Is this an inappropriate gift for a 4 year old?

[TheLimeFairy]

OK, My family and myself went to Thursford Magical Santa Journey today (in Norfolk).

As part of the tour the children met Father Christmas and got a gift. My 4 year old son was given a toy set with an army jeep, complete with a machine gun and ammo on the roof, a look out hut with plastic barbed wire and mounted machine guns and a whole array of seperate guns in the box.

I was a bit shocked that these toys are still deemed as appropriate for small children (I felt like I had stepped into the 1970s!). I have written to the Thursford management about my concerns but I don't hold out much hope of getting a polite reply as I have learned that my friend went last year and raised similar concerns and got a curt reply stating that this is what 4 year old boys want for Christmas.

I am genuinely interested to know what people think. My son thinks the jeep is a new fire engine with a hose on the top so I don't have any personal concerns about the toy but still... AIBU?

you are transposing socialsciencetastic adult chuff onto a plastic toy.

he wont shoot em up on basis of plastic tat from santa

4 yrs old might be a bit young but your average 7 yr old boy would love it.

"How would a 4 yo even know how to play with such a toy?"

Seriously? I can't see how a 4yo would have any problem working out how to play with it, and for pretty much any 4yo boy it's a superb toy. I'm sure I'd have loved it at that age - it's not a coincidence that if you ask middle aged men what was their favourite toy that action man will get a lot of mentions. I've somehow survived this early liking for guns without joining the army, killing anybody, or even getting into a fight or hitting anybody since I was at school.

Our 4yo was busy shooting me today with a gun he'd made for himself from his plastic construction set (only satisfied when I played dead). I can't think of any warlike toys he has, though I suppose he has used my water pistol quite a bit in the summer.

YABU. It stimulates imaginative play and that's what 4 year olds need to do.

IMO, a bad gift is what a 7 year old is getting at my son's school - an iphone...

(not from me I hasten to add!)

Nope I can't see how they'd have a problem working out how to play with it either. We played "cowboys and indians" (yes I know terribly unPC these days) when I was a kid, and we played guns..........we didn't even have a TV so gawd knows where we got it from - but we did.

As to the actual issue - I'm on the fence with it.

I remember going to Thursford Colletion years ago

YANBU, I wouldn't be happy with my boy being given this.

I'd have been very unhappy with my children being given something like this at age 4. To the extent of almost certainly removing it. I don't mind them playing war games with their friends, but I really don't like guns or anything too realistically rendered that is related to real people being killed (aliens are fine IMO because they are fantasy). I would never give something like that to a four year old for a birthday or Christmas present, and if the presents were age banded would think that something had gone wrong and this gift had got into the wrong batch.

I'd hope that gifts for such small children would not be gender specific, and if they were then would expect themes along the trains, cars, diggers type not war toys.