Nine-Month-Old Baby Accuesed of Attempted Murder

In Pakistan local officials recently came under scrutiny for charging a nine month old baby with attempted murder.  It seems to stem from an incident where his family was accused of throwing stones at police and gas company workers who had come to collect money.

Reporters said that the "defendant" seemed "agitated and confused" and cried at his first hearing, but that at his second hearing seemed more subdued and did not cry despite all the cameras and attention.  (We couldn't make this stuff up if we tried.)

The judge did end up throwing out the case against the baby, siting Pakistani law which doesn't allow children under seven to be charged with crimes, and stern action was taken against the investigating officer.  The rest of his family, however, remains in legal trouble.

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Diminishing School Violence

Buckminster Fuller once said something to the effect of 'we won't be able to operate this planet much longer in the divisive way we've been doing it.  It has to be everybody or nobody.'  Nowhere is this principle quite as evident as when it comes to mass violence.  As we endure yet another school incident (this time a mass stabbing), we should all take time to consider these words.  In these attacks, we see first hand just how much damage one marginalized individual can do.

Although each mass attacker emerges from their own unique circumstances, it inevitably comes out that they all share one trait: they are individuals who felt isolated, bullied, stigmatized, or alienated from society.

Instead of the usual debate on hoe to best fortify our schools, which is an exorcise in illusionary control, perhaps we should look at those we alienate and isolate people to begin with.  Because it's not just a few disillusioned souls out there.  For every mass attacker there are 10's of thousands of young people who feel so marginalized they've considered such a thing.  When these events occur, you are seeing the tip of the iceberg . . . just one person who boils over and snaps hails from a much larger pot that’s boiling.

This pot is boiling because our cultural psychology teaches divisiveness, exclusion, and the marginalization of those seen as odd or different.  Teens incorporate this same mentality into school culture.  It's time we start looking at ways to turn down the heat.  It won't cure all mass violence, but it will keep the pot from boiling over so often.

Check out this link to discover the causes of bullying.

Through The Eyes Of Others

"Sometimes I think that if we could see the world through they eyes of another person for just one moment, and look out from inside his skull and have a chance to contrast his experience with our own, surely at that moment we would go mad."
- Psychotherapist Sheldon Kopp, in Even A Stone Can Be A Teacher

Building Self Confidence In Children

"Children cannot build confidence by accomplishing only easy tasks.  They already know that anyone can accomplish these tasks.  It is when children accept the risk of struggle, and they find they can accomplish that which they didn't think was possible, that they begin to build self-confidence.  It is from actual achievement that one develops a strong self-concept." - Dr. Sylvia Rimm in Why Bright Kids Get Poor Grades. (New York: Three Rivers Press)

Visit our child development and life issues area for information on helping your family.

Four-Year-Old in Carjacked Car

Wednesday morning during the Denver rush-hour, a mother got a surprise when she stopped for coffee at her local Longmont corner store.  While she was inside, a carjacker jumped into her red SUV and took off; with her 4-year-old-son still strapped in the back seat.

The suspect then led police on an hour long chase. The carjacker was driving at high speeds, passing traffic recklessly, sometimes in the wrong lane facing oncoming traffic. Happily for the little boy, the thief ditched the red SUV with little Allan Chavarria-Rodriguez safe inside. The man then carjacked two additional vehicles and led the police across the city and ending near the town of Parker before crashing the last vehicle and fleeing on foot. He was caught and arrested.

This was a very scary morning for a little boy still in his pajamas on his way to day care.  Likely, since he is so young, the experience will do no lasting damage to him.  But there is an important lesson here.  Do not leave your kids alone in the car for any reason.  It is just not safe.

Visit our website to learn safety tips for keeping your child safe.