Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 3743 Location: Merrie Englande, UK
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Should Kids Play With Toy Guns? Posted: 12-08-06 05:58am
What are your opinions on the kind of toys
children should play with? Do you think
it's appropriate for children to play with
toy guns/swords/knives etc? If so, at
what age do you think it's acceptable?
What about violent video games?
i'd be very interested to hear people's
opinions on this subject as I have a
little boy and they are notorious for
wanting to play violent games. I
personally don't like the idea of him
playing with 'guns' and stuff but I think
I might have to play it by ear and see if
he asks. He certainly won't be alloweded
to play certain video games until i'm sure
he's old enough to understand the
difference between fantasy and reality.
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Becky
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Joined: 01 Jan 2006 Posts: 6221 Location: London, England
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Posted: 12-08-06 06:35am
I let layla play with a toy gun. I don't
think it makes them violent but that's
just my personal opinion. I don't think
it's good to .J.U.S.T let boys play with
the stereotypical boys toys as it raises
them to be macho but like I said that is
just my opinion.
Layla and logan will share 'boys' and
'girls' toys. I let layla play with car
garages etc and logan with dolls. I just
want them to grow up believing they are
equals.
I don't believe the whole crap of a boy
will gorw up gay if he plays with girls
toys. Being gay is inbuilt into you.
Obviously when he's older i'm not going to
force him into playing with girls toys. I
understand that he would get the p!Ss took
out of him by his mates. I'm just more
likely to buy unisex educational toys like
the science experiment stuff etc
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Kia
Supporter
Joined: 23 Jun 2004 Posts: 6594 Location: Planet Tampaxia,
Posted: 12-08-06 07:21am
If your child respects you then I think
"violent toys" are ok.
Let me ty to explain.
If you can tell your child, that's enough
now, lets stop and play something quiet.
Or you can tell your child it is not
appropriate to shoot the little old lady
two doors down
then it's fine, if you child does not have
the respect or the understanding then no,
I don't think they should yet have
"violent toys".
As for video games....
First off if it was a movie, would you let
them watch it? Use the same kind of
guides, can they spilt fantasy and
reality? Can them understand that what is
in the game is not appropriate in
reality?
And then on top of that i'd limit playing
time.
So, I guess part of what I am saying is it
depends on your and your child and your
combined understanding of appropriate.
I do not think a child taking a toy gun to
the supermarket and pretending to shoot
customers is appropriate.
I do think a child taking a toy gun out in
the back yard and pratising hitting cans
is fine - that is development of hand and
eye co-ordination.
If it is something your child seems very
interested in - channel it with a
discipline ie join him in an archery group
or fencing. If you have a child who likes
fighting join him/her into a martial arts
group.
That way they are not denied someting they
enjoy but they learn to channel it and
respect it.
Does that make sense?
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foxy
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 29 May 2006 Posts: 487 Location: Nassau, Bahamas
Posted: 12-08-06 09:57am
I don't let tre play with toy guns...I
tell them that they are bad....Because i'm
paranoid that one day he may find a real
gun and thinking that it is a toy
mistakenly shoot someone or
himself......Maybe when he is older and
can tell the difference I may let him play
with them.
As far as video games, I only let him play
what is suitable for his age right now
which is running, jumping collecting
treasure etc.....No kind of violence.
When he is older depending on his
personality etc. I'll make the
decision.
Edited for clarification.
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diamondsz
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Joined: 07 Oct 2005 Posts: 3173 Location: , Candyland-Canada
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Posted: 12-08-06 10:17am
I think there is nothing wrong as long you
explain the difference between a toy and
the "real thing."
my dad use to let us play with toy guns,
condition was we were never allowed to
point it at someone.
As for videogames/movies, same deal, kids
need to understand that there is a
difference, a movie isnt real war is. I
think it all depends on how you teach your
kids and your personal beliefs/morals!
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foxy
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 29 May 2006 Posts: 487 Location: Nassau, Bahamas
Posted: 12-08-06 10:34am
diamondsz
wrote:
i think there is nothing
wrong as long you explain the difference
between a toy and the "real thing."
see that is the problem, toys these days
are made to look soooo real, the real
weight, the real color everthing except it
doesn't shoot real bullets...So its very
hard to explain to a just turned 4 yr old
(dec 3rd...Yea sag!) how to tell the
difference, that why I chose right now to
tell him to stay away from all guns
regardless.
