7 year old received nerf gun for birthday!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son had a birthday party this weekend where he received a nurf gun. My hope was that my son wouldn't know what it was(we don't have any toy guns) and we could exchange it for something else. He however knew exactly what it was and loved it, much to my surprise and would be very upset if we made him return it. Do I let him play with it and hope he forgets about it or do I need to stand my ground and tell him this is not a safe toy and have him return it for something else.

You have him return it. There are so many toy options he can choose from. Took him to the toy store and let him choose something worth to play with.

[Anonymous]

Guns are not toys. Masculinity doesn't increase using a gun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Guns are not toys. Masculinity doesn't increase using a gun.

You're an idiot. A little boy doesn't think like this.

[Anonymous]

Seriously, all of you anti-Nerf gun ladies need to go work on the real gun problem instead of picking on little boys. I realize you are too cowardly to take on a real issue and brow beating a small boy is more your speed. I just wish you would take a real stand. You're pitiful.

[Anonymous]

I like to give Nerf guns. It helps filter out the normal people from the wacko helicopter parents when I'm trying to figure out who to befriend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your son probably knew what the Nerf gone was because he probably has seen them or used them at other kids houses during play dates. You remind me of my next door neighbor who won't let her 7 year old boy play with any guns - not lego guns, playmobil police guns, nerf guns, etc. He comes over to our house where we wage epic Nerf gun battles and everyone has a blast. The neighbor tried to tell me that I couldn't have nerf guns out when her son came over because he would be tempted to use one. I laughed and said my two boys and one girl all play with Nerf guns and they are all over our house. I don't hide toys when other kids come over. If you don't want your son to see or use Nerf guns then it would be best if he didn't come over. She said she wouldn't allow him to come and she didn't for two months. I heard him crying and yelling at his mom for those two months because all the neighborhood kids where running in and out of our house playing with the Nerf guns while he was at his house. Finally, his dad came over and said he was allowed to play at our house and could play with Nerf guns. He is still a sweet, caring kid and hasn't been corrupted because he plays with Nerf guns.

You sound like a really crappy person to brag that you do not care about the mother's concerns and knew it would cause and issue and allowed it anyway. So, how would you feel if it was the reverse and someone did that to you and your kids?

I would never in a million years have the nerve to tell someone else what they could or could not have in their own house. No way I am going around and collecting and hiding multiple nerf guns every time a neighborhood kid comes over. Also no way I am going to tell my three kids stop playing what you were playing in our house and yard because the neighborhood kid wants to come over. My kids never go over to that next door neighbors house. They aren't friends with him but if all the neighborhood kids playing outside I tell my kids to include him. So he is in the pack of neighborhood kids that run in and out of my house to get a snack, pause to play inside for a while and run out. So the reverse would never happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guns are not toys. Masculinity doesn't increase using a gun.

You're an idiot. A little boy doesn't think like this.

My message is to fathers. You are the idiot who doesn't think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not ask a parent if they are ok with it rather than getting it and causing an issue? I would not allow them in my home and if I find out my kid is playing with them in your home, they will not be going back. Its not ok given the world we live in.

In all seriousness, where do you live? We live inside the beltway in Bethesda and all the boys have nerf guns. I seriously don't know one family that bans them. I'm curious where all these families live that say no to Nerf guns.

I'm probably your neighbor (also Bethesda inside the beltway) and we don't allow them. We have enough trouble with him whapping his sisters with other weaponry (eg the light saber that is almost always in quarantine). I don't mind if he plays with them at other peoples houses. I think it's a weird gift, given people's varying views on it--like giving a kid a pg-13 movie or something. I'm not judging people that let their kids watch pg-13 movies, but I see it as a family choice that reasonable people can differ on.

A Nerf gun is not a PG-13 toy.

That's not really what I meant. It was just an analogy. Some parents allow that stuff, some don't. Views differ widely, so I would not purchase that sort of toy as a present. I'm really surprised that so many people would do so without thinking twice about it. Would you get a pre-teen one of those video games in which they shoot people on the screen? That stuff is seriously scary, IMHO.

And, as I mentioned, my opposition to Nerf guns in my own house is mainly practical -- I know my son would use them to annoy his sisters, so I don't allow it. If he had brothers that were mutually interested, I might have a different rule. (My own dad had real guns in the house (and belonged to the NRA decades ago, before they went all batshit crazy), but prohibited play guns because he said that guns were a serious tool, not a toy, and if one wanted to learn to shoot, one should first learn all the safety rules that went along with them. I don't really have a view on whether or not I agree with that, but I think it's funny that everyone assumes that people who don't allow toy guns are necessarily anti-gun.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guns are not toys. Masculinity doesn't increase using a gun.

