Techniques for Nonviolence for Teens
- If your child has ever been in a fight, start there. Discussing an event that actually took place in your child's life makes it easier for them to properly connect with what you are trying to teach them. Discuss how the fight started and what the motivation was for getting into the fight. Brainstorm some alternative approaches to the conflict that your teen could have taken, such as telling a person in authority or simply walking away.
- Teens can get mixed messages if while you are teaching them about nonviolence while you have a collection of weapons in your house. If you have any guns, it might be a good idea to get rid of them. This shows your child that you practice what you preach when it comes to nonviolence and also prevents your child from somehow gaining access to a weapon at a time when he or she is very angry and wants to hurt someone.
- Examine your teen's home life. It is very difficult to encourage nonviolence in teens if they live in a violent household. Make sure your family responds to conflict the way you want your children to respond to conflict. Try to minimize the number of conflicts that break out at all, and when there are disagreements, do not encourage anger by raising your voice. Find out whether if your teen or yourself is more responsible for the conflicts in your household and act appropriately by contacting a doctor or therapist if needed.
- Your child may not be very open with you about violent events in your life. If you think this is the case then you can still discuss violence by using events in the news as examples. Discuss alternatives to violence and the consequences of violence in different situations that arise in the news. It is also a good way to transform violence in movies and video games into a learning experience for your teen.