Help: "Pros And Cons Of ‘Violent Toys’"? .. Parents welcome!

[sirrahbed]

A positive thing about toy guns would be learning some gun safety - like not pointing them, etc. They can also learn some history by playing cowboy, pioneer and the like. Guns are a reality and they are not necessarily violent toys. All three of my kids had toy guns (I think) and they were just...toys.

Now that my kids are adults, two of them still enjoy target practice and are very, very good with guns. One son is a good hunter. Kids play with cars and "wreck" the cars....but that does not lead to driving into buildings and intentionally into other vehicles to make a crash? I believe that pretending and using toys is a healthy thing. Parents need to supervise smaller children and can use the toys to do this. For example - talking about safety and history the same as they might explain caring for a babydoll - see what I mean?

Plastic or metal toy swords, guns, cars, etc - they are toys and provide fun and learning, make-believe, etc.

Hope this is a bit helpful - is my opinion.

[Cataholic]

Hmmm....with all the wonderful imaginary things there are out in the world...painting, music, fantasy dress up, legos, etc...WHY do guns and violence need to be focused on at all? While every child that grows up with guns, knives, swords, as play toys don't go onto kill, hurt or maim, I just cannot fathom why it is a 'good' thing to encourage?

It is all de-sensitizing activities, that really do not teach things that are acceptable in the world today. As an adult, Jonah will not be allowed to have sword fights, and 'kill' things (not if I have anything to say about it), he won't be permitted to point guns at people and pretend that he shoots them.


Sure, there are people that go on to become Olympic athelets in the javelin throw, and fencing...and, I suppose expert marks(wo)men, but, by and large...those are the exceptions, not the rule.

IMO, there isn't anything necessary in the violent toys that can't be accomplished with the non-violent toys. So, why stress them at all?

Now, if I can only eliminate the noisy toys.......

[Samantha Puppy]

As a side note, I won't be stressing for Aidan to play 'Shoot Em Up' or anything else like that, just like my parents didn't with me or my brother. But on the other hand, I am not going to freak out if he comes home and regales me with tales of how he "shot" the bad guy. I will make sure he knows the difference between fantasy and reality and reiterate it as much as I feel the need to.

[king2005]

I don't understand why guns are such a bad thing. Its the person behind the gun that can be bad. Just like its the Person behind the Pit Bull that can be bad.

Guns are harmless & so are Pit Bulls. If you raise your child properly to respect these things there is no harm & no stress & your not depriving them of fun/love/hobby. Guns & Pit Bulls are a part of life & are not bad (like drugs, smoking & booze, bad no matter what you do). Besides bats & fists kill FAR more people then any gun. Should we ban baseball? no.

[K9soul]

I'm the least violent person I know . I had waterguns as a kid. My friends on summer days sometimes had such a blast running all over and trying to squirt each other with water. That's what it was too, we wanted to squirt with water, we weren't even pretending that we were killing. I was really surprised to hear that now even water guns are frowned upon as promoting violence.

I also had one of those little hand-made wooden "gun" with a cork in the end on a string and you pulled the handle back and pushed it in fast to make the cork pop out and make a "POP" sound. I got it at Silver Dollar City (hand crafted) and I loved that little thing.

I really have to agree with some of the others that a child playing with a toy gun of some type has little to do with whether they are of a violent nature and I do not think it is desensitizing to violence at all, because shooting with a squirt gun does nothing other than make someone else wet . I do think there are lines that should be drawn but that is really up to each parent with what they feel is best. The two "guns" I mentioned above were the only ones I had. We did play cops and robbers and those common childhood games but if we used "guns" we used our hands (index finger pointed out with the bottom three fingers folded in) as pretend ones. I guess it just comes down to what each parent feels is appropriate.

I DO feel that some video/computer games and violent movies on TV can desensitize to death and violence but that's another subject.

[king2005]

I DO feel that some video/computer games and violent movies on TV can desensitize to death and violence but that's another subject.

I've played all the super nasty games & LOVED them. But in real life its quite different. Real blood bothers me (to a point I do like first aid), fake does not. Finding a dead body really bothers me, while fake does not. Smelling a rotting human body in the heat of summer nearly makes me pass out cold, hmmm can't really give a fake for that one. Seeing a fight scares the heck out of me & ALL I can think of is how do I stop it & I hope no one is hurt, but I'll make a nasty gory mess in my games & enjoy it. I've never enjoyed fights & I've always tried my darnest to get out of them & to avoid them, but I'll gladly pick a fight in a video game or cheer on in a movie.

I don't know but I'm still sensitive to all the daily life goings & I'm ok with a gross movie (just not at night when I'm tired, stupid mind games)

[K9soul]

I believe they CAN desensitize, not that they will in every case. Also I was talking about young children playing/watching these things, not teenagers/adults. But again, that's not this thread topic so I didn't want to go into it .

