Coffee's Ready, Come and Sit on the Porch

[Mini Horses]

But I also believe the world we live in now is not the same as it was.

This is it! The key.

As a dinosaur, I can assure you there were things that are rarely found/happening now. Life is so, so different! We had families, meals together, rules, activities, expectations.

I have transitioned but have seen, lived and endured society changes.

 

[Cecilia's-life]

As a dinosaur, I can assure you there were things that are rarely found/happening now. Life is so, so different! We had families, meals together, rules, activities, expectations.

Sometimes I wish I was a dinosaur. The relief of going to school and having nothing to be afraid of.

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

Sometimes I wish I was a dinosaur. The relief of going to school and having nothing to be afraid of.

Not gonna lie, it was nice. The most we ever had to worry about was how to skip school to go fishing

 

[tortoise]

When I went to school with the dinosaurs, there were NO security guards, they were not needed. This was in the city of Houston. What has changed?

media attention to Columbine shooters (rather than to the incident). Similarly how media reports of suicides cause more suicides. Suicide is "contagious" in that way.

 

[FarmerJamie]

media attention to Columbine shooters (rather than to the incident). Similarly how media reports of suicides cause more suicides. Suicide is "contagious" in that way.

Media attention in general, MSM, the social networks, etc. "I can be famous!", then everyone will know my name.

 

[tortoise]

I probably stirred up a hornet’s nest.

Not really in this forum. Seems like all who commented share the perspective that SOMETHING preceded the event. Something caused the mental or emotional state that caused a young person to use a weapon. (i.e., we're not blaming weapons or politics). Something(s) in the environment, lifestyle, or family structure are why these tragedies continue to happen. We might not agree what exactly (and we're probably all partially right), and the conversation of our different opinions help us take action to prevent similar incidences.

 

[baymule]

I was in FFA I high school. Most of the boys drove pickups with gun racks in the back window and a rifle. On school grounds. Nobody thought anything about it. Nobody was a school shooter.

 

[Messybun]

I don't disagree necessarily (I'm rather in the middle on the whole issue) but I think there's something deeper going on - and it's possible to change.

It's teens bonding to each other instead of their parental/mentor figures. This is terrible for mental health because the critical component of that parental attachment is stability and unconditional acceptance. The generation is becoming unhinged, but it's not too late, they're not all adults yet.

One of the best things parents can do is to cut back on teens phone/social media access. The usual, know who they're talking to and about what, take devices away at bedtime, use a limited device like GAB phone, etc. Be involved, do stuff with them. They'll resist for a while (because it feels like they're losing their attachment figure), but soon they'll have gained a real, secure parental attachment that sustains their mental health.

I got lucky and found this book before my kid hit the teen years.

Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers: Neufeld, Gordon, Maté MD, Gabor: 9780375760280: Amazon.com: Books

Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers [Neufeld, Gordon, Maté MD, Gabor] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers

smile.amazon.com

I didn’t get a social media until I was 16. Then I chose only Facebook because I wanted to message some of my friends. I didn’t get a smart phone until 18 and then only because the college class required it. I can genuinely say I’m happier with less of the peer pressure and time sucking. I guess you can count this forum as social media, but I don’t tend to think of it as addictive or dangerous personally.

 

[tortoise]

I was in FFA I high school. Most of the boys drove pickups with gun racks in the back window and a rifle. On school grounds. Nobody thought anything about it. Nobody was a school shooter.

The high school I went to had a shooting range in the basement. It became a lead hazard and was remodeled for use as wrestling before my time. But yeah, the change in incident patterns is definitely NOT from access to weapons.

 

[Alaskan]

The high school I went to had a shooting range in the basement. It became a lead hazard and was remodeled for use as wrestling before my time. But yeah, the change in incident patterns is definitely NOT from access to weapons.

Yeah... I remember in high-school we seniors got to "dress up in the profession you hope to achieve"

one kid brought a rifle to school... I brought a machete.



No one cared. No one did anything dangerous with the rifle or the machete.

One kid came with shorts, and Hawaii shirt, he wanted to be "a rich doctor of dermatology on his Caribbean vacation "