Guns Suck, But What Can You Do?
April 6, 2009 by Jennifer Walker-Journey
Filed under Parenting
I’ll admit I’m one of those over-the-top people when it comes to guns. I think they suck and should all be outlawed and that people should pick fights with daisies instead. Before my son was born I was all about banning toy guns – and even removing the word “gun” – from the household. Reality sunk in about a year ago, when Truman held up his half-eaten grilled cheese sandwich and said, “Look Mommy, I made a gun!”
I tried to downplay the whole playing-with-guns thing as much as possible, using words like “water shooter” for “water gun,” but even Rick rolled his eyes at me about that one. The thing is, Truman is a boy. Boys make guns out of sticks and Tinker Toys and grilled cheese sandwiches. That fighting mentality was sort of road mapped into my boy’s DNA along with cars and drums and the color blue. That’s just how it is.
It is up to us to teach him the boundaries.
Considering I’m anti-gun, I am obviously not a fan of the National Rifle Association (NRA). But I will give the organization credit for providing parents good advise on talking with your child about gun safety. The group encourages parents to discuss with their children the differences between real guns and toy guns so that he or she will not mistake a real gun for a toy gun. Because, even if you don’t have guns in your own home, your kids may somehow encounter them at a friend’s home.
Here is what the NRA suggests you teach your kids to do if they ever see a gun:
STOP!
Don’t Touch.
Leave the Area.
Tell an Adult.
(Photos, JWJourney)
Excellent advice! I know several parents who feel the same way about guns and violence, and they inevitably feel dismayed at their sons’ obvious enjoyment of playing with pretend weapons. I suppose it’s the same dismay a hard-core feminist mother might feel while watching her daughter play house with her 17 babydolls? I don’t know. Seems to me that there is so much more that goes into the making of a responsible young adult than the toys he or she plays with as a small child (despite what the toy industry want us to think). I think you’re right on the money in teaching Truman the difference between real guns and toy guns, and then providing a safe outlet for his natural (and likely temporary) fascination. Now I’d better go explain to my girls the difference between real babies and babydolls!