I definitely think it’s up the parents to sit their child down and talk to them about the situation. I think that you don’t want to wait until your child has experienced it or is already involved in violence to say something, because by that time it’s already too late. And parents shouldn’t talk down. Talking down is when you’re telling me rather than informing me, drilling it into somebody, rather than just letting them know. And definitely a different vibe, it’s definitely a different tone.
Tell kids violence doesn’t make you cool
Parents should tell their kids violence doesn’t make you cool. Doing things that you get peer pressured into doing doesn’t make you cooler.
Check in with kids and students
Parents and teachers should check in with their students more often about certain things that are going on at home, at school, or outside of their home. Certain parents don’t know how to go about asking their child if they are into violent things. For example, my parent would not ask me that. But that’s sometimes necessary. You need to check up on them and what they’re doing.
Some people say they hate cops. If cops would take the chance to talk to us, I think that would bring it down just a little. Just, “Hey sir, how are you doing?” If people were like that every day, that puts smiles on people’s faces. People think, “Someone was nice to me, maybe I can be nice to someone else.” Passing it forward. The way you treat each person you interact with is so important.