To remove the toy guns

[AlmostAlwyn]

I've ordered a second hand playmobil set for DS (3.5). There's lots of people and horses and a prison/jail cell type thing. I imagine it's some kind of wild west themed set as there also quite a few rifles. I told DH that I was going to take the guns away and he thinks I'm being ridiculous, I can't pretend guns don't exist, etc.

DS is on a bit of a police/robbers track at the moment so AIBU to avoid the 'guns and what they do' chat for a bit longer?

I've been target shooting since I was 12. It's a fun sport, I enjoy it.

To be honest, the chance to be outdoors, with just the breeze and focussing on your breathing and that little dot 500m away through the sights, it's quite zen.

I haven't gone on a murderous rampage yet.

But if you're going to remove the rifles then you should remove any Indian bows and arrows too...

What if one of the characters needs to defend themselves?

@Macncheeseballs

What if one of the characters needs to defend themselves?

And they'd need a gun for that would they? At this age, or for my DS at least, the game goes - robber steals item, runs away and hides. Police officer gives chase, finds the robber, puts robber in prison. Robber escapes and steals item again. Police chase, catch robber, prison, repeat, repeat, repeat.

What role do guns have in this game?

My ex mil thought she wouldn't have guns when her boys were kids. She said she gave up when they made them out of lego.......

We don't let our kids play with toy guns. Our son (3.5) found one of my husbands toy guns from the early 90s. It makes a whizz noise when you pull the trigger so we've just called it a noise maker. He has no idea what it actually is.

Completely agree with you OP

YANBU at all OP. I wish more parents (especially of boys) actually considered this stuff - maybe then we'd have less of a problem with violence being so normalised. Some incredibly ignorant responses here, which is depressing but sadly not surprising.

OP, I was joking

This reminds me of our friends' little boy who was at nursery, where they obviously didn't allow guns, so he ate his toast into the shape of a gun and played with that 🙈

@Macncheeseballs

OP, I was joking

Ah, missed that sorry

@Sallyfreckles

This reminds me of our friends' little boy who was at nursery, where they obviously didn't allow guns, so he ate his toast into the shape of a gun and played with that 🙈

See?

People are just so gleeful when boys = violence. I’d bet this story isn’t true. Also, they won’t play with guns if you talk to them properly about why guns are harmful.

@Glendaruel

My ex mil thought she wouldn't have guns when her boys were kids. She said she gave up when they made them out of lego.......

And again.

I remove the guns from playmobil sets. I don't want my children playing with guns so young. They have super soakers but haven't asked for a nerf gun or anything so managed to avoid toy guns so far (they're 5 and 6 now). The do sometimes use sticks as guns for a minute or two but nothing more than that.

I have a 5 year old DS. We don't normalise violence - we have never given him toy guns, except water pistols. I highly doubt he was given them to play with at nursery. He doesn't watch inappropriate TV. And yet, everything remotely stick shaped is a gun, down to the J's in his foam bath letter set.

Does he go to nursery? If so I'm surprised that he got to 3.5 without Buzz Lightyear or superheroes like the Avengers or Star Wars being brought to his attention. (I know that Buzz has his laser thing in his arm but pretty much a built in gun) Apologies if there's better examples but my youngest was 3 over 10 years ago.

If he doesn't know what a gun is then I wouldn't introduce him to them specifically as his peers will do that in the near future. His version of Cops and Robbers sounds very cute :)

And more. People acting like what their very little child plays with is totally out of their hands.

Definitely take the guns away. There is no need to play “killing and maiming” at 3 years old.

My 3 year old shoots everything but he’s the third child and it wasn’t really possible to shelter him from what the others watch on tv etc (They don’t watch anything terrible, just Star Wars and ninja go and similar). We try to discourage him.

I have banned him from watching power rangers though and I’ve chucked away all the nerf guns! I’ve basically banned anything that inspires them to act out killing one another on my living room floor.

My eldest child was sheltered from it all from a lot longer and I’m pretty happy about that!

My SIL tried this with my nephews. And they use their hands, sticks, other toys and have even been known to use their sister's princess dolls as a gun!

I don't understand what the difference is if you say you are fine with using other things as guns, but not using toy guns? The outcome is still the same for the child playing the game

Pumperthepumper mine did the toast thing too.

@Dinosforall

Pumperthepumper mine did the toast thing too.

Sure they did. They were so starved for guns they carved toast with their teeth. That’s normal and definitely true.

Why would I make something like that up? have you ever met a five-year old?

2 DS's aged 2 and 4. I'd be removing the guns.

I've seen them use sticks to pretend shoot each other after being out of my care and had conversations about how guns hurt and kill people/animals/things.

I have no issue with target shooting, vermin eradication etc though I object to shooting animals for sport. We live rurally in the UK: I expect to have to discuss these things with them and I expect them to be exposed to guns and shooting animals etc as they grow up.

BUT I'm not going to encourage them to think that guns are some sort of play thing (even if they're toy guns!)

@Dinosforall

Why would I make something like that up? have you ever met a five-year old?

Yes, I’ve had a few of them.

None of them have ever felt so neglected by the absence of guns that they had to gnaw their own out of their breakfast.

My son uses sticks, his fingers. He once but a piece of toast into the shape of a gun.

Honestly pick your battles. I understand your thinking and I considered it myself but it’s just one of those - it makes no difference.

@Pumperthepumper my son also bit his toast into the shape of a gun 🤷🏻‍♀️ He then ate the rest of it, after he proudly showed me his freshly gnawed weapon.