Toy Guns vs Children

I know, odd title. I wasn't sure what I wanted to title it so I just went with what came into my head. While showering this morning I began thinking about this because I had seen a title and read a small clip of another moms opinion about toy guns. Do you think it's okay for kids, your kids, to play with toy guns? Do you think that if they do it inadvertently teaches them to be violent? Or, like me, do you think it's hokus pokus that people, mostly moms, are trying to convince us that it is the reason kids are becoming violent?

We, I, played cowboys and Indians when we were little. Are we violent? I know I'm not! I do have anger management issues that I'm working on, but I am certain it had nothing to do with playing with toy guns and bows/arrows. It had everything to do with the way I was parented. Period. Did you catch that sentence folks? Think about it for a while. Let it steep like tea. I'm not going to even tie the two together; toy guns and parenting. What do I mean by that? Well, I don't think taking away their toy guns is going to keep them from growing non-violent. As a matter of fact, the only thing that may keep them from being violent is the parents. Period. Parents, guardians, care providers, foster parents, adoptive parents, same sex, opposite sex, all inclusive. Who ever is raising the kid(s). Get it?!

I don't really want to talk about video games and how they contribute because research has been done already and proven it has an effect on them. The point I will make here on this is P*A*R*E*N*T*I*N*G! I know, I'm annoying! Get over it!! We, as parents need to monitor what they play and how long they play. I admit I'm guilty. I'm a slacker. I have let my kids use the computer too much on days that I didn't want to parent. But isn't that the point I'm trying to drill in here? Parenting or the lack of. Why yes it is!

Even something as innocent as Wolf Quest on the Minnesota Zoo site has turned violent for my daughter. I mean naturally wolves are violent but the game was originally made as a teaching tool. I interrupted her the other day(it had been a while since I had checked)and what I found made me shut it down, unload it and remove the computer from her room. She herself is not in trouble because she was clueless as to what the other kids were saying and wasn't using those words herself. However, the other day she was standing in the street yelling Fucking! She had no idea it was wrong or what it meant. The other thing I noticed is that the role playing had gotten disturbingly violent. "I'm gonna stuff a stick down his throat"! Yah!! Yikes!! These kids had found ways around the words the program(the zoo)would not permit. Clever, sadly clever. ex. Dan mit=damn it

Kids will repeat what they see and hear others doing. Period. That's how they learn. So, I believe I've made a point here in this post but I will give a recap just in case you missed it. Parent your children. Do not pawn your parenting duties off on to technology or other people. Chances are they are gonna learn things you'd rather them not. And, if you don't care then give your kids to someone who does.

Oh one last thing, make sure you sign up to follow my blog or join so that you don't miss out on contests that will be run in the fall! Giveaways, Prizes and maybe I'll even throw in some candy(no...I'm not trying to bribe you;-)


ta ta for now,
-Kim

About Dazed and Creative
Kimberley Bischof is a massage therapist, yoga teacher, birth doula, blogger and craft whore.
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