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tigresacanela24
Especially EHEALTHy
Joined: 11 Nov 2005 Posts: 5261 Location: Treat your children well, eventually they'll choose your nursing home.
Posted: 12-08-06 10:42am
I don't think that there's anything wrong
with it. And it seems like since time
began little boys have been playing with
toys that can be considered violent.
Only then it was wooden swords or sling
shots, mini bows and arrows, whatever. I
just see it as the modern day equivalent.
I think that as long as your child can
understand the difference between what's
real and what's imaginary that there
shouldn't be any problem. I mean look at
it this way, how many times did you play
cops and robbers or cowboys and indians as
a child? Did pretending to shoot someone
while playing those games turn you into a
violent person?
When .Brian was real young I swore I would
never let my kids play with them.
However, it became a huge interest to him
because of friends playing with them and
seeing movies with guns in them, that I
felt that it may be a bigger issue if it
was something he was banned from. We have
discussed with .Brian the difference
between a toy gun and a real gun and the
same with violet movies.
Some cartoons and the local news talk/show
more about violence than adult movies
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foxy
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 29 May 2006 Posts: 487 Location: Nassau, Bahamas
Posted: 12-08-06 13:20pm
I hear all of you......So tell me how
exactly can you explain to a young child
how to the difference between a toy gun
and a real gun, especially when the police
themselves can't tell the difference until
they get it in their possession?
I'm not talking about the little plastic
guns that are different colors or the
water guns or the obvious plastic
toys.....
As far as it being a big issue because
they are banned from it, I think it
depends on the child because if you bring
a gun to my son he will say he doesn't
want it because guns are dangerous, just
like knives, electrical sockets, playing
in the street etc.
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tigresacanela24
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Joined: 11 Nov 2005 Posts: 5261 Location: Treat your children well, eventually they'll choose your nursing home.
Posted: 12-08-06 13:29pm
I've never seen a toy gun that looks real.
I wasn't aware that they made any that
look real... Are they available in
regular toy stores, then?
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foxy
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 29 May 2006 Posts: 487 Location: Nassau, Bahamas
Posted: 12-08-06 13:32pm
tigresacanela24
wrote:
did pretending to shoot
someone while playing those games turn you
into a violent
person?
no, it probably didn't turn you into a
violent person, but honestly how many
times have you heard on the news that some
kid killed another kid because they were
either pretending to shoot their friend or
playing around with a real gun only to
have it accidentally go off.
And yes we all know our kids and what they
are capable of, but parents of these kids
say the same thing, when kids are killed
from wrestling maneuvers or from trying a
move from a video game. The majority of
them could have sworn that their children
knew better and could tell the difference
between reality and fiction.
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Melissa_20
Especially EHEALTHy
Joined: 18 Jan 2006 Posts: 6806 Location: Florida
Posted: 12-08-06 13:32pm
tigresacanela24
wrote:
i've never seen a toy gun
that looks real. I wasn't aware that
they made any that look real... Are they
available in regular toy stores,
then?
yup,it was on the news
and on an episode of cops. On the news
there was a guy who pointed a gun at
someone crossing the street and the police
were called.When they cought the guy it
wasn't real,but he had taken the orange
cap off of the tip to make it look real.
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tigresacanela24
Especially EHEALTHy
Joined: 11 Nov 2005 Posts: 5261 Location: Treat your children well, eventually they'll choose your nursing home.
Posted: 12-08-06 13:42pm
Are you serious!?! The only ones i've
ever seen in stores are flourescent
colors. Not just the tip, the whole toy.
Even the cap guns are flourescent yellow
and stuff
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AlliE_18
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 20 Dec 2005 Posts: 2129 Location: uk
Posted: 12-08-06 13:45pm
Does it matter if they think its real or
not? At a young age they will think both
are the same, real and toy. So? Its not
like they will get their hands on a real
gun being so young, not in the uk anyway.
Thats not a dig at america/'s gun laws but
I guess it would be likely there? But yea
I dont see a problem with it. Its
harmless fun. And they should know what a
gun/sword is for through playing.
One of my neighbours has a 3yr old boy, he
plays with so many plastic guns. If he
cant find one, he'll get another smallish
toy he can hold with 1 hand and pretend
thats a gun hes just having
fun chasing us all and pretending to
'fire' kill us lol
video games...I'd only allow certain ones
in the house I guess. They have ages on
them anyway now, so if they are too young
they cant purchase it. Of course you dont
know what they get upto at friends houses
Its better if they have hobbies outside or
not at home, so they dont play
video/computer games much imo.
