FREE ESSAY ON OF CHILDREN AND INNOCENCE

OF CHILDREN AND INNOCENCE

Of Children and Innocence 
Cause and Effect Essay
There are many theories as to why violent juvenile crime is on the rise in the United
States. Some theorists state that it is the collapse of the family unit, while others say
it is violence in the media or the environment in which a child is raised. Actually, it
is a combination of many varied internal and external forces. But first, one must go to
the beginning, to the very root of a child's age of self-awareness. 
Children are born with the capacity to learn. Hate, envy, racism, selfishness; these
traits are not instinctive, rather, they are learned. It does not matter where
anti-social traits are initially experienced, whether it is found in the home, or school,
or even in the nursery, the results are the same. Children that are exposed to violence
at an early age could have a propensity towards violent behavior as they mature. Children
must be shown that violent behavior is not acceptable, and traits, such as compassion,
are acceptable. Too many children today are left alone or unsupervised by guardians and
parents. In today's society, it is a common trend for both the mother and father to work.
Young children are many times left in the care of schools, friends, neighbors, and
relatives. In these cases children behave in ways that imitate real life. Children
observe violence on television, at their school, or at home. In a child's eyes, violence
is an acceptable behavior because it is observed as being acceptable. It is imperative
that young children are guided and taught the differences between right and wrong. In a
perfect society, this is all well and good. Unfortunately, perfect societies do not
exist. If the core fundamental moral structure of a child's undeveloped personality is
firmly established, there is a very good chance that violence will not be a part of that
child's adult future.
Child psychiatrists have found that a child becomes self aware around six years of age.
The first five years of a person's life is sometimes referred to as the "age of
innocence." Too many children today have never experienced the age of innocence. These
children more often become adults with developed undesirable anti-social behaviors. A
very high percentage of violent adolescents were found to have had come from a disturbed
and sometimes violent homelife. When these same adolescents were asked if they could
recall happy moments in early childhood, most could not recall any. Most certainly, the
violence seen on television, in films, in newspapers and periodicals only amplified the
acceptance of violent behavior.
In order for society to find a way to control violent youth, society must start with the
newborn generation, and continue working with each successive newborn generation, until
instances of violent behavior begin to subside. There is a solution, but the solution
would require understanding and participation of all parties involved. This would mean
Federal and local governments, schools, churches, day care centers, and ultimately, both
parents. The solution could take years, even decades to implement. But it must be done
soon if we ever expect to see a change in our youth within our lifetime.