is in doldrums affecting the kids. Malnutrition comes in way due to total chaos as commodity scare rises up with risks. Conflicts are a traumatic situations affecting kids but war is an adult issue, a politician breed hate and violence or an ego, faith infused war at cross borders, world around. Talking to kids about war is not easy but neither can the issue be ignored. The possible scare may penalize a parent influence with a dumb-stricken child who is prone to fright.

Freesouls shoots up wise influential ways to parental action :

Communication : Talk to kids. Children watch the TV and listen to adults around. Adults often tell ‘Not to worry’ yet live in a state of anxiety themselves which reveals on their facial expressions, quite easily read by the kids who feed in fright. Children inadvertently worry,  have mood swings, behave aggressive, have nightmares, rumble round hyperactive, hitting, losing temper or distracted. When there is inability to express emotionally, younger kids are prone to bed wetting, thumb sucking, clinging to parents. Communication makes easy way. A parental talk about the war soldiers, their way of living, families and the routine that reduces their fear. Possible war reasons and the measures of safety.

Discuss : Television and media reports have major affects on children. They watch and some read or view the pics in newspapers, magazines. Parental guidance with factual information will help the child understand and cope the situation. Explain that differences of opinions count and people have different view points to war.

Maintain Routine: Behavioral problems increase when there is routine break. Television monitoring by parents should be conducted as television itself brings in war in the drawing room. Televion and media coverages exhaustive during riots and war time. Hence, avoid excessive viewing before bed time or restrict the watch schedules. Hearing and seeing violence of war affects the minds as this intensify fears.  Click to lighter cartoon or entertaining programs for a refresh mind feedback.

Develop Self Control & Build the confidence: This would develop security sense in kids as imposing control calls for a confidence in themselves to face the situation with practical understanding. Anxiety and stress needs to be under check with parental love at times of serious situations. Children build a fear complex, cling to parents or favorite toy, avoid people, eating disorder, have nightmares, cry or act hyper and so on. Some kids have tummy trembler symptoms like pain, headaches. Irritation, unwillingness to go to school, change in behavior. Such symptoms calls for attention to get the kid adjust to situations and keep emotionally sound.

Educate: Teach the Maps. Dive into History, facts, locations. This would enhance their geography knowledge and make children less apprehensive of events. Reading activity can be encouraged with heroic stories of war like Cecil’s story, a boy who lives with courage and hope to see his father back from war. Letters of war with stories of triumph, courage and determination.

Get involved : Creativity is to be nurtured. Drama, puppet, arts, music, debate, story telling, letter writing are the various activities that has creative expressions to come over emotional situations. Hobbies like drawing, coloring, sports, computing calls in for a busy occupied mind that hooks away from anxiety and scare of war alarms.

Action Call:

Promote peace

Protect children rights

Keep Kids safe & away from Guns (Even Toy Guns)

Restrict Television viewing

Avoid Movies on war and violence

Talk and Read stories of courage, hope and strength

Communicate & Spread awareness

Parental influence can model their roles as ‘Guardian Angels’ protecting the kids emotionally and tactfully handling the situation in an optimistic manner. It’s in lighter tones the child realizes the worth of living and war is just another phase which will soon lurk in oblivion. The noise of sirens and terror of battle can drive kids  speechless, low esteemed, aggressive, angry and it’s during these times, they need love and compassion with a flavor of understanding and nurture the relationships with the Commandments of parenting.

Are you concerned with your Kids behavior patterns? Open up, Speak up!
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