Toy guns and toy soldiers

Ummmm Carpenters tools are very dangerous. I bet there have been more people in the history of mankind killed with hammers, than guns. All things that can harm need to be respected, from guns and knives to sticks and stones. Am I supposed to keep my kids from playing with rocks cuz some crazy lady killed her kids with one?? Or not allow them to have a toy car, cuz a car is a dangerous weapon, (I'm from cincy and the cops there already proved that one in court.) I'm not sayin that you should go out and buy your kids lots of toy guns, I have never bought my son a toy gun, only real ones. But, I 've never made him come in and not play with the other kids during squirt gun fights. In fact I remember how much I enjjoyed squirt guns when I was a kid. I cannot stop him from growing up and all I can do is make sure he has all the tools he needs to make it in this world. And as far as I'm concerned its better to know than to not.

 

Uhhh.....sorry but I see a big difference between guns and hammers. A gun is a tool with the sole purpose of killing, while a hammer's purpose is that of driving nails. Sure alot of things are dangerous....when used improperly and in a manner for which they were not intended. And of course I'm not going to ban from my home something, say pillows, because once someone was suffocated with one.

I always teach the safe and proper use of anything to my children. The use of guns, the tools of death, comes later. They were quite aware of their presence and purpose from an early age, but it's just my humble opinion to not have toy guns at home.

 

I wouldn't have a problem with it, but, I have to keep in mind (well... hahah, I'm only about 15 in a couple weeks) that if I ever had a child and I allowed them to play with toy guns, they may not have enough judgment and independence themselves if they ever found a gun. Keep in mind, I don't own any guns. My parents are against guns, although my dad owns two. The thing is, we used to live on a farm and a lot of times, (before I became a vegetarian and I was about five or six) my dad would go hunting instead of buying factory farm stuff from stores. My parents don't like either. But my dad really doesn't want to sell the last shotgun that he has because it was his great uncle's and it's sort of a family thing even though it's a gun, and he feels it's safer in his hands than given to someone else. It just stays in the attic anyway.

But, I feel that although keeping things from children is sometimes not good, giving them something that could put them in danger isn't good for them as well. I'd never want my child to shoot themself accidently or someone else on accident... so I'm against it, although it kind of makes me uncomfortable keeping everything from children when they need to learn. It depends on the child and his or her judgment, as well. Either way, I am against it because of the aforementioned.

 

Lol, why let them play with anything? Just about every toy you can think of you can spin to include some negative effect. But I wouldn’t be surprised if you hippies just let your kids play with hack sacks and some joints.

Soldiers protect our nation, they protect our freedoms, they protect our streets. Well you are sitting in your house making up bush jokes there are hundreds of thousands of solders over in Iraq fighting for our freedom. Kids should play with soldiers because there is no reason to create a negative atmosphere around guns and soldiers.

Guns and soldiers protect our society.

 

Interesting, if incredibly naive, point of view - start a thread in a more appropriate forum please and we'll discuss it with you - America Attacks or Politics spring to mind. Trawling through the forums over the years, there seems to be a not inconsiderable group that are ex-forces or army brats - I am both. But I'm also a parent, and like most I worry that I'm teaching my kids that there are other solutions to a problem than just pointing a gun at it.

(PS I'm sitting in England making Tony Blair jokes, empathising with all the parents of young British men and women who are also out in Iraq and who are worried stiff about the safety of their children, my eldest is 21 and it could be him, and realising the shit I must have put my parents through -apologies folks but this is a parenting forum)

 

Oh ***...

You have got to be kidding me. This propaganda may have worked way back when but I would hope that people are smarter then this by now. Soldiers are pawns of war. War is something children have no concept of the realities of.


Remember your views of things like this when you actualy have a child going off to war yourself. see then if you agree with him dieing for whatever cause they say hes giving his life for

 

It is impossible to shelter your children, even if you manage to keep them completely oblivious to the fact of violence, when they get out of the house they'll be overwhelmed with what the world is really like. I grew up surrounded by squirt guns, toy soldiers, movies, and video games that of course contained violence and every one of my friends would vouch that I am one of the most peaceful people they know.
On the other hand I have a neighbor (about 3 years younger than me) and growing up with him his mother never let him watch any TV (not even nickelodeon) and kept him away from all toy guns and such objects. I got a ride home with him the other day and all he listens to is violent, sexist, completely ridiculous rap, and is completely obsessed with this gangster lifestyle that so many children seem to look up to.
Theres a quote that in my opinion, sums up how to raise ur children idealy this way. damn, cant remember who said it thuogh
"It is better to slowly throw pebbles into the lake, rather than wait, and throw the biggest boulder you can find" Its probably not word for word, seeing as its been a long time since i heard it, but you get the jist of it.

 

i gree with you

i have a son nearly 11 i do not allow toy weapons in the house full stop

if he bulids one with lego we break this up after,,

but no i dont understand why the world makes guns and knives and toy
weapons when we see what real weapons can do

its a crying shame...

thank you love n peace from saff

 

Just to claify, this hippie let's her son play with natural wooden toys, not guns and knives, and not joints. My son has never seen a joint. To indicate that I would let him play with one is insane. You know, like war, insane.

