The Games Boys Play

I wonder if she's already had to change her tune.

I'd like to propose some alternatives. Instead of clamping down on the fantasy life of kids, let's do something that will really help prevent future Cho Seung-Huis. Let's beef up the mental-health services in our communities so truly troubled children and adolescents can get the help they need. Let's launch a public-service campaign to remove the stigma around getting help. Let's review our gun laws, too. And let's not demonize little boys with their forefingers and thumbs outstretched. That is play. Not just harmless but necessary. What happened on the Virginia Tech campus was all too deadly and all too real.

Peg Tyre is a senior writer at NEWSWEEK. Her book, "The Trouble With Boys," will be published by Crown in September 2008.

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