Desensitization

In psychology, desensitization (also called inurement) is defined as the diminished emotional responsiveness to a negative or aversive stimulus after repeated exposure to it.

I have the privilege of counseling/advocating for teenage males generally between the ages of 14-25.  I have seen a trend that is quite disturbing and one that few people discuss.  Todays video games are quite violent, especially the war and shooting games.  There is blood, guts, rampant killing, and tons of vulgar swearing screamed at one another over the headphones.  You can violate ALL laws while playing video games.  For instance, I can tell someone "I will kill you" while playing a video game, however in real life this is a felony.  We assume  kids as young as 7 can tell the difference.  I see prepubescent boys playing mature rated games all the time.  I really don't get the parent that allows their child to play a violent video game.  I want to state that a 15 year old should not be playing a mature game, do you allow them to watch mature movies??

I hear politicians want to control guns, I believe we need to start at a much earlier point in time.  Lazy parenting needs to be addressed.  Parents, DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CHILD TO PLAY VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES!  This is insane, maybe your child can tell the difference, then again maybe they cannot.   For the safety and sanity of the world, why don't we simply avoid this type of escape altogether   Let them play Nintendo games, or sports game, or even games that require mental thought over violence.  Frequent exposure to the violence reinforces the acceptance of killing and violence.  I have played the games and they are adrenaline pumping and unbelievably real. 

I hear all the excuses from parents, all the other kids parents allow them to play these games at their house.  We don't allow this logic when a child makes a mistake, "Tommy always plays in the street"..We say, " if Tommy were jumping off a cliff would you join him?"  Please parents, do not take the easy path...Know what your kids are doing, watch them, monitor them closely.  If the game is for 18 and over, please follow the guidance.. don't be the "cool" parent, be the good parent.

We have to start somewhere, lets promote love and acceptance instead of hostility and aggression in our children.

Driving in NH

One of the most frustrating consequences of living in NH is driving.  You might want to know what part of driving is frustrating, well let me tell you EVERYTHING!!!!!! First, the roads suck.  The have potholes everywhere, and there is only one freeway in the entire state. I93 runs North and South, if you wanna go east and west you should prepare for a journey.  A 60 mile trip east and west takes about 2 and half hours of grueling Baha type driving around mountains, lakes, cows, farms, and zig zagging through every small town in NH.  Funny thing, every road and town looks virtually the same.  When you drive over 30 minutes it feels like an episode of Ground Hog Day with Bill Murray.  I begin asking myself if I have already passed that white barn, or the new england style house.  The scenery is beautiful, and it never changes.  Its like the cartoons when the character is running, the background has loops, well that is driving east to west in NH. 
Also, the drivers are slow, really, really slow.  If the speed limit is 50, count on driving 35 or less.  The NH stands for No Hurry.  The cars are about 20 years old and they drive like they are 80.  In Dallas you have to battle for your space, here people will come to a complete stop on a 50 mph road to let another person in front of them, it is crazy.  So if you come to NH, bring a car with great shocks, tires, and all your patience.  If you are driving at night, fill up with gas and bring some food, everything closes at 8PM. 

Halloween 2011

Halloween in Meredith NH reminds me of a simpler time.  Every family meets at the town library and heads throug hthe quaint town with their children in tow.  All kids have costumes, everyone knows each other and the kdis are having a blast.  In TX, it is generally in the 70's and one has to worry about stayin hydrated.  Tonight in Meredith, we had snow on the ground and the temperature was in the high 30's, we have to be concerned with hypothermia!  The police patrol the area and the parents are not afraid to tell the teenagers driving by to SLOW DOWN.  The political correctness of the city is non existant.  You are free to speak your mind and have fun.  I would have to say this has been one of hte most positive experiences for me and my entire family since we have arrived here.  I have added some pics of our evening!