Letter of the Day | Teach children effective conflict resolution

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I recently encountered a mother and her five-year-old son, where the mother was telling her son. “If anybody lick you, you fi lick them back, you hear.” This caused me to wonder, how many parents or guardians are teaching their child/children this technique to problem-solving and does this in any way contribute to the high level of physical violence in our schools?

If this teaching is etched in our children from the pre-school level more than likely it’s a behaviour that they will carry over to the secondary schools. This highlights the need for children at the kindergarten and primary level to be taught correct and effective conflict-solving skills. Being able to resolve conflicts effectively at this age will aid in the children’s emotional and social development.

It should first be the responsibility of parents and guardians to teach and guide children from an early age to solve problems effectively. Teaching them to hit back will only lead to further physical altercations as we are reflecting in our schools today.

Bearing in mind that adults too need to reach a place of emotional and social intelligence to pass on the skill to children.

A few effective conflict management techniques for children as listed by the Child Mind Institute include:

1.Teaching children about their emotions and how to identify which emotions they are feeling in the moment and how to communicate these feelings effectively without hitting or harming others.

2. Teach them ways to relax and think before they react.

3. Let them identify exactly what the conflict is.

4. Allow children to think of effective ways of solving the conflict and not only give them the solution.

From a non-psychological stance children can be taught simple strategies, such as telling a teacher or an adult about the conflict. It is OK not to retaliate, but to get help from an adult. Let children know that there are consequences for each action that they take.

As we pray for safer schools, let us also equip our children with the correct knowledge of how to resolve their daily conflicts safely.

SHERRIAN WRIGHT-MARTIN

Certified midwife, clinical

instructor

The UWI School of Nursing,

Mona