Good morning folks!

In today’s SMRT Blog post, I would like to discuss a disturbing trend of violence occurring with our children.  In the latest “national” spotlight, two teenagers were beaten after a high school basketball game.  According to the FoxNews.com article, “The Wando High School pair was attacked after their school had inflicted a 20-point defeat on West Ashley High in Charleston.”  The two South Carolina schools have had to deal with violence when their schools competed in the past, and the host school even beefed up security for this game, according to the article.

Going back two years, there have been over 70 news reports of violence at high school sporting events.  So, what, as parents, are you able to do to protect your children from this violence?

Teach your kids!  Educate them in the practice of being a good sport, and, teach them how to be a good fan.  The generation of kids today isn’t taught how to lose or how to win, because it seems they all get rewarded for participating.  We, as adults have allowed this to happen.  Making kids feel good for trying is great, and I will never knock that… (On this blog, I will never knock that), but it forces us to teach our children how to be good winners and losers on our own.  I remember back when I was a little kid, my pee wee football team was horrible, but one thing we learned how to be, good losers.  Again, education is important, and the parents are the biggest educators for kids.

One last thing on this topic… Teach your kids how to protect themselves.  When they know how to protect themselves, and they know the difference between self-defense and fighting, they will be less likely caught up in situations like what happened in South Carolina this past weekend.  Teach them not to become bullies, and not to become victims to bullies.

Protect yourself, because nobody else will; Coffee is brewing people, it is time to wake up!!!