Can I ask if you buy your children

[nappyaddict]

Toy guns, nerf guns, foam disc shooter guns, foam ball guns, water pistols or army toys?

I wouldn't. But I would have less objection to someone else taking him to a place with a conservation programme e.g. London Zoo - than the more 'leisure' themed ones.

I can't articulate my issue with zoos as a whole - I"m sure it's a personal thing and I am wrong - but I've been to some ones that I didn't like at all (the one in Sydney springs to mind - areas sponsored by McDonalds and Glade air freshener, animals looking distressed.)

Anyway, didn't want to hijack, it was just an analogy.

I don't understand the ' my parents are army ' logic of letting them play with them either. We come from a large army/ navy background, even though dh and I aren't. This is a big reason why we don't let them, rather than let them. I don't want ds's scared that uncle x will be shot, or to play fighting when family are literally playing with death some times.

As a child I travelled through the world with me parents to semi war zones, I remember how strongly the schools on base shielded the children from what was going on around and looking back I think this was good. Dhs father died in afganistan a few years ago just before he retired, as a child he had no idea what his father did

Artandco Would you buy one of those guns that you put into potatoes? DP has fond memories of those as a child and wants to buy DS one but I'm not sure.