[Cataholic]

Guns are harmless & so are Pit Bulls. If you raise your child properly to respect these things there is no harm & no stress & your not depriving them of fun/love/hobby. Guns & Pit Bulls are a part of life & are not bad (like drugs, smoking & booze, bad no matter what you do). Besides bats & fists kill FAR more people then any gun. Should we ban baseball? no.

King, where do you get your statement that bats and fists kill FAR more people than any gun? That is an interesting comment, and one I would have normally said, "no way" too. However, always being open minded...I would like to know where you came up with that.

I am not sure many people would agree with your statment that guns are harmless...really, that is kind of out there. Here, in Cincinnati, guns are far from harmless.

And, on a personal note, I drink 'booze'. I take exception to your comment that this is 'bad no matter what you do'.

K9soul- water guns shoot water. That is their 'job'. You don't normally kill someone with water, though, I suppose some of those super soaker ones are pretty damaging. I see a difference (big, or slight, I don't know) with water guns, and chasing everyone all over the yard with the intent on getting them wet, versus chasing someone all over the yard, to 'kill' them, even in jest.

As for the movies/video games? I think, like pot, they are stepping stones to other things, starting with violent hobbies (as I think someone called them above) as younger children.

I don't condone violence, or violent actions, in jest, in play and in real life. That is my parental stance. I figure kids will do what they do without being 'encouraged' by the adult in their life purchasing violent toys/games, etc., for them. Possibly, some of the people reading this thread, or, even posting here (egads!) watch the movies, play the video games themselves, and can't/won't make the changes themselves. BUT, these people aren't impressionable children (or, they shouldn't be...he he he).

Like the others have stated- they turned out fine without being 'deprived' of these toys as kids, and I turned out fine BY being 'deprived' of these toys.

To me, it is an outlook on life, on values, and on standing up for what I do and don't believe in.

Jonah will have to be deprived. Shudder...I hope he can recover from it!

[JenBKR]

Personally, I can see both sides. I think it does depend on the parents a lot, teaching about safety, etc. There are plenty of kids who are not harmed by playing with toy guns as kids, but if they don't understand that real guns are not toys then there can be a problem. Our society is so violent already, it's so sad. I never had toy guns as a child, basically because I never had the desire. I think I do remember playing cops & robbers with neighbors, but we used our fingers as the guns.

I don't have kids yet, but when I do I think that I will try to keep them from playing with lots of violent toys, and certainly keep them from the violent video games and tv.

[K9soul]

I definitely believe it is an individual parental decision and I see nothing wrong at all if a parent decides they don't want their children to have those types of toys. I certainly wouldn't call a child deprived for not having it. I think if a parent does allow it, there should be rules set down about it and lines drawn. I guess what I'm saying is if a parent does allow it I don't think it necessarily will do any lasting harm and doesn't in of itself reflect them as bad parents. Would I, if I were a parent, get my children toy guns? I might get them squirt guns like I had as a kid but as Johanna said, I'd keep my focus to the myriad of other toys and games out there. There are so many cool and inventive toys out there now, certainly much more than when I was growing up!

[BC_MoM]

Thanks very much, all of you.. your suggestions and opinions helped me to complete my article which I will present on Thursday.

I'm sorry if I stirred the pot between any of you who posted! That wasn't my intention at all.

[king2005]

King, where do you get your statement that bats and fists kill FAR more people than any gun? That is an interesting comment, and one I would have normally said, "no way" too. However, always being open minded...I would like to know where you came up with that.

I am not sure many people would agree with your statment that guns are harmless...really, that is kind of out there. Here, in Cincinnati, guns are far from harmless.

And, on a personal note, I drink 'booze'. I take exception to your comment that this is 'bad no matter what you do'.

For the bats & fists its a canadian Stat. We went through them in Police Foundations in College. I think it was 1000 shooting incidents (including the police) for the whole country. Ontario & BC had the highest, PQ was next & the other provinces & teritories were very very very low. NFLD had 0 for most years or 1 every few years. I'll have to go & find the stat site again, its been 3yrs since "I've" been on it last. But with Rob & I being into guns he kept an eye on the gun stats as people would tell us, thousands of people here die from gun violence each year & then try to tear a strip off us (the Police shoot more then anyone else!).

The point I was trying to get across about the guns being harmless is that if brought up properly guns & Pit Bulls are harmless when owned.

Booze
Bad as in harmful to the body as it does impare you, messes up a baby in the whom, harms the liver... Pop is also bad, as it breaks down calcium (bad teeth, weaker/thinner bones) & does a number on the gut (been there very painful). I only mentioned drugs(mostly pot), booze & smoking as its accepted & there have been more studies on it & awareness ads. I think Pop needs to be regulated as its very addictive, harmful to the bodies insides & makes children super hyper & raises adults blood pressures (I get horrid head pains from it & stupid me still drinks it). <-- thats where my folks went wrong & I'll never make that mistake with my kids. Juice & Fizzy water is all good.
What I'm trying to say (I'm really doing my best to explain myself) is no matter what amount od drugs, booze & smoking you do its harmful. Guns & Pit Bulls aren't harmful until missused.