I'm panicking right now. Granted I'm taking some medicine that increases your heart rate and can cause irritability, but my 5 year old was just telling me her friend's dad has a gun.
I'm all for the right to bear arms. I grew up around guns and have used them before (though not in a very long time). I have just realized I've neglected to teach my children about guns at an appropriate age.
She has never been to this friends house, but she has been to other friends homes and I'm realizing she doesn't understand what guns do. We just had a long talk about how guns can kill people. How they are to be used for protection and never played with. I told her how sometimes real guns can look like toys and sometimes toy guns look real and that before she ever plays with any gun at someones house she should ask the parent before touching it or picking it up and she should always tell an adult if another kids has a gun even if she thinks it might be a toy gun.
I know it sounds like I'm going a bit overboard, I just want them to have a healthy respect for the power of weapons. I remember going to the shooting range and shooting rifles when I was four. I'm thinking we might have to take her soon and let her try out a BB gun or pellet gun. My grandpa took me and I'm pretty sure guys throw more caution to the wind than women do as I just can't see putting a real gun in the hands of a 5 year old. Even though I am very glad my grandfather let me use his rifles (always under strict supervision of course).
I guess I'm more concerned about my boys as girls seem to take things a bit more seriously.
Anyway I'm just really upset right now that I hadn't thought of teaching her before. I'm extremely thankful that nothing has happened so far.
Please teach your children gun safety. They need to respect them and understand the destructive power they contain.
I know what you mean. Collin didn't realize what they were until a kid at church was pretending he had one and my son got it. We came home and had a short talk about them. I felt like an idiot for not telling him sooner. Paul is going to take him out for a guy day and show him the gun and how it works and everything so that he completely understands it and how dangerous it can be.
ReplyDeleteOh I never thought about having a talk with my girls either! Our guns are locked up, and the ammo is locked up separately. It never occurred to me to talk to them about guns they might see AT OTHER PEOPLE'S HOMES as well! Thanks Naomi!
ReplyDelete"I'm all for the right to bear arms. I grew up around guns and have used them before (though not in a very long time). I have just realized I've neglected to teach my children about guns at an appropriate age."
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS ME!!! Thanks for the reminder! My little boy is 4.5 and already plays video games, and pretends to "shoot bad guys" all the time. I REALLY need to teach him about gun safety NOW. (Not that he has any friends around here that he would visit without me, but you never know what could happen.)