Keep Children Away From Toy Guns and Violence!
Toy guns and parents,kids toy store,violence in children's lives
Take a look at the video games that attract children today—many of them
project violence. Favorite outdoor games in the USA include “cops and
robbers”, “shoot the bad guy”, imitating the “Wild West”, etc. The media
also highlights vehemence and ferocity, especially with civil wars and
terrorist wars going on across the globe. Is it any wonder then that youngsters
are rapidly getting the idea that violence and cruelty are all just a
part of life?
Again, American history focuses quite a bit on the migration of Europeans
to the West. Their journeys have been tedious and have involved much gun-slinging
and shootouts. Capitalizing on this theme, Hollywood has come out with
plenty of Westerns. The heroes as well as the villains are projected as
macho, tough and glamorous. They carry guns, are quick on the trigger,
and generally afraid of nothing. Billy the Kid (law breaker) and Wyatt
Earp (law enforcer) are in fact, very popular characters. Joining these
heroes are Superman, Supergirl, Batman, Spiderman, and so on. Outer space
aliens have also stepped in! With the advancement of Science and Technology,
weapons are also becoming more and more sophisticated. But the general
message is the same—“Violence is acceptable”.
This has had more of an impact on boys than girls. While the fairer sex
is encouraged to play with dolls and dollhouses, parents think nothing
of buying guns for the boys. There are all kinds of toy guns being manufactured—shotguns,
handguns, submachine guns, rifles and sci-fi light sabers. Even as we
talk, manufacturers are coming up with more and more creative forms of
modern-day weapons to entertain children!
If you are a parent considering buying some toy weapons for your kids,
maybe you should re-think, because of the impact they could have on young
minds—
(1) Children re-enact scenes from real life during play—what they see
around them. Role play is centered round the adults they come in contact
with. So it is not uncommon to find your kids becoming mock parents, school
teachers, shop owners, firefighters, etc. But none of these involve gun-toting.
When you provide toy weapons, their games are going to change. Would you
like your child to enjoy violence?
(2) Now, you can rightly argue that your child is going to think about
good guys and bad guys, even without you providing them with guns. Yes,
you are right—they are quite capable of coming up with dramas that involve
violent deaths and wars, etc. After all, they read stories and watch television!
The difference is that these games are their own creations and convey
messages of power and invincibility—good triumphs over evil. Since these
are their own inventions, there is no danger of them getting the wrong
ideas about weaponry and violence.
(3) As a parent, you might find it difficult to refuse your children.
Maybe, you can get water pistols that do not really resemble real weapons.
So, the kids realize that they are just toys manufactured for play.
(4) It becomes dangerous when your young ones are unable to differentiate
between real and fake. There are umpteen cases where children have been
killed by mistaking real weapons for toys. In contrast, policemen on the
job have been fooled by toy guns masquerading as the real weapons!
(5) Toy guns have become common gifts; so they are easily available.
It would be advisable to have a talk with your children about weaponry.
Give them a clear idea about how guns are to be used—no pointing at non-participants
of the game, no using them to intimidate people, and no rough usage. Your
children should know that guns can cause accidents and death; they are
not really meant to be fooled around with.
(6) Despite your talk and advice, should you discover that there is a
streak of cruelty in your child—that he repeatedly uses threats and exhibits
extreme anger, please go in for professional help. Your child is not safe
and so are the others he comes in contact with.
