Before becoming a parent, I had a long list of parenting rules I vowed to uphold. My children would never sport tacky character shirts; my daughter would wear only one-piece swimsuits. Dinner time would feature the same healthy meals every night, with my kids going to bed hungry if they refused to eat. I promised myself I would wear jeans, even while home alone with a baby, to avoid falling into the sweats-and-t-shirts trap. Thank-you notes would be a must upon receiving gifts, and screen time would be limited to one TV show a day. The list was extensive, as only an unencumbered individual’s could be. Most importantly, I declared that my kids would never play with toy guns.
However, one by one, I broke each rule I had set. Television quickly became the most accessible (and inexpensive) babysitter, and the idea of family dinners transformed into a light-hearted joke. I found tankinis to be quite adorable, and it turned out that thank-you notes could be postponed for a few weeks. It all seemed harmless until I reached the point of toy guns.
After three years of resistance, I finally relented one summer and purchased a small water gun for our local pool. This seemingly innocuous decision led to an entire collection of Nerf guns, bullets, and targets filling our home. We became “that house,” a scenario I had once sworn against. Nowadays, there’s hardly an evening that passes without my children racing around the house, shooting and pretending to die dramatically.
In the wake of tragic events, such as the recent shooting in Colorado that claimed the lives of at least 12 individuals, I find myself once again contemplating whether to rid our home of all toy firearms. Two-piece swimsuits are one thing, but how did I compromise on something as significant as firearms? How did I allow shooting to become a form of play?
While I recognize that children wielding toy guns are not responsible for real-world violence, normalizing guns as toys seems troubling. Nevertheless, knowing my boys, they would likely transform ordinary objects like spoons or wands into makeshift weapons regardless. So what is the solution? One thing is certain: I would prefer not to see my kids running around pretending to shoot tonight.
Further Exploration
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Conclusion
In summary, navigating parenting rules can be challenging, especially when faced with societal influences and personal choices. The balance between allowing play and instilling values remains a complex issue.
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