A good friend of mine who I grew up with just informed me that EA Sports opted to remove Ray Rice from the Baltimore Ravens on its popular video game, Madden NFL 15. I told him that I thought that it was a good idea for EA Sports to do so and praised the company for its technological savvy in making the game as realistic as possible. I also told him that if I were playing the game with my son and he happened to use the Baltimore Ravens and Ray Rice, then I may be forced to have a conversation with him that I may not be comfortable with.
A recent study published in the journal Psychology of Violence found that children who witness domestic violence do so with serious side effects.
“Children who witness domestic violence are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, nightmares, teen dating violence, and disruptions with school work,” said lead researcher Sherry Hamby, Ph.D. She added, “The trauma can be very similar to when children experience abuse themselves.”
Even if displays of violence are not enacted in the home, today’s children are more tuned in to social and traditional media than ever before and may have questions about things they’ve heard or seen with other family members, neighbors or friends. As parents, let’s talk with our children about domestic violence by offering a few rules and some insights: