I wish I had time to read through your 49 REPLIES!! cuz, I hate repeating stuff...
I was a firm believer in not having my son play with toy guns...So funny, I moved from LA (a no gun time) to Santa Cruz (a gun time) where I encountered more play dates/friends with toy guns. It blew my mind.
Anyways, not only did my non-media exposed son still turn any old stick or long pointy object into a gun anyways, it became such a taboo in SC, when everyone else could, I realized I was headed for a great disaster. I changed my tactic and allowed toy guns.
Every child is different. And as a girl, my favorite play time was parking all my toy cars in painstakingly organized and reorganized "parking lots". Not only is that not typical girl play, I don't think that's typical kid play! But, I do think many many boys will naturally gravitate towards gun play.
After allowing gun play, I still deterred it somewhat by engaging him in sword play instead. (yeah, maybe I'm hypocritical) And now that he's older I explain it usually takes skill to kill with a sword, it can take plain stupidity or ignorance to kill with a gun.
I know the studies that say kids cannot tell the difference between real and toy guns and so accidents happen unless there is a policy of abstinence. But, I think its more important to consider: **Do you have a gun in the home? How is it kept? **Every home/environment your child enters needs to be asked the same question. Whatever your personal policy is. **If you allow gun play, when you are sure its a safe toy gun to play with there are still rules - never point it at any human or animal.
Oh - just wait till the age of nerf! At my son's last birthday party he got neon green and yellow machine guns and I don't even know what huge barreled rapid fire craziness!
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2009-02-11 05:38 am (UTC)I was a firm believer in not having my son play with toy guns...So funny, I moved from LA (a no gun time) to Santa Cruz (a gun time) where I encountered more play dates/friends with toy guns. It blew my mind.
Anyways, not only did my non-media exposed son still turn any old stick or long pointy object into a gun anyways, it became such a taboo in SC, when everyone else could, I realized I was headed for a great disaster. I changed my tactic and allowed toy guns.
Every child is different. And as a girl, my favorite play time was parking all my toy cars in painstakingly organized and reorganized "parking lots". Not only is that not typical girl play, I don't think that's typical kid play! But, I do think many many boys will naturally gravitate towards gun play.
After allowing gun play, I still deterred it somewhat by engaging him in sword play instead. (yeah, maybe I'm hypocritical) And now that he's older I explain it usually takes skill to kill with a sword, it can take plain stupidity or ignorance to kill with a gun.
I know the studies that say kids cannot tell the difference between real and toy guns and so accidents happen unless there is a policy of abstinence. But, I think its more important to consider:
**Do you have a gun in the home? How is it kept?
**Every home/environment your child enters needs to be asked the same question. Whatever your personal policy is.
**If you allow gun play, when you are sure its a safe toy gun to play with there are still rules - never point it at any human or animal.
Oh - just wait till the age of nerf! At my son's last birthday party he got neon green and yellow machine guns and I don't even know what huge barreled rapid fire craziness!