Little terrorist in the making!

[MiasMum]

Little terrorist in the making!

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I am absolutly amazed at how many children play with toy guns and knives.
Often when I am at the shops I will see kids walking around with them. Once DH and I were in a shop (crazy Clarks, solly's...one of them) and these 2 little boys were running around playing with 2 guns each like they were on a war zone. It was realy sad to see. They were pionting these plastic things at customers in the shop...including us, hiding behind shelves and aiming and firing.
I have also noticed that in the toy department of these shops you can buy 'combat' gear for your little darlings. How cute (not!!!) No, seriosly, I have seen these packs you can buy with a combat knife, gun and other stuff to make your child look like a little terrorist.
I just can't believe in this day and age of war, terrorism and violence that shops still sell these things...and parents actually buy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It actually makes me angry seeing an innocent child play with these things, don't we want our children to learn love, peace, unity, tolorence and happiness??? So then, what is with all the violent toys?
What are your thoughts?

[moo]

Re: Little terrorist in the making!

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See the girls versus boys thread.

[zofia]

Re: Little terrorist in the making!

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I agree it sucks that there are so many violent toys, they're horrible and we've never let Jasper have anything like that. BUT, though we've raised him to be a pacifist, he always plays those games with his friends. He'll pick up a stick and pretend it's a gun or sword, and you just have to go along with it really, as long as no-one's getting hurt for real. he was talking about how cool bombs were because they explode stuff and we explained that if he was a little boy living in a war zone then he would be terrified of bombs because they kill people. He hadn't thought about that. And that's the thing- they don't really want to kill or hurt people, they just want to play. I wish people wouldn't buy their kids violent toys, but even without them, some kids are just going to want to play violent games. Ah, boys (yes, see the thread Mandy mentioned).
I don't think they're all going to grow up to be terrorists, anyway

[MiasMum]

Re: Little terrorist in the making!

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I agree with that, I guess it is all a part of there development etc,imagination and also what they see on t.v etc...But buying these toys only lets them see that it's ok to use these things. I know all wont grow up to be terrorist, but why would you want to encourage this sort of behavior? this blows my mind. Explaining to them that these sorts of things are wrong lets them see that too, buying the toys, as I said doesn't let them see this, only makes them think it's cool and ok.

[Heidi T]

Re: Little terrorist in the making!

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Trent had a chop bone the other day trying to 'shoot' me! Grrr. We don't even watch shows that have that stuff (least I didn't think we did) . The girls beg me to watch The Power Puff girls - they get a big NOPE NO WAY NO HOW evrytime! :

[mama_bel]

Re: Little terrorist in the making!

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I don't like those toys, though a few water pistols have entered our home over the years... And canons on ships/castles... And swords made from scrap timber... No matter how much I protest, the games go on.
Bel

[Rach]

Re: Little terrorist in the making!

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Say NO to war toys!!! (What my Mum used to say... and now me).

As much as I don't like any 'shooting' games etc (which Anna plays from time to time, saying "kill, kill, kill" as she pretends to shoot ) I think it is better to pretend with sticks etc, rather than have replicas. I am in two minds re the water 'pistols' as it can be a lot of fun on a hot day. I will have to keep an eye out for other shapes. Has anyone seen any water-squirting toys that aren't in the shape of guns?

[hanabi]

Re: Little terrorist in the making!

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This is the Bull Pit so be prepared for some debate.

I used to feel the way you all do, and still don't like blatant gun play (kill, kill, kill!) but I've relaxed my dogmatic stance a little because it is the variety of play that my child chooses and it is play that little boys have done since prehistoric times (has anyone read The Continuum Concept recently?).

Why are we so anti-boygames in our particular parenting philosophy? I'm concerned that we parents oppress a boy's need to play assertive, aggressive man-boy games. After all, we encourage little girls to play with dolls - a fundamental girl-woman game, and think it's all normal and natural for her to nurture. It is possible to observe differences in the play of boys and girls as early as 12mths of age so surely parents cannot expect their sons to want to always play gentle, sweet games because of their own aspirations to pacifism? I felt a lot of conflict over my son's fascination with war toys so decided to permit a little experiment here at home and allow some toy weapons so that I could observe my children playing with them and measure how much they played with them in preference for other toys.

Yes, we do watch some kids TV shows that contain weapons - fantasy stuff, but there are occassionally guns, swords, cannons, etc (seen Peter Pan?). What is interesting is that when given the choice between two kid's videos, one innocuous animal movie, for example, and one Disney movie that contains guns/weapons, he invariably chooses the "boy movie", ie, the one with weapons.

When given the choice of all toys, guns are always popular and so are dress-up costumes that are "manly", soldiers, cowboys, policemen, etc. Farmers don't cut much chop, even though we spend a lot of time in the country doing farmy things.

He makes guns, arrows and swords out of leggos, cardboard or sticks from the garden. He roleplays a man-role and pretends he is strong and all-powerful like a superhero. After observing their play, I honestly think this is entirely normal and I would be doing my boy a dis-service by limiting his choices, re-directing him to toys/play of my choosing or placing bans on certain toys that he keenly chooses himself.

Yes, sometimes it disturbs me to watch him role-play this stuff but I see it in balance with all the other types of play (playing house, cars, leggos, non-macho roleplay -hairdressers, for example - sorting, puzzles and physical outdoors play). His sister also occassionally gets in and plays aggressive games too - maybe as often as he plays dolls with her.

Who are we to tell little boys how to play? Have we considered what messages of disapproval we give to boys when we constantly redirect their play? Is there any evidence that playing with toy weapons as a child leads to pathological violence or use of weapons as adults? Not that I've found! I'll happily be corrected but so long as the weapon play is balanced with a variety of different activities then it's all normal and healthy and good for their psychological development. The high degree of parental vigilence and paranoia related to the way they play is more likely to lead to pathology than the gun play itself in my opinion.

Read this:
http://www.btha.co.uk/publications/ntc/aggtoys.html

All things in moderation,
Jodie

[yafnaro]

Re: Little terrorist in the making!

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Originally Posted by Rach

Has anyone seen any water-squirting toys that aren't in the shape of guns?

could you use rubber duckies? they have the little valve on the bottom and if you squeeze them underwater they will fill up and then you can squirt them at people. i reckon that'd be fun!

[bunty]

Re: Little terrorist in the making!

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I agree to an extent Jodie. My boys pick up sticks and pretend to shoot each other. They also get 'the baddies' and kick and punch them and beat them down the stairs. It's an amazing scenario to observe and I certainly wouldn't re-direct this play. On the flipside, I wouldn't go and specifically buy toy guns, knives etc. Sticks can be guns and then go back to being sticks again, whereas guns are purpose-built for only one thing. That's the aspect of these toys that I have a problem with. I know most other toys are purpose-built for a specific role too, just I don't like the purpose guns are built for . And heck, if it's then only rule Ethan will follow, then I'm running with it .

Rach, we squirt each other with spray bottles like hairdressers use - very cheap from Sollys/Crazy Clarks/whatever your budget store is. They can then double up for use in craft (spraying paint onto crayoned paper). They don't have the fire power of those big soakers, but then little kids don't really need to be blasted anyway .