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American Morning
Interview with Doctor Kevin Leman, 'Adolescence Isn't Terminal'
Aired April 17, 2002 - 07:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: And we're going to quickly turn our attention now to the potential warning signs for parents that may point to a troubled child. Was there something that triggered this family's tragedy?
Dr. Kevin Leman is a psychologist and author of the book, "Adolescence Isn't Terminal." He joins us now from Dallas -- welcome back, doctor. Just your reaction to what Mr. Douglass just laid out and what they think led to the killing of little 6-year-old Jackson Carr.
DR. KEVIN LEMAN, AUTHOR, "ADOLESCENCE ISN'T TERMINAL": Well, Paula, it's horrific to think that a 15-year-old and a 10-year-old could kill their little 6-year-old brother. I mean, sibling rivalry has been around since the days of Cain and Abel, but I've never seen anything this tragic.
You know there are warning signs, quite frankly. And some of them are simply acts of malice toward animals and people, escalation of antisocial behavior, escalation in disrespect to themselves and to others. And so if your kids are hanging out with problematic kids, you know, there's an indication that something might be going on. And these things just don't come out of thin air.
The detective was pretty close to the chest on giving away details, but my guess is that you're going to see and find out that there were a lot of things that have happened, that are antisocial in these kids' lives, to get to this point.
ZAHN: So if parents see any of the things you just listed, or we just listed on the screen, what do they do about it?
LEMAN: Well, a couple of things. Number one, if your kid has got a problem, don't live in denial, do something. Find help.
You know kids need time, they need time with us. Too many kids are wandering the streets and they don't have the supervision they need. And then have home games. I mean, I like to think that the home ought to be the central place of the kid's life. But, again, parents, you've got to be there.
And when kids fight -- I mean, let's face it, Paula, this morning at the breakfast table kids have said things like, "He looked at me. He touched me." I mean, kids are going to have those hassles every day. That's sibling rivalry.
There's a real difference between becoming mean and ugly and really hurtful. When those things happen, a smart parent, in my opinion, will take both kids by the arm, take them to a room, close the door. Tell them that neither of them are coming out until the problem is solved by talking, without hitting, without name calling. What I'm saying is, they don't go to school, they don't go to church, they don't go to grandma's house for dinner, they don't go to soccer practice until the problem is solved.
And you start solving those problems, Paula, when the kids are little. And if you do, then kids are going to learn how to work out their differences without going to extremes.
ZAHN: Kevin, a final question for you this morning. What does it suggest to you that one of the neighbors of the Carrs said that as police arrived on the scene, the 15-year-old daughter was saying, "I'm going to scream if they can't find him," and then ultimately led investigators to her little brother's body?
LEMAN: Well it tells me that she's cold and cunning and calculated, quite frankly. You know killers come in all different sizes, all different shapes, all different ages, all different creeds, all different ethnic groups. And here I think we've got a 15-year- old, a mean kid, who unfortunately killed her baby brother.
ZAHN: All right. Dr. Kevin Leman, it's always good to have you with us as a guest on AMERICAN MORNING. Thank you for your time this morning.
LEMAN: You're welcome.
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