Inner peace is the greatest success, and it is conquered every day.
Nadia Maurer
We all receive information through the news about children who have been assaulted somewhere in the world, whether at school, at home, or in the streets. Others suffer labor exploitation due to economic necessity, war, displacement, or living in refugee camps. All these situations compromise their lives permanently, so it is imperative to prioritize the welfare of children and build peaceful spaces for their development.
Children unwillingly subjected to these dramatic circumstances live in mourning every day. The consequences of childhood in situations of this type can turn them into aggressive individuals. Observing the mental and physical health of children is a priority because an illness or the possibility of a disorder that could threaten their lives or the lives of their peers may develop since positive motives for a living are lost and an impulse to destroy the environment arises.
There are people who lived childhoods in total adversity and managed to get out of the position of victims with enormous efforts. They have shared their stories to develop empathy and understanding with others, they decided to heal physically and mentally, they have chosen activism and service, that is, helping others to heal from grief and they even claim that this suffering made them stronger.
It is necessary to foster compassion for children and acceptance of differences of all kinds, due to the fact that misfortune is always present and no one can say that they will be exempt from suffering losses, a breakdown in life, or being exposed to violence in any of its forms. For this, we suggest the following #information tools:
- Listen carefully when a child tells you that he or she is being bullied at school, bullying or cyberbullying. The latter commonly occurs through social networks. We assure you that they are not lying about it, and their character will not be strengthened by living that experience, on the contrary, it will become weaker and weaker until they suffer a deep depression that could bring terrible consequences.
- We share with you the harrowing account of Sue Klebold, mother of one of the boys who participated in the Columbine High School attacks in 1999, her testimony reminds us that warning signs are not always obvious.
- Consider the psychological therapy of your choice. You and your sons or daughters will learn much about yourselves and your concerns during this process. Especially, in those cases of lonely girls or boys, with difficulties socializing according to conventions or being excluded, singled out for their hobbies, preferences, or any characteristic of their personality.
- The approach in a respectful and non-invasive way the social networks your sons and daughters frequent, the video games they choose, and the people they communicate with. Listen without judging, and support them with love, thus facilitating communication and getting to know more about their ideas and hobbies.
- Neuroscientist Frances Jensen, the author of The Adolescent Brain (2016), writes from her experience as a mother of two. Her book is a guide to understanding development to maturity. It is a way to understand that there is a long road to reaching adult autonomy, as she explains in this brief interview.
- Get to know the story of Edith Eger, author of The Auschwitz Dancer (2018), who lived in that concentration camp at the age of 16, and today is a long-lived woman who has dedicated her life to grief healing as a Psychologist and offers us her teachings through this link.
At Del Pueblo Funeral Home we believe that children always need adults to trust and support them. They must feel accepted and loved, even in difficult moments they need the self-confidence to overcome any crisis, to know that they will find peace in the midst of chaos, and this way of learning is necessary in the times we live in. Thus, we remind you that we make the most difficult moments easy.
