Second, supervise your children. The boys in Colorado left incriminating evidence of their plans in

plain view in their rooms. Not only that, they spent hours preparing the pipe bombs that they later carried to

the school.

One might ask how these boys could have made such extensive preparations without any

suspicions being raised by the parents of either child. It is too early in the analysis of the Colorado incident to say,

but I suspect that supervision was a problem with these boys.

The rooms that your children occupy in your home are not their rooms. They belong to you and

you allow these children to use them. Parents can go overboard respecting the privacy of our children to

the point that we don't supervise them appropriately. We must walk a fine line between disrespect for

"their space" and poor leadership.

Third, recognize warning signs. Suicide attempts or ideation, fascination with death, weapons,

and violence as well as cruelty to animals or people are bad signs. These behaviors are not normal and

should always be considered worthy of attention by parents. Don't believe it when you hear people say that

there was no indication that a person would do something like this. I've looked into nearly three

hundred homicides and there are always warning signs.

Finally, stay involved with your children. Desperate people commit desperate acts. When children see

a future, have hope, and know they do not stand alone in this sometimes frightening world, they are

less likely to pursue acts of desperation and more likely to believe they can endure current struggles.

Family unity and involvement fosters a realistic perspective on life and can help one endure a frightening world.

I propose we adults are reaping the fruits of years of neglect of our children, lack of attention to

them, irresponsibility in how we treat them, and cultivation of a violent culture. However, we don't have to

throw our hands up in despair. As I told our school superintendent, the starting place for change is at home.

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