. Lessons to be Learned his has been a difficult spring and summer for many people across the country, but especially for those of us living in Los Angeles. The memories of the last days of April and early May are still vivid: the videotape, the verdict, the outrage, the violence, the killings, the fires, the looting, and the children being exposed to all of it. As fall comes and school begins again, we must look carefully at the lessons the children have learned from these experiences, the questions they still have, and the help they need. This is no longer a problem of South Central Los Angeles; this is a societal problem we all share. The children received many mixed messages during the riots in Los Angeles; many children were directly affected and involved, but most were affected in some way because of the nonstop television and radio coverage. You could not escape it; shopping malls, churches, gas stations, and grocery stores all buzzed with the news while reflecting the tension and anxiety. Children, whose worlds are often black and white and right and wrong, had questions that challenged parents and teachers: Who is right? Who is wrong? Why did this happen? Certainly the answers did not come easy. Adults were as confused and bewildered as the children. The answers are hard to find; commissions and committees continue to study the issues, but the solutions are not coming easily. Some children saw their parents act in conflicting ways. One day the children were taken out looting, and, for some, the next day they were out cleaning up. How confusing this must have been! Preschool and schoolage children are old enough to know that what their parents did was wrong; some now view their parents as criminals. Other children saw their neighborhoods burned, and they witnessed numerous acts of violence. They were and are full of fear and anxiety. Many of these children will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Jennings (as cited in Roark & Banks, 1992), a psychiatrist who has studied the effects of gang violence in South Los Angeles, found that 25% of his sample suffered from PTSD. He cautioned that these latest riots will intensify the symptoms of PTSD. Thus as these children return to school many may have difficulties at school; some might act out, and some may become violent. Others will emotionally shut down; they will emotionally withdraw and not care or feel. JOURNAL
OF PEDIATRIC
HEALTH
CARE
.
Hopefully someone will note these as symptoms of MSD and not just label these children as “problem” children. These children are at great risk, and care is needed now. Negative experiences can give us guidance for lessons that the children should be learning. As advocates for children, it is critical that pediatric nurses get actively involved in community efforts to help our children to deal with the violence, to understand it, and most importantly to learn from it, so future generations will not have new violent episodes as marker events of their childhood. The schools, parents, and community groups can use several approaches to help enhance understanding among racial and ethnic groups. Schools need to implement a comprehensive plan to decrease prejudice. Although curricula are available that are designed to help reduce bias, these and other programs intended to promote multiculturalism ofien have been eliminated by budget cuts and lack of time. Prejudice reduction must become a greater priority if we are to prevent future acts of violence and destruction resulting from hopelessness and powerlessness. Programs need not be expensive to be effective. One creative teacher has used eye color to demonstrate prejudice to children. One day blue-eyed children are the favored ones; the class is told blue-eyed children are smarter, will be first in lines, make decisions for the total class, etc. The next day this is reversed, and brown-eyed children are the favored ones. Children quickly learn the system is unfair; eye color does not make one smart or right. They learn that neither does skin color: a simple lesson with a powerful message. More of these lessons are needed. Children need to learn to be empathic. They need opportunities to put themselves in positions of others to truly understand how and why people feel and act as they do. Empathy is a key to promoting other pro-social behaviors in children. We must work hard to see that this lesson is successful. Parents and all adults working with children must be sure they do not encourage stereotypes of racial or ethnic groups nor the police. We all must make a commitment to help children learn about the major racial and ethnic groups. We must be willing to challenge prejudice and stereotypes when we see them in our daily lives, whether at the store or on television. If we are 233
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Editorial
noncommittal and do not object, children will learn that this is the appropriate response. We must model the behaviors we want children to learn. Finally we must help children express their feelings. We must help them see that anger is acceptable but that violence is wrong. This can be a tough challenge for individuals who feel that the system designed to protect them-the police and the judicial system-has failed them. However, positive alternatives to violence exist, but these alternatives are not getting the media coverage. So we must be sure to show children what these alternatives are and that they can be successful. We all must work hard to help children master these
positive lessons. Violence and prejudice are as much a threat to our children’s healthy lives as are accidents, infectious diseases, and malnutrition. We need to work to attack these problems in a systematic manner, so they can be eliminated, and the true potential of a multicultural society can be achieved. Bobbie Crew Nelms, PhD, RN, CPNP Editor REFERENCE Roark, A., & Banks, S. (1992, May Los Awe&s Times. pp. Al, AlO.
