![]() Researchers who study gun violence say that it is difficult to explain exactly why gun deaths among children have risen so quickly, but most emphasize that the increased availability of guns - especially handguns, which tend to be used in homicides and suicides and also tend to be stored less safely than some other types of guns - has most likely played a role. ![]() Gun accidents that kill children have also ticked up in the last decade, though they are relatively uncommon, totaling fewer than 150 in most years. Still, in America, among children who die by gunfire, Black and Hispanic children are more likely to be killed by others, and white children are more likely to kill themselves. The share of gun suicides for Black and Hispanic children has been growing, too. A decade ago, the number of white children who killed themselves with a gun totaled around 500 annually in three of the last five years, that figure has surpassed 700. Unlike homicides, suicides disproportionately involve white children, mostly teenage boys. Last year, suicides made up nearly 30 percent of child gun deaths - 1,078. The number of children who die by suicide with a gun has also risen to a historical high over the last decade. Most homicides involved Black children, who make up a small share of all children but shoulder the burden of gun violence more than any others, a disparity that is growing sharply. Since 2018, they have increased by more than 73 percent. Last year, nearly two-thirds of gun deaths involving children - 2,279 - were homicides. No group of American children has been spared, but some have fared far worse. Looking for more ideas to connect with your child? Join our free 5 Days to Better Family Connection email series.The stories of 12 American children killed by guns this year. When Love Takes You In by Steven Curtis Chapman (older child adoption specific).What I Never Knew I Always Wanted by Carrie Underwood.Try Everything (from Zootopia) by Shakira.So Far to Find You by Casting Crowns (international adoption).Naleigh Moon by Josh Kelley (international adoption).A Mother’s Prayer (Hannah’s Song) by Rachel Aldous.Lullabye (Goodnight my Angel) by Billy Joel.In My Daughter’s Eyes by Martina McBride.I See the Light by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi.How You Live (Turn Up the Music) by Point of Grace.Beautiful Boy by John Lennon (there is also a Celine Dion version).Suggestions for Special Songs to Dedicate to Your Child: So if you can’t find a song to dedicate to your child, write one yourself. It’s not very beautiful and I’m tone deaf, so I don’t sing it well, but she absolutely loves it and that’s all that counts. For our youngest daughter, I couldn’t find just the right song, so I invented one. If you can’t find a song with lyrics that you feel fit your child, write them a song. It can be based on who they are now or on what you hope they become or even as an encouragement or life motto that you wish to impart them with. The key to choosing a song to dedicate to your child is that it is personal. It creates an anchor for your child also even once they are grown and have moved out of your home.Īs an added bonus, when you have a special song for your child, you can also use it to make a memorable video montage using photos of your child growing up as a gift for their graduation, wedding day or milestone birthday. This parenting tool gives you another thing that is shared just between the two of you, which increases emotional intimacy. It helps them to feel cherished and loved. Even my teens get all mushy when their “baby song” comes on in the vehicle or when I sing their song to them.Ĭhoosing a special song to dedicate to your child is something I would really encourage you to do. They still sometimes ask me to sing their songs to them when they are sick or upset. ![]() Most of my kids are too big to be rocked now (all but one are taller than I am!), but they still love their “baby songs”. For our kids that we adopted at older ages, there wasn’t an opportunity to rock them to sleep with their song, but that hasn’t stopped me from rocking them and singing their special song to them. For some of them, it is a song that I would sing them when I rocked them to sleep when they were babies. “Mommy, can you please sing me my baby song?” My kids call their special songs their “baby song”. I don’t recall how it started, but once I did it for one, I felt that I had to do it for the others. Choosing a song for each of my kids is something that I’ve done for as long as I can remember. They asked questions about it and were especially looking for song suggestions. ![]() When I wrote a list of connection activities for parents to do with their kids, a lot of my readers were fascinated by the idea of choosing a special song to dedicate to your child. ![]()
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