Christmas Eve has arrived and today there will surely be many children playing with everything that Santa Claus will have brought them. Although in many families this custom of separating toys by sex and giving different things to girls from boys has been eliminated, there will be much more in which girls will play with dolls and boys with toys than they require more physical activity or those characteristics that we always associate with children, so in the majority now there will be more boys than girls playing with weapons or some type of war toy.
That's exactly what I wanted to talk about, regardless of whether they are aimed at boys or girls, I would like to address the issue of Give or not give war toys to our children. How is it in your house?
Yesterday (the boy)
When I was a child, I remember that one of the things that were forbidden in my house were toy guns, or birthdays, Papa Noel, not even the wise men could skip the ban, if someone gave us a gun or similar toy, it would stay in the house of the one who gave it away. That is, if someone appeared with the typical shotgun that every child had when he was little, he would return home with the gift, and with all the pain of my heart.
Over time I got used to not asking for such gifts, I simply built them with other objects such as sticks, tweezers or LEGO pieces and today I love weapons, although there are none at home and action movies (although I don't see any in front of my children).
Today (the father)
Today, I do not encourage my children to play with weapons and I try to "redirect" them to other types of toys, but it is they who have the last word at the end and if after my attempts to convince them of other things, they want to ask for one of those famous guns so fashionable these days, I don't mind. Moreover, this Christmas the two have asked for a lightsaber for each one. I know it doesn't make much sense and if they want to play shooting they will do it with or without guns.
If we try to instill the "does not stick" in our children, there is no point in giving them weapons as toys
I grew up in the upper right corner of the TV, because that's where the famous "rhombuses" that told our parents if we could or could not watch TV at that time. The funny thing is that it was considered more dangerous to leave a naked body in the film than the one who died to the pointer at the hands of the Indians or the seventh cavalry. So, it didn't help my father that I didn't have war toys if I watched the Indian and cowboy movie every Sunday.
Something curious but perfectly logical is that my children have never played Indians or cowboys like me, perhaps because they have never seen one of those films and prefer to play to be one of the dogs of the canine patrol. And I know that there will be more than one disappointment in Reyes with the lightsabers as they do not sound and make the noises of the ads, because neither have they seen any of the Star Wars films they should have seen as a kind of rod of light to do choreographies.
The real world is not peaceful
One of the slogans that defend, for example, those who are in favor of the freedom to have weapons, of the real ones and of being able to let their children practice with them is that the world is dangerous and the individual has the right to defend himself. But I ask, ** what is it that makes the world violent or is it so by nature? **
I am not sure about the answer and the truth is that I do not see that the world is very peaceful, there are still wars and fights wherever we go and every day too many die from this cause, but maybe if little by little we teach our children to Do not use violence as a first option and do not show it as something fun or typical of your gender, "the girls do not stick", "if you want something, you have to impose yourself on the rest", "sticking is a child's thing", etc.
Perhaps if we teach them to share and value what they have, to respect and value the different opinions of others **** a more peaceful world can be achieved.
I do not know if the solution is not to give away or buy this type of toys or simply playing Indians and cowboys is a behavior that has nothing to do with reality, who knows, but I personally believe that there are plenty of toys on the market like So not having them is a problem.
Further, in a few years it will be much more complicated, because with the world of videogames we will be talking about major words, because every time it simulates real sensations with greater success, therefore it is better to get used to them as children.
How do you do it in your house?
