One of the unfortunate realities of life is that of teen violence. This may be violence in the school, violence of dating partners, or violent tendencies in the teenager themselves. Sometimes violence is the result of drug or alcohol abuse. The person’s mind is affected by these drugs and this may result in a violent episode.

Just consider the number of times we have seen the news of a teenager going on a shooting or stabbing spree at school. Often these young people come from normal families where they have had a good upbringing and everything they needed. So why is this phenomenon happening?

There is also a growing problem with gangs where gang violence is the ‘norm’. Teens involved in these gangs not only risk being killed themselves but is also more likely to commit a violent act themselves.

Add to this the possibility of domestic violence at home and we have an violent episode in the making..

Studies have shown that there has been a dramatic rise in violence of teens toward their parents in recent years, particularly where the mother is a single parent. While most of these attacks are by boys, there are also a large number of assaults by girls.

It is believed that sons who violently attack their mothers are copying the behaviours of fathers or stepfathers. It is also a belief that boys who assault their mothers are more likely to harm younger siblings. Mothers are often reluctant to bring the police into the situation for fear of their son getting a criminal record.

For most adolescents and teens, the transition to adulthood isn’t too traumatic and is usually not violent. However, there are problems that can occur. It is a time when they are testing their newly found logic to see if all they’ve been told throughout their life is really true.

Youth is a time of idealism and questioning. It is a time when they will question their parent’s and society’s beliefs, feeling that their own ideas make more sense. This can actually result in social change though reality eventually dawns as they find the battle harder to fight.

While teen violence is a definite reality, there are some steps you can take to avoid it happening in your life. One of these is to ban any form of violence in your home. Treat everyone, including your teenager with courtesy and respect, not only in actions but in words.

Another thing you can do is to discuss the incidence of violence with your teen. Talk to them about strategies to deal with anger and let them know you are always there for them.

Sadly, there are millions of children each year assaulted by their parents. There are also many who will grow up seeing their mother assaulted. The sad reality is that many of these children will grow up to be violent teenagers and abusive husbands and fathers.

It is estimated that around twenty percent of teen girls will be involved in a violent relationship. Teenage violence has long been a problem but this problem is becoming worse and more violent as the years pass. The times when teen violence was nothing more than a schoolyard fight have passed.

Teenage violence in our modern era involves carrying deadly weapons and the fact is that these teenagers are not afraid to use them.

As a society, we need to accept that this is a serious and growing problem which we must take seriously. There is no room for complacency and we need to look for methods to change this deadly situation.