Opinion: The seed of violence and peace: Parenting

Violence is ubiquitous. This became more obvious when Asian American people saw a rise in racist assaults by their fellow countrymen. Many point to several reasons; perhaps it is a mental disorder that inhibits their ability to think straight, or perhaps it is the influence of violence that video games have brought. 

Understandably, some argue that the violence in video games can numb people of violence, desensitizing them to the dangers of such actions. My own mother continuously reminds me to refrain from violent games until I grow mature enough to understand the gravity of the violence I nonchalantly commit in video games. In fact, it is not the violence in video games that causes children to grow more violent, but when they are exposed to it.

This brings me to a significant reason for violence in society: parenting. Depending on how parents raise their children, that child can grow to be either a savior or a monster. 

Children need constant affection and attention throughout their lives, and the ones who provide it to them are their parents. Without that attention, children lose this affection and care. This creates a desperate individual who can cause a lot of damage. 

One of the strongest examples is Adolf Hitler. While he respects parents, it is not for the right reason. His mother tried to protect him from his abusive, strict father, who turned him from a confident, conscientious person to the demon we remember him to be today. Had his father been supportive rather than cruel, Hitler would not have been a dictator but an artist. 

A love of a parent can truly define their children. A Sunny Hills High School junior, Ryan Lee, thanks his parents and his upbringing that shaped his personality.

“I think that my parents are the reason I am who I am today,” he said.

In fact, the more love a child gets from their parents, the happier and positive they can be. Sophomore Jamie Lee, an only child, described how much of an impact her parents had on her.

“I was always the center of their attention and they always reminded me about how much they love me,” she said. “Thus, I was able to grow into a person who can give a lot of love to others and just a positive person in general.”

A parent’s love is not enough to raise a child. Sometimes, it takes learning and understanding. By demonstrating good conduct, your child will mimic you and follow that same conduct. A child is only racist if their family grew up racist. A child is only caring if their family grew up caring. How a child acts reflects on their parent’s efforts to raise them.

The perfect quote to put parenting in relation to violence comes from Mr. Miyagi, the master of karate who trained the main character in Karate Kid: “There is no such thing as a bad student, only bad teacher.”