Any weekend in this State, violence erupts amongst teenagers on the streets of cities and small towns alike. There is clearly serious problem, but little has been done to advise parents on how to rear non-violent children. We need something like the highly successful "Warning Signs" youth anti-violence initiative, which has been shown on MTV and developed by the American Psychological Association (APA). To back-up the media campaign, the APA has been running a series of sessions for parents, run by psychologists, on communicating effectively with teenagers. Violence is a learned behaviour and to counteract it parents need to learn to model positive listening behaviour and to avoid emotional outbursts. Tips for parents include:

When your children are talking, stop whatever else you're doing to listen to them. Express interest in what they are saying without being intrusive.

Listen to your child's viewpoint, even if it's difficult to hear.

Let your child finish speaking before you respond.

Focus on your child's feelings rather than your own during the conversation. Control strong emotional responses when you disagree with your child's point of view.

For further information, see the APA online at http://helping.apa.org