You're an idiot. A little boy doesn't think like this.

My message is to fathers. You are the idiot who doesn't think.

What makes you think if Nerf guns are allowed real guns are? My DH is anti-gun. He thinks all guns should be illegal, including hunting. Your logic is flawed.

Go affect real change and work on our society's real gun problem. Picking on small boys with Nerf guns doesn't address the problem of real gun violence. Although picking on small boys is easier for you, I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You thought your kid was not going to know what a nerf gun is?

haha seriously. What 7 yr old boy doesn't know what a nurf gun is? i am shocked OP hasn't bought her kid one yet.

[Anonymous]

I personally would be fine with it if someone gave my kid that toy. But *I* wouldn't give a toy gun as a birthday gift because I don't know how the other family feels about guns and I'm respectful of the fact that other families have different policies and opinions. In the same vein I wouldn't give a religious book or a Nativity set as a gift. I'm sure it would be fine with some people, but it wouldn't be with others. And there are so many other neutral, fun gifts out there anyway!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your son probably knew what the Nerf gone was because he probably has seen them or used them at other kids houses during play dates. You remind me of my next door neighbor who won't let her 7 year old boy play with any guns - not lego guns, playmobil police guns, nerf guns, etc. He comes over to our house where we wage epic Nerf gun battles and everyone has a blast. The neighbor tried to tell me that I couldn't have nerf guns out when her son came over because he would be tempted to use one. I laughed and said my two boys and one girl all play with Nerf guns and they are all over our house. I don't hide toys when other kids come over. If you don't want your son to see or use Nerf guns then it would be best if he didn't come over. She said she wouldn't allow him to come and she didn't for two months. I heard him crying and yelling at his mom for those two months because all the neighborhood kids where running in and out of our house playing with the Nerf guns while he was at his house. Finally, his dad came over and said he was allowed to play at our house and could play with Nerf guns. He is still a sweet, caring kid and hasn't been corrupted because he plays with Nerf guns.

I have no problem with Nerf guns and we have a lot here. But I feel like you were disrespectful of this mother's wishes and actually tried to rub it in their face. You sound gleeful that the little boy was sad and alone and that the family finally admitted they had changed their mind. Yuck.

NP. I agree the above poster does sound a little too gleeful in their post, but I'm curious what someone should do in that situation. I'm not going to hide my kids toys either and it wouldn't even dawn on me to ask if this okay?

[Anonymous]

I'd be fine with this toy, though a little surprised because typically birthday gifts are usually tons o' Legos. And besides, if we tried to keep my kids away from Nerf guns or water guns, they would just do pretend-play war games with sticks ... or their fingers!

The family who gave the toy that uses up like 6 batteries and makes a noise as loud as a vacuum cleaner... well, I'd be more annoyed with that

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guns are not toys. Masculinity doesn't increase using a gun.

You're an idiot. A little boy doesn't think like this.

My message is to fathers. You are the idiot who doesn't think.

What makes you think if Nerf guns are allowed real guns are? My DH is anti-gun. He thinks all guns should be illegal, including hunting. Your logic is flawed.

Go affect real change and work on our society's real gun problem. Picking on small boys with Nerf guns doesn't address the problem of real gun violence. Although picking on small boys is easier for you, I know.

One of the starting points with guns is when you buy a toy gun to your young child. A boy gets the message that it is ok to play with guns. You are teaching violence from early age. And that's a real problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guns are not toys. Masculinity doesn't increase using a gun.

You're an idiot. A little boy doesn't think like this.

My message is to fathers. You are the idiot who doesn't think.

What makes you think if Nerf guns are allowed real guns are? My DH is anti-gun. He thinks all guns should be illegal, including hunting. Your logic is flawed.

Go affect real change and work on our society's real gun problem. Picking on small boys with Nerf guns doesn't address the problem of real gun violence. Although picking on small boys is easier for you, I know.

One of the starting points with guns is when you buy a toy gun to your young child. A boy gets the message that it is ok to play with guns. You are teaching violence from early age. And that's a real problem.

Do you have some sort of research to back up your position here? Or are you just guessing?