Sir, - Mary Holland (Opinion, November 15th) mentions many reasons why the death of young Glen Branagh in North Belfast was especially tragic; and while she doesn't identify it as such, she comes close to one of the saddest when she writes:
"As Billy Hutchinson remarked, we know the hatred exists, the question is how to change the situation." Children can only learn hatred. It is not an inborn emotion.
As a mother who also unexpectedly lost a son, I feel a special affinity with the grief Glen's parents are experiencing which will stay with them the rest of their lives.
As to "how to change the situation", may I humbly suggest you publish what I have displayed in a frame since my sons were toddlers in the 1960s, with the hope it will be widely disseminated not only in Northern Ireland, but throughout this country: "Children Learn What They Live. If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight. If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy. If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.
"If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient. If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence. If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate. If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
"If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself. If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world." - Yours, etc.,
Jeanette F. Huber, Kinsale, Co Cork.