Sociopath Stew

Why do kids kill?

It seems like such an unbelievable question to ask, yet here we are again with another tragic school shooting.

What is occurring in our society that is creating a culture where our youth engage in mass murder?

Why do kids kill?

What has happened in our world where our kids believe shooting someone is an appropriate solution?

On one hand you hear from those who blame access to guns.

I can’t particularly agree with that.

I am an advocate of the second amendment.

Also, I just read of a young man who recently stabbed his father to death in a fit of rage, so are we to round up all the knives, hammers, ropes, and for that matter box-cutters?

However, it does give one pause when a kid can get their hands on an AR-15 semi-automatic weapon.

Why do kids kill?

Are we raising a society of sociopaths?

Perhaps inadvertently.

The dictionary defines a sociopath as a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack of conscience.

Are we cooking up sociopath stew?

Could it be the proliferation of social media?

Is that an ingredient in this deadly recipe?

It certainly hasn’t helped mental health in our youth with the onslaught of cyber-bullying.

A 2012 study found that at least 800,000 minors had been harassed on Facebook.

Also middle school children who experienced cyber-bullying were almost twice as likely to try to kill themselves.

Throw in a little cyber-stalking, violent imagery as well as a lack of interpersonal skills and you’re on your way to a volatile mix.

Why do kids kill?

Could it be video gaming?

I certainly don’t have all the answers on this subject.

I know of many well adjusted adults who play these games without a detrimental effect.

When I was a kid we were subjected to violent images and entertainment as well.

However I wasn’t the one controlling the Stooges hitting themselves in the head with a hammer like into today’s games in which the player holds the controller and orchestrates the shooting and mayhem.

Maybe that has something to do with the desensitizing of violence.

Could it be these outside influences or does it hit closer to home?

Which leads to a controversial issue.

Parenting, or rather a lack of.

Are we as parents and grandparents not investing enough quality time with our children?

A study published in the Journal of Family Issues shows that adolescents who believe they matter to their families are less likely to engage in violence.

To matter, to be of importance and have significance.

In fact, multiple studies reveal that children are much more likely to develop emotional and behavioral disorders when they receive inadequate or poor parenting and each study uses the foundation of spending quality time with children as the first vital step for successful parenting.

Bring back family meal time, help with homework, encourage and participate in hobbies and extracurricular activities.

These are some of the many ways to instill in a child that they matter.

Of course there are those parents that do everything right and the child still commits an act of evil.

Why do kids kill?

It’s a question that should never have to be asked, but here we are.

Is it a combination of all these ingredients forming a sociopath stew?

There will no doubt be thousands of dollars spent on research and studies to discover the causes but if good, attentive, quality parenting can help, let us examine ourselves and step up if we are lacking in this extremely important piece of the puzzle.

Also let us pray for the victims, their families, and for solutions to end this baffling cycle of violence.

Prayer is always a good place to start.

See you out there.