I know this post is late and the news is old but the Virginia Tech tragedy has been on my mind. Each victim is a life cut short and a family in pain. Yet only one question remains - Why?

What could cause someone to become so deranged to commit this act of horror? As a parent, I am scared. Not only because children were victims but because someone’s child was the monster. I am sure his parents felt that they were doing their best to raise him. So, what went wrong?

What can we as parents do to help our children cope with their emotions when they enter their darkest hours?

Char at Weary Parent has written an excellent post entitled 13 Things We Need To Teach Our Teens. The resounding message is that we need to empower our children to deal with disappointment and rejection in a healthy way. We all know that life is full of ups and downs - it is a bumpy ride, but it shouldn’t be tragic.

For younger children (this also applies to teens) Mark Brandenburg has a helpful article entitled Top Ten Ways to Raise Emotionally Intelligent Kids.

Clearly, ignoring the emotional health of our children comes at a high cost.