DON'T PLAY WITH GUNS! County deputies shot and killed 13-year-old Andy Lopez Cruz in Santa Rosa, California on October 22. He was walking with a replica of an assault weapon and carrying a fake handgun. According to police, they repeatedly
ordered the boy to drop what appeared to be a rifle before firing several rounds. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.
I thought, apparently incorrectly, that manufacturers were required to render toy or fake guns so they do not look like real ones by making them an odd color. If not, then it should be a law. Police shoot too many kids who are playing with fake guns. It is bad enough that they shoot adults who are holding cell phones, car keys, or other small objects. I feel for the family and think they should sue the manufacturer and the police. I saw the pictures of the fake gun next to a real one, and I could not tell which was which. The lesson learned – when confronted by police, immediately drop (not throw) everything in your hands and raise your hands slowly (click to tweet).
I think the parents have some responsibility in this case. It probably is not a good idea to purchase real looking fake guns for kids. It definitely is not a good idea to let kids (or adults) take real looking fake guns out of the house.
There was an interesting article on CNN on Wednesday. According to studies, spanking children may leave a lasting impact beyond the initial punishment. Children spanked often at a very young age by
their mothers were more likely to be aggressive later in childhood compared to kids who the mothers did not spank at all. Dads spanking kids was linked to vocabulary and language problems in kids. The more often the spanking, the stronger the effects. This flies in the face of the old adage--“spare the rod – spoil the child.”
The problem with spanking and violence in general is that in the short-term it works. Since it does change the behavior of the victim, the aggressor is encouraged to use violence repeatedly. In the long-term, it has devastating effects. If you spank a child and they don’t change their behavior,
what is the next step? When I was a young parent, I attended a lecture about spanking. I was so impressed that I immediately stopped spanking as a disciplinary tool. My oldest child was three at the time. I figured that as an adult I should be able to outsmart a child without resorting to violence.
He is now a senior officer in the Air Force. His younger brother was a baby at the time. He is now a successful business owner. All three of my children turned out to be mature adults.
ordered the boy to drop what appeared to be a rifle before firing several rounds. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.
I thought, apparently incorrectly, that manufacturers were required to render toy or fake guns so they do not look like real ones by making them an odd color. If not, then it should be a law. Police shoot too many kids who are playing with fake guns. It is bad enough that they shoot adults who are holding cell phones, car keys, or other small objects. I feel for the family and think they should sue the manufacturer and the police. I saw the pictures of the fake gun next to a real one, and I could not tell which was which. The lesson learned – when confronted by police, immediately drop (not throw) everything in your hands and raise your hands slowly (click to tweet).
I think the parents have some responsibility in this case. It probably is not a good idea to purchase real looking fake guns for kids. It definitely is not a good idea to let kids (or adults) take real looking fake guns out of the house.
There was an interesting article on CNN on Wednesday. According to studies, spanking children may leave a lasting impact beyond the initial punishment. Children spanked often at a very young age by
their mothers were more likely to be aggressive later in childhood compared to kids who the mothers did not spank at all. Dads spanking kids was linked to vocabulary and language problems in kids. The more often the spanking, the stronger the effects. This flies in the face of the old adage--“spare the rod – spoil the child.”
The problem with spanking and violence in general is that in the short-term it works. Since it does change the behavior of the victim, the aggressor is encouraged to use violence repeatedly. In the long-term, it has devastating effects. If you spank a child and they don’t change their behavior,
what is the next step? When I was a young parent, I attended a lecture about spanking. I was so impressed that I immediately stopped spanking as a disciplinary tool. My oldest child was three at the time. I figured that as an adult I should be able to outsmart a child without resorting to violence.
He is now a senior officer in the Air Force. His younger brother was a baby at the time. He is now a successful business owner. All three of my children turned out to be mature adults.
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