In the wake of the tragedy in Littleton, Colorado, there have been many questions and too few answers. The one thing that has become resoundingly clear is the necessity for parents to communicate more with their children.

Rather than just talking to their children parents need to really listen to what their children are saying, or in some cases, not saying.

Our society continues to change and older generations need to change with the society in order to know what is going on with the younger generations. Some of the changes have been so subtle, or worked in so slowly that people have just accepted them without acknowledging them. Was it necessary to rate television shows 15, even 10 years ago? Now violence is part of a young child's everyday viewing. Rating a television show does not block it from these children's view when it comes on during prime time television.

As television is becoming an even more prominent part of our lives more and more children have televisions, video games, and computers in their rooms. When children are sequestered away like that it is extremely difficult for parents to monitor what their children are seeing or playing.

The sight of violence is becoming acceptable for these children, and even for some adults, but hopefully adults know how to process these viewings and know that they are not real. Children do not have the same processing skills and are not as easily able to differentiate between what is real and what is not.

When you add these factors to the fact that children now have access to instructions on how to build bombs and the ability to buy weapons you have a potentially lethal combination. With violence glorified the way it is every day, some children cannot understand just how awful these acts are.

If anything can be gained from these horrible school massacres in Littleton, Colorado; Jonesboro, Arkansas; and West Paducah, Kentucky just to name a few, hopefully parents will become more aware of what can happen right under their noses.

Talk to your children. Listen to your children.