Gun play

[theatokos]

This is a post for all those born male and for mothers of males.

If you are a male, did you play with guns? Did you turn non-gun items into imaginary guns? Do you think this is something innate in males? If not, where did you learn this behaviour from? As an adult male now do you have any parenting perspectives on this, or advice for the new mama of a male?

For mothers of males, do your sons play with guns or have gun play? If so, at what age did this start? Does this bother you? If so, how do you discourage this? Any thoughts for a new mama?

Comments

[eelsalad.livejournal.com]

I grew up with gun toys, though not a lot of 'em. I think the ones I had mostly were gifts from outside-the-family folks. But as soon as I had my own money, I was all over the series of capguns Disneyland makes, and they look like real guns from the days of swashbucklers. Well, they did. This was before they started faking them up.

I bought myself an old-school NES back in the day, too -- the one that came with Duck Hunt and the zapper gun. And I made pistols with my fingers when playing with the neighbor kids (though I was just as likely to put on my riding boots and cape, then announce I was Darth Vader and that a stick or something was my light saber, FFRZZZZZZZ!).

I don't think the attraction of gunplay/swordplay is anything innate in males. But then, my views on gender and the innateness of gender traits are pretty radical, so what do I know. :)

At any rate, my folks didn't forbid gun-toys in the house, but didn't encourage them either. That seems to have worked out pretty well. As a side note, it was my NRA-membership-toting relatives who taught me to shoot and taught me gun safety, not my folks. I think learning gun safety with real guns is a good idea for anybody of just about any age.

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

The innate in that question was really just bait. I think our gender ideas are probably pretty similarly radical!