[jsalsb]

Violent games don't cause violent tendencies in children, neither does violence in books, tv, movies, etc. Lack of parenting does these things. The world is full of violence, which children - and all of us - must confront and make sense of. Being shielded from it doesn't make them less violent, just less prepared to cope with it when they do, inevitably, have deal with it. Stopping a child from reading Harry Potter, or the Bible, or seeing movies or cartoons where people get hurt or killed, doesn't lead to violent tendencies. It's when parents allow this exposure, then don't discuss it or guide children through it that the problems can arise.

And thus, exposure with guidance can, arguably, lead to greater self-control, not less. Don't stop your children from doing these things, just do it with them!

[ 01-08-2005, 07:46 AM: Message edited by: jsalsb ]