Kathi

 

I know wtf kind of comment is that for someone to say a group of mothers lets their kids play with drugs? As if guns are anything like pot..or as if if we dont use guns we gotta use pot...I don't see the connection it was just a nasty stereotype

 

War is insane?

I guess you would prefer that Slavery was still practiced in America, Nazism controlled Europe, Communism still enslaved billions and that all the Jews where murdered. Because with out war none of those would have been stopped.

War is not insane, certain individuals are and force is the only means to stop them.

 

i had cap guns. they were fun but would melt after excessive use. u won't let you kid use a water gun. thats a shame. would u let them use water balloons? think of the throwing motion, like a grenade isn't it? better stop them from doing they. cut them off quickly, turn off the t.v, empty their rooms. fear the children, they'll grow up to be killers if they touch a plastic catana(sword), put them on ridalin, cause we all know childhood is a disease.

 

all from folks without kids....

 

Nothing wrong with hack sacks, my kids have them. The joint comment was totally silly. We don't have joints in our house, either, and I doubt few parents would allow their children to play with them.


This IS a "hippy" site. (Were you aware of that?) Might not want to be dissing a good proportion of the members and supporters with comments like this......

 

War toys as Christmas gifts...................what an irony.
Peace on earth and mercy mild...............bang bang yer dead.

 

to all

its our right to choose how to let our children play
in this world where wars are on the news in the airs..
movies games have many pictures of death,

and if you are real you give your children the chance to grow
with out all the crap we see to numb us...

and as for crugs

how can we not stop children from seeing these

fags and drink are on every corner in shops on tv.....
these are drugs too.

and weed well a herb can be eaten .......

but to annoy you more let a child view something in a good light
with all angles pointed out and they make thier own minds up

ie weapons my 3 children from nearly 14 nearly 11 and 2
all have seen weapons all know what they do
just like the levels of drugs we dont hide what it known.
as for rollings spliffs in front of kids. well do those who
oppose this drink and smoke in front of the children because
if so you are just as bad as us hippies......

personally i prefer a pipe quick out the way
and i eat food with weed in no the kids dont eat this .....

ans as for the thread

weapons numb the mind,to what is really going on.
i would opose any parent who lets a child run around pointing a
plastic gun at any other child or adult.

and bb guns i had to report a shooting of a cat near me
and they then pointed it at me....i had my 2 year old with me at the time
and i calmly spoke.dont point that at me and i called the people about the cat. but i could have been shot ,so who in their right mind
buy these toys
grow up adults.......weapons of any material are invaiding ..
and why cant children learn to play with peace....
dont go on about its only a toy.....no its a sigh of a capitalist's
system that allows the wars to carry on weather real of play.......

to end this pathetic system is to change a world for many

so in the end you cant blame the child for you as a parent allow
it to do.....believe i know this i see the developements
of what i allow grow.................

anyway not trying to cause an arguement but the politics and beliefs
behind the sale of toy weapons in reality is what the government
allows with the sale of real weapons........

i bet if you lived in a war zone ie bombed land
dead children on the ground fallen trees etc
you would not allow the children to pick up a toy gun again.....


i am not going to rest till this world changes for the people....

you are right john yet the battle of this age has just begun
with the toy sales and companies who make profit from toy guns
just like the capitalists of today make profit from blowing away the so called
enermy...................


if peace is what you seek then you need to see its the system the
way the world lives the unfairness for parents aswell as the child
we are bound by change that the government will not allow.

dont be dictated to over the process of change
children should be shown love and gentle play
not shoot and fighting.

what a western way to destroy the childs mind before it grows...

thank you
love n peace from saff


ps i do not allow christmas to buy weapons.....
and christmas is the cover up of our historical world

peace does not mean go spend because
you feel guilty









parents dont kid yours

 

As for joint smoking mamas and papas. I think kids realize that some things are for adults and just NOT for kids. People have liquor in front of their kids and don't think twice about it. My only concern was and is kids being exposed to smoke, we have been to places where people are smoking weed with kids (Jeez we used to take babies to Dead shows) and as long as it was outside, I wasn't all that worried about it.

I don't think people who smoke up are bad parents at all. (Just so they can maintain around the kids and still be good caretakers) Just my own choice not to, I am not judging. I would rather my kids be in a home that contains a joint than a home which contains a gun. As fpr "letting kids play with joints" it's a little expensive to let kids play with, isn't it?

 

I didn't say it wasn't in our home. I'm certainly not putting down a little herb now and then. I just said that Dakota has never seen it and won't until he is much much older. Smoking any substance is not something I want my two year old to see.

Kathi

 

Kathi, I was agreeing with you! I hope you didn't think I wasn't.

(And I didn't say anything about that old coffe can at the back of the garage )

 

Totally understood what you were saying Maggie. I would much rather have my kid see someone smoking a joint than drinking alcohol or playing guns. Personally I don't know which is more dangerous, alcohol or guns. I don't really want my kid seeing anyone smoke any kind of substance though because tobacco is so bad for you and little kids don't know the difference between a joint and a cigarette. I'm afraid if they see their parents smoking a joint they might think it's okay to smoke cigarettes. I don't want my kid smoking.

Kathi