To not be "supportive" about ds aged 6 learning to play darts

[harrap]

Opinions please, DP just came home proudly announcing he has bought a darts board with a view to teaching our son real (sharp, pointy) darts(in our very small back yard) in the summer. By the summer hols DS will be 6 and 3/4. When I failed to express any enthusiasm for this plan I was accused of being unsupportive. I said I didn't think it was a terribly good idea and so could not be supportive, I said I thought it would be better to wait until DS is a bit older. As is my habit I now feel guilty for raining on DP's father and son bonding parade-am I being unreasonable for not thinking this is a great idea?

Yabu - your dp will be supervising. Besides think for the educational value , your ds's subtraction will be phenomenal by the time he gets back to school - one in the eye for the pushy competitive mums

I used to play darts and with rubber band guns at that age. Never felt the urge to aim at anyone's eye or body even at that age. Let them have fun.

I don't think it's such a big deal if he's supervised (and darts are stored away from little hands). In fact, it was my little brother's primary school teacher's idea to let kids play darts to help them improve their mental arithmetic. And ya know what, it worked a treat for little bro as he had no interest in maths before the sharp pointy things came out.

Only word of warning, same little brother was found throwing darts over the garden fence at his friend, who was also throwing darts over the fence at little brother in some bizarre game they'd thought up between themselves!!! I'm not sure I've ever heard my Dad so angry!! Luckily no-one was hurt. (He's 21 now and unmaimed by any other dart incidence) And hence why I say darts are fine for children if they are supervised

So, I think you are being a bit U about not wanting him to have darts but I don't think it's totally unfounded.