Scene: Living room. The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That playing in the background. Coffee mugs and hot milk cups strewn about haphazardly, pajamas still in place. It must be Saturday.
Zoey: (playing with the cord that connects her wee little mouse to her wee little Barbie laptop) Pew-pew-pew-pew-pew!
Me: What are you doing?
Zoey: (all too casual for my liking) Killing people.
Me: EXCUSE ME? Why?
Zoey: (Apparently put off by my tone of voice, she casts the cord aside) I dunno.
And, just like that, she was back to her markers and firefighter coloring book while watching cartoons.
So, here is my question: do ALL children go through a phase where playing with guns seems like a cool thing? Even those who have never been encouraged by their parents to do so? I feel like I have had the standard gun conversations with my daughter, on the rare occasions when she has come home from preschool and aimed her tiny pointer finger at me and proclaimed 'bang, bang, you're dead!' because that's how Donavin plays at school. You know, the 'guns are dangereous, they are NOT toys, and in this house we do not even pretend like we are playing with them'...so I don't know. Just a phase, maybe? Just freaky to see a kiddo who prizes her art box and dress up clothing more than anything suddenly turn in to a miniature killing machine with her computer cord?
Curious to hear your thoughts...
3 comments:
I think that all kids go through a version of this phase, and that it's nothing to be too concerned about. I read something like this in a magazine recently....if I can remember where I read it I'll share it with you.
The other day Finley showed me a picture he had drawn, of himself holding a gun; he explained that a bullet came out, and then it went into a machine, and then a flower grew. I said, "So that's you with a gun?" He looked kind of confused and said no. I told him bullets come from guns. He answered, "They do?" Not sure if he really hadn't made the connection, or if he was back-pedaling. Can five-year-olds back-pedal?
Warms the cockles of my heart. Dave Barry has a rather humorous take on this as he banned his kids from playing with guns and never introduced them into his house..One of his sons apparently bent a nude Barbie in half pointed it at the other and said "bang". I would say unless children never hear the news, read or see a newspaper keeping them disconnected from guns will be difficult. Just keep in mind that as countries got television the murder rate doubled within 10 years. Kill your TV.
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