Are toy weapons toys of war?

I just met an aquaintance in my local shop and her child was waving a toy gun at people, does anyone have any thoughts on this, is it just harmless childhood fun or does this have some disturbing implications.
would you allow your child a toy weapon?
are toy weapons toys of war?
See poll too!
S

 

my children play with swords all the time. They know the difference between toys and real weapons(my hubby is a sword collector). They know never to touch the real thing. They also know never to point, hit or touch ANYONE with their toy swords unless they are playing with them(hitting is always off limits). My boys pretend to be pirates, knights... its just the thing boys do. I think as long as a parent teaches safety and responsibility the toy acting in fine. People really need to talk to their children and teach right from wrong. If that is the case then it should be fine to play with toy weapons. Some people I see just hand the thing to their kid and let them go wild with it. Like those brats who hit people hard with their toys and the parent just watches (without correcting their child or making them apoligize, be in trouble) or those kids who go " I shot you, your dead". That really bothers me.

 

you know i've never really thought about it in that light.
do you also talk to your children about the harm weapos can do, or would you do if you feel they are too young now?
I suppose you are teaching them to treat objects that could be dangerous with respect, not pretending they don't exist (which just makes them more exciting doesn't it?) just being careful with things that could cause harm
S

 

I think back to my childhood and hw i had fake machine guns, little army guys, cap guns, etc and it seems that society was trying to prepare me for the army, in a not so subliminal way

 

but do you feel you grew up more aggressive I think thats the question?
S

 

No i don't think so, but I can see how that would play out with some people.

Its densenitizing to the tools of war I guess, but did not make me want to go to war.

I grew up in a war obsessed country and those were the toys they wanted little boys to play with in the 70's

my cousin played with them too, and had me help him make a war movie with our first video camera, blew up army men with firecrackers on the beach, and he did end up joining the marines, and almost re-enlisted to go to IRaq, except his wife had a baby.

 

We have talked to them about the harm weapons can do and will continue to. They kind of get it, not completely... they are young but they are just now learning about life and death (our pet birds died, they wanted the whole story). I'm afraid to hide from my children from things like that because I'm afraid that if they aren't shown how to safely use weapons they could be seriously hurt (or worse) themselves or someone else in the future. As they get older I won't be watching them every second and will have to hope their friend's parents are responsible when my children spend time with their children. Leaving your childern niave can be disasterous in my own opinion.

 

I really do not like seeing kids pretending to shoot other kids. I remember seeing toy grenades, machine guns, knives and whatnot when I was a kid...not so much now.

I agree with Seamonster, it was like boys were being given those toys for a reason, like little girls were handed dolls and toy brooms the minute they exited the womb....

Water guns are fun, I've never seen anyone pretend to kill anyone with water...just get them wet.

 

We don't "play" with guns. No water guns, etc. I get really upset when people play with them in front of my kids, or even worse, hand those kinds of toys to my kids without asking me first. Guns aren't funny. They aren't toys. Its not like there is a toy shortage, I mean, c'mon, you can't find ANYTHING else to play with>!?!?!?

 

I've never bought my kids toy guns or let them stay around the house. (I've had to quietly get rid of a few gifts). I don't freak out or anything when they play with them at someone elses house, but I do insist they don't point and "kill" each other.

 

someone I knew said that when there kids where given cap guns they enforced so many rules that they quickly became bord.

no shouting at people
no shouting pets
and no aiming higher than the feet!!
S

 

I don't see the problem with it. It won't matter anyway because they pick it up from pop culture, if not other kids. I have girls and besides the water guns they are not that interested anyway. My sister has a little boy and wouldn't let him play with guns, etc. He was over at our house playing in the backyard and picked up a stick and started running around going: bang, bang. Then the stick was a sword. Boys want to imitate being the protectors/heros, it is in our genetics. Don't worry they will grow into their own political beliefs no matter what you try to push on them.

 

no toy guns in my future home or even my classroom when I start teaching.

 

we do not play fight in our home. I feel very strongly about discouraging violent behavior in my children, whether it's pretend or real. We also strongly believe in educating our children about the potential danger in the tools we use, and that guns and knives are not toys, but very real and very dangerous if used incorrectly. We will teach them the proper use of such tools at some point in their future, when they start to show an interest and have the ability to not hurt themselves with them.

 

Agree with you here. I think it is much better to teach kids to use tools and "weapons" correctly rather then just ignore them. This is how kids run into stuff at others houses etc and don't know the proper way to react.

I feel this is a worthy goal but IMO unattainable. The world, we are talking the real world here, is full of violence. They are going to see it on TV, hear on the news and confront it personally with other kids and maybe even adults. Teaching controlled violence is beneficial IMO. Like for instance if someone is trying to take them. I want them to understand concepts of fighting back. Yes being non-violent is great on paper but you can't teach them to just lie back and take everything thrown at them either.

 

Id say no. i believe it depends on the level of violence the child has been exposed to and they way they ar eplaying. kids usualy dont understand death when they are very young and so they play like they are killing things but they dont intend on killing because kids see things play dead they think things come back after they die etc. its powere play. i think you can usualy tell when it should be of concern. If the child is being horribly violent/ angry then you should watch it but otherwise it's just pretent. i wont go get my kid violent toys but he pretends once ina while hes got a gun/ sward or tazer and uses other things like a finger or stick. it comes in all forms butmostly its just pretend. We as adults put ideas into kids heads by freaking out sometimes..

at my sons preschool every day thay mane newspaper swards and lets the kids play with piles of them. kids taped them together and made big things they used as play weapons. they just didnt let them hit each other in the face or anything but it was a good way to let them power play.

 

I don't know where you live Haid, but where I grew up there was never any violence. I have never been attacked or even threatened in a physical way. I have never needed to "defend myself".

 

Where I live. Are you joking me? Let me in on where you live and I will move to utopia. Even if you have never had to defend yourself doesn't mean your child won't. Its ok by me if you don't give them the skills to defend and stand up for themselves if situations turn violent but my kids will know how to handle it. Ask around and see how many women and children were sexually assulted. Ask around and see how many people have needed to step up and defend themselves once in a while. While I am happy for you that you live in a completely non-violent no danger anywhere area, I can say that I don't.

 

if you display fear of the world then your kids will grow up in fear. Teach kids to be aware of their own bodies and whats around them but dont make them fear the world. Kids dont pretend to power play ot of fear though they powere play to atain power and thats a personal growth thing that can be attained by doing other things besides playing with violent things...pretend is just one way they get this experience. Give kids power and they wont need to go find it.

 

There are things in this world that should be feared. I am not sending my kids out there thinking the world is this perfect, caring place because it is not. You don't have to scare them to death about everything but pretending they will never have conflict in their lives is disingenuous.