How to Talk to Your Child about School Violence

It may be a conversation that you’ve been avoiding for awhile or a subject that you just haven’t been sure how to approach with your child but there is no question that talking to your child about school violence is an important conversation or series of conversations to have with your child.

True enough, there are lower rates of violence in schools in certain areas but the reality is that no school or child is exempt from violence. With this in mind, it is important that your child understands your perspective and viewpoints as well as your expectations of how your son or daughter should handle himself or herself in the presence of violence or pending violence. But how do you start the conversation initially and what are some good things to ensure that your child understands?

Knowing how to talk to your child about school violence can make the difference between their ability to deal with violence they may experience firsthand or witness and having to seek professional counseling or treatment after the fact. If you are concerned about having all the right words to say or all the correct answers to provide to questions your child may have, you don’t need to worry about that. The important thing is to start the talk and make sure that your child is comfortable talking to you about situations they may already be facing in school.

When you are preparing to talk to your child about school violence, let it be a two way conversation. Don’t just talk at your child. Give him or her opportunity to talk with you, making it more like a conversation than a lecture. Be sure to ask questions such as what your child would do if confronted with violence in school and what their reaction would be to seeing violence at school being committed on a friend.  

Extend the invitation for your child to talk to you at any time they have a concern or question. Make sure they are aware of resources or contacts at school to help if they are having trouble dealing with a violent situation. Remember that your talk doesn’t have to be a long, drawn out one just as long as you make the start to give your child some reassurance of your support and understanding. Also bear in mind that each child is different and that if you have several children, group talk dynamics may work for some but for others, you may need to have a one on one talk to make them more comfortable with sharing their thoughts and listening to yours.

If you are unsure about having the talk with your child about violence, check with your child’s school for resources on how you can have a productive conversation on the topic.