July 18th

The article in our text regarding co-rumination is thought provoking. I do agree that sometimes patterns are shaped in relationships with friends that can influence our emotional well being. Children are especially suseptible to negative influences in their peer relationships. Co-rumination is a concern for parents these days even more so than in the past. Since the institutionalization of schooling amongst the majority of children in our nation and many others, children spend the greatest amount of their time with other children and with adults who are not necessarily personally involved in their emotional world. Today, children are heavily shaped and molded by the influences that surround them in public schools. Parental influence is secondary to the influence of peers and educators. This fact unfortunately leaves children devoid of the positive influence that parents can have on their child's emotional well being. A child that is continuously bombarded with negativity will not thrive unless the parent of the child can balance that negativity with positive influence and guidance. That is not a possibility for many parents who only have a few hours to spare on the weekend and perhaps an hour or two in the evenings after work during the weekday.