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Melissa_20
Especially EHEALTHy
Joined: 18 Jan 2006 Posts: 6806 Location: Florida
Posted: 12-08-06 13:46pm
tigresacanela24
wrote:
are you serious!?! The
only ones i've ever seen in stores are
flourescent colors. Not just the tip,
the whole toy. Even the cap guns are
flourescent yellow and
stuff
yesm! For real.There have been about 5
cases in the last year(where I live
anyway) with people walking around with
water guns,that had taken the cap off and
were acting as though they were real.A guy
even tried to hold up a wendy's or
something like that with a water gun! Lol
someone noticed the little cap thing where
you put the water in and they called the
cops. Retard. . .
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tigresacanela24
Especially EHEALTHy
Joined: 11 Nov 2005 Posts: 5261 Location: Treat your children well, eventually they'll choose your nursing home.
Posted: 12-08-06 13:48pm
Again proof that to be a criminal you've
got to be an fool...
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Kia
Supporter
Joined: 23 Jun 2004 Posts: 6594 Location: Planet Tampaxia,
Posted: 12-08-06 13:52pm
It comes back to respect.
Teach your child they can't play with the
gun unless mommy or daddy or other "safe"
adult has checked it to make sure it is
ok.
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chrissy721
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Jul 2005 Posts: 817 Location: Somewhere out there
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Posted: 12-08-06 20:23pm
tigresacanela24
wrote:
i've never seen a toy gun
that looks real. I wasn't aware that
they made any that look real... Are they
available in regular toy stores,
then?
i had one that looked real. Was just a
cap gun, but looked like a little pistol.
I could definetly cause some trouble, if
taken to the wrong place. I don't know
where it came from though, I found it in
an old car my parents bought, and my dad
let me keep it. I remember when I was
little, my dad had a revolver in one of
his desk drawer's at home and I found it
one day, and thought oh cool another toy.
Not so cool, i'm glad nothing bad
happened, but it could have.
I would say not to give children one's
that look real, but it would be alright to
let them use a squirt gun or something.
Kia is right about maturity in children,
it's kinda your own judgement. You have
to teach your children that real guns
aren't toys.
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anttm04
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 05 Feb 2006 Posts: 121
Posted: 12-08-06 20:59pm
I don't have a huge problem with bright
colored squirt guns and such, though I
don't like guns, in general. The problem
is that many children, according to
research (it's been a while since I read
it, so I can't quote, but if you look
around, there may be something online), in
the absence of actual toy guns, swords,
knives, etc. Will use blocks, popsicle
sticks, and such as pretend guns..It's
just something that kids do..I would much
prefer the imaginitive guns to those toys
that actually look like guns, as those
toys can also be used to make buildings,
bridges, cars, and other such things. The
imagination is a wonderful thing if
children are allowed (even, expected) to
use it. I do have a huge problem with the
guns that are looking more and more real
and have actual projections that shoot out
of them. A boy here, in florida, not
terribly long ago was shot to death
because he pointed a fake, but very
realistic looking gun at a police officer.
The boy was in middle school and had
removed the tip of the gun that is
supposed to identify it as a toy...Only a
few months ago, my husband bought my boys
airsoft guns (which I protested loudly
about). These are the play guns that are
actually supposedly used as target type
guns..They shoot plastic pellet like
bbs....What upset me is that these guns
actually looked like the real thing and
the orange plastic thing that goes on the
end was removable!!!! It upset me so much
(especially after the incident with the
middle school boy) that my husband sold
them....
I agree that boys playing with "girl" toys
is just fine....I would much prefer,
though, to foster their creativity and
allow them to construct their toys from
basic materials, whenever possible...
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AyaMiyaki
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Joined: 01 Jun 2006 Posts: 8220 Location: Floating on a cloud, United States
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Posted: 12-08-06 21:03pm
What bothers me is a child pointing a toy
gun (any color really) at someone else and
saying "bang bang, you're dead!" and
giggling about it. I know they're
playing, but that horrifies me.
and a lot of the cartoons I would watch
when I was little don't sit well with me
today. Like .Elmer .Fudd chasing .Buggs
.Bunny with a gun, and saying he's hunting
rabbits.
Its better if they have hobbies outside or
not at home, so they dont play
video/computer games much imo.
