Young Children, and toy guns?? what's a parent to do??

reply to post by JakiusFogg


Why not give him books, puzzles and lots of cuddles, maybe you could encourage the arts like music or painting....thats my suggestion!

i didn't want my two boys playing with guns, reasoning that early conditioning would play a part... however when they got to 'that' age they made a 'gun' out of anything, sticks, cupcakes, fingers, anything... i relented and got them the obvious red/blue/green/yellow plastic ones to play with, not the realistic looking kind... it was a happy medium

reply to post by zerozero00


We do that too, I am a real father, not a "dead beat dad"

But with the guns there is just a fascination. I understand that play fighting is part of growing up. I just feel there is a limit. And to be honest I blame ATS a lot for this mind set. As when I see this, I know just see it as social conditioning. or is it simply the human condition?

if the latter, that's quite sad really. Now, in a couple of weeks, my wife will give birth to our second child. A girl. should I start collecting up the toy guns for her also?

reply to post by JakiusFogg


That is no problem. Let your child play with all the toy weapons he chooses. You only need teach him the values you were thought, safety and responsibility of wielding a weapon. Do not let him grow up not being able to protect himself when the SHTF. I would be worried if he was doing something more dangerous like constantly reading the Quran.

Some of it is social conditioning, some is the human condition. Even when we understand the ramifications of violence and guns, we still enjoy a good game of RISK or Axis and Allies as board games.

If someone never used firewood or lived in a rural area and saw a brutal horror movie..aka Texas Chainsaw Massacre, they would think that chainsaws were terrifying and used to kill people... when the truth is they have their place. The same can be said of guns.

If you can sit by your window and see drug cartel deals, violence and gangs in the street...sounds like a good time to leave and find a different place to live. Guns are not inherently bad...it is the morals of the people using them. Where I live, there are more guns than people...but the people are moral and respect others... so there is rarely a violent encounter or killing.

In fact, the last one in the neighboring 3 counties was back at the beginning of the year when a teenager killed a violent intruder after they broke into their home.

If you can sit and look outside and see all that you described, i would say it was social conditioning run amok. Keeping toy guns from your kids are the least of your worries.

the plow doesnt plant the seeds, the hammer doesnt build houses, and guns dont commit crimes. Education-education-education, how can you traumatize him by stressing the seriousness of real weapons? he has to at least have an idea of the severity and consequences involved with firearms to properly respect their capability to take life, do you think many of the kids who commit murders are proud afterwards? maybe a few but a small few IF any and that could be blamed on upbringing or genuine insanity, a child doesnt want to kill anybody, but a child can severely underestimate the emotional weight of pointing a gun at another human being with a finger on the trigger, as well as how easily adrenaline can make them do something they will regret the rest of their lives. unfortunately this is the reality of today's society.

Originally posted by JakiusFogg
reply to post by zerozero00

 

We do that too, I am a real father, not a "dead beat dad"

But with the guns there is just a fascination. I understand that play fighting is part of growing up. I just feel there is a limit. And to be honest I blame ATS a lot for this mind set. As when I see this, I know just see it as social conditioning. or is it simply the human condition?

if the latter, that's quite sad really. Now, in a couple of weeks, my wife will give birth to our second child. A girl. should I start collecting up the toy guns for her also?

edit on 14/4/2012 by JakiusFogg because: (no reason given)

Its all a part of the social conditioning of the masses my friend, ....toy guns, action man, video games and the glorification by hollywood of war just help keep the "Warmonger" machine rolling!

Only we can end this crap by educating our kids from the earliest age

I would be worried if he was doing something more dangerous like constantly reading the Quran.

Mate, that stab was unnecessary.

OP, I feel that as long as you monitor you kids playing these type of games, and with these type of toys, then it should not be an issue.

Obviously you seem to be a great dad, and with genuine concern for his kids, so I doubt you would let things get out of hand.

Boys will be boys my mom use to say, and actually still say. That is the truth. If they want to play with it, let them, just watch them.

Just my 2 cents mate. Take care

vvv

I plan on buying my boys real ones, and teach them how to responsibly use them, and when to use them. If a child is violent, that has nothing to do with a toy gun....it has more to do with the environment you subject them to.

As much as I'd like to say kids should'nt nor need to play with plastic toy guns however maybe in the perfect world - which we don't live in. Combat, agricultural and survival skills these days is vital.

Guns dont kill people, people do. Thats it in a nut shell.

reply to post by JakiusFogg


I have a five year old, and live in Glasgow(Not to many guns, but lots of violence) so i do see where you are coming from and understand the 1980s were completely different(Could let you kids out to play on there own). But i still think kids are kids, same s**t, different decade, sometimes detaching children from whats happening around them can cause more harm than good.

Originally posted by andy06shake
Guns dont kill people, people do. Thats it in a nut shell.

Kids killing kids in schools, in a nutshell!

Take guns away and that isn't possible

reply to post by zerozero00


They will still kill each other, just not with bullets. I do agree with Gun Control Laws, but let the kids play with there toys and FPS games for gods sake!

reply to post by andy06shake


They are not toys...they are pretend firearms!

How do you have "fun" with something that kills?

reply to post by zerozero00


"They are not toys...they are pretend firearms!

How do you have "fun" with something that kills?"

Its not that hard, ask any kid that plays with toy guns, there having a ball! Trust me i did when i was a kid. Watch them(Suppose you better be careful in this mental world as they might think you are a Pedo) there having fun playing at shooting each other. The operative word is PLAYING, its not real they wont grow up to be Pablo Escobar, but they will have lots of fun!

reply to post by JakiusFogg


As a liberal who hates guns (but not the 2nd amendment) let me just say, you can't stop a child from playing with toy guns, they will also use sticks or their hands...unless you plan on totally isolating your child. When my son was old enough I began one of the many conversations that never ends, which is what guns are really capable of doing.

reply to post by Kali74


Getting deeper into this topic. I hear a lot, and have read a lot on the internet. And this statement comes up again and again. You can't stop kids playing guns. If they don't have a toy gun, they will pretend they have one, with a stick.

I know this to be true, as I used to do the same.

But consider the reasoning. why would a child instinctively (I am talking in an anthropological sense know) pick something up and pretend it is a firearm?

is it a feeling of power assertion by an otherwise powerless individual? is is something intrinsic in our DNA that makes us do this.

Is giveing toy guns to boys any worse than given toy dolls / kitchens to girls. A lot of people balk at the though of given a girl a toy kitchen, and call is sexist stereo typing. Maybe it is, but then so are toy guns.

Lets level the playing field and "empower" our little girls and give them all toy vibrators! hows that??? at least you can't kill someone with a vibrator, but like guns, are meant to be handled only by adults. but its OK its just a toy!! (I am being deliberately extreme here)

Originally posted by Kali74
reply to post by JakiusFogg

 

As a liberal who hates guns (but not the 2nd amendment) let me just say, you can't stop a child from playing with toy guns, they will also use sticks or their hands...unless you plan on totally isolating your child. When my son was old enough I began one of the many conversations that never ends, which is what guns are really capable of doing.

Educate your child that war, weapons and killing are morally wrong and he won't want to play war, weapons and killing!

I played with guns and soldiers as a child because I never knew any better and they were bought for me by my parents and familiy.....I nearly joined the armed forces at sixteen.....phew!.. glad I never!

Just let the kids play and stop over thinking everthing. If you observe what the little dudes are up to then you can educate them accordingly. But please, please dont funk about with there fun! You only get one chance at being a kid atleast in this verse, so let them have there fun.