6) Understanding
Bound Volumes Available to Subscribers
Bound volumes of the JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC HEALTH CARE are available to subscribers (only) for the 1992 issues from the Publisher, at a cost of $28.00 ($35.96 for Canadian and $34.00 for international) for Vol. 6 (January-December). Shipping charges are included. Each bound volume contains a subject and author index and all advertising is removed. Copies are shipped within 60 days after publication of the last issue of the volume. The binding is durable buckram with the JOURNAL name, volume number, and year stamped in gold on the spine. Pqwmt must accompany a4 ~&XL Contact Mosby-Year Book Inc., Subscription Services, 11830 Westline Industrial Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146-3318, USA; phone (800)325-4177, ext. 4351, (314)453-4351. Subscriptions must be in force to qualify. Bound volumes are not available iu place of a regular JOURNAL subscription.
the riots.
The
OF PEDIATRIC
HEALTH
CARE
.
Hopefully someone will note these as symptoms of MSD and not just label these children as “problem” children. These children are at great risk, and care is needed now. Negative experiences can give us guidance for lessons that the children should be learning. As advocates for children, it is critical that pediatric nurses get actively involved in community efforts to help our children to deal with the violence, to understand it, and most importantly to learn from it, so future generations will not have new violent episodes as marker events of their childhood. The schools, parents, and community groups can use several approaches to help enhance understanding among racial and ethnic groups. Schools need to implement a comprehensive plan to decrease prejudice. Although curricula are available that are designed to help reduce bias, these and other programs intended to promote multiculturalism ofien have been eliminated by budget cuts and lack of time. Prejudice reduction must become a greater priority if we are to prevent future acts of violence and destruction resulting from hopelessness and powerlessness. Programs need not be expensive to be effective. One creative teacher has used eye color to demonstrate prejudice to children. One day blue-eyed children are the favored ones; the class is told blue-eyed children are smarter, will be first in lines, make decisions for the total class, etc. The next day this is reversed, and brown-eyed children are the favored ones. Children quickly learn the system is unfair; eye color does not make one smart or right. They learn that neither does skin color: a simple lesson with a powerful message. More of these lessons are needed. Children need to learn to be empathic. They need opportunities to put themselves in positions of others to truly understand how and why people feel and act as they do. Empathy is a key to promoting other pro-social behaviors in children. We must work hard to see that this lesson is successful. Parents and all adults working with children must be sure they do not encourage stereotypes of racial or ethnic groups nor the police. We all must make a commitment to help children learn about the major racial and ethnic groups. We must be willing to challenge prejudice and stereotypes when we see them in our daily lives, whether at the store or on television. If we are 233
234
Volume 6, Number 5, Part 1 September-October 1992
Editorial
noncommittal and do not object, children will learn that this is the appropriate response. We must model the behaviors we want children to learn. Finally we must help children express their feelings. We must help them see that anger is acceptable but that violence is wrong. This can be a tough challenge for individuals who feel that the system designed to protect them-the police and the judicial system-has failed them. However, positive alternatives to violence exist, but these alternatives are not getting the media coverage. So we must be sure to show children what these alternatives are and that they can be successful. We all must work hard to help children master these
positive lessons. Violence and prejudice are as much a threat to our children’s healthy lives as are accidents, infectious diseases, and malnutrition. We need to work to attack these problems in a systematic manner, so they can be eliminated, and the true potential of a multicultural society can be achieved. Bobbie Crew Nelms, PhD, RN, CPNP Editor REFERENCE Roark, A., & Banks, S. (1992, May Los Awe&s Times. pp. Al, AlO.
6) Understanding
Bound Volumes Available to Subscribers
Bound volumes of the JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC HEALTH CARE are available to subscribers (only) for the 1992 issues from the Publisher, at a cost of $28.00 ($35.96 for Canadian and $34.00 for international) for Vol. 6 (January-December). Shipping charges are included. Each bound volume contains a subject and author index and all advertising is removed. Copies are shipped within 60 days after publication of the last issue of the volume. The binding is durable buckram with the JOURNAL name, volume number, and year stamped in gold on the spine. Pqwmt must accompany a4 ~&XL Contact Mosby-Year Book Inc., Subscription Services, 11830 Westline Industrial Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146-3318, USA; phone (800)325-4177, ext. 4351, (314)453-4351. Subscriptions must be in force to qualify. Bound volumes are not available iu place of a regular JOURNAL subscription.
the riots.
The
