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Subject: 
Re: What do other parents do with Lego guns?
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.loc.au, lugnet.general
Date: 
Wed, 21 Jun 2000 13:33:34 GMT
Viewed: 
753 times
  
What about Space ships and other things with "futuristic guns"?  Are those
off limits too?

Or, what about sets that merely suggest violence?  Would you forbid him to
own the new Star Wars minifig sets, just because some contain a light sabre?
(which is at least as violent as a gun)

Finally, what if your son takes a 2x8 brick with a stack of 2x2 bricks
connected to the end, wields it in a gunlike fashion, and makes says
"bang-bang!".  Would you, in that event, remove all 2x8 and 2x2 bricks
from his collection?

I'll tell ya, I will become a parent in roughly three weeks.  I haven't even
considered what I will do about this issue until now.  But the decision is
easy for me.  I will simply tell my son that LEGO IS A TOY AND A REAL GUN IS
NOT.  I will not take Lego minifig guns away from him, nor any Lego part
that
looks like a gun, nor, for that matter, any construction of his that looks
like or functions like a gun.  I will not even fordid him to watch or read
cartoons or children's programs where guns are shown (especially Lego
cartoons), nor will I forbid him to play any games (computer or otherwise)
that feature guns (especially Lego games), nor will I forbid him to visit
theme
parks where characters portray those who might use guns (especially Lego
theme-parks).  Nor, while I'm on the topic, will I take any other innocent,
inherently non-violent childhood experience of his and risk him not enjoying
it completely by falacially juxtapositioning my parental stress with his
childlike bliss.

I will take this approach because this is how my parents approached the
situation, and I believe (based on my own experience) that this was good
parenting.  I don't agree with everything they did, but I definitely do
agree
that they raised one heck of a non-violent child (me).

Mark K



"Deidre Rushton Brumby" <drb@tasmail.com> wrote in message
news:FwHDFI.94z@lugnet.com...
Following on from the topic of "small action boys" and Lego stereotyping • in
loc.au, what do other parents do with the guns in their Lego sets?

Until recently I'd only ever bought one set with guns (Pirate skeleton • cave)
and I threw them straight in the rubbish bin. (Yes, I know several people
are aghast at this blatant disregard for the holy ABS).

Nowadays I still remove the guns before my small action boy even gets to
see the sets, but I have kept them.  I'm undecided on whether or not to
reintroduce them once he's (much) older.

I did however overlook a space zapper thingo in an Insectoids set and got
quite a lecture from my 4 year old about this "But Mum, that's a gun, get
rid of it!".

As you can tell from this he's been brought up in a "we don't play with • toy
guns because guns are real things that kill people" environment, both at
home and at childcare and Kindergarten (it became an issue outside the • home
first and we followed on with it).  This does not however
stop the fascination with imaginary guns and "blowing things up" which
I'm not aware of him being exposed to and so must be an innate 4 year old
small action boy thing.

So what do other parents do with Lego guns or is it not an issue?

Deidre
drb@tasmail.com



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: What do other parents do with Lego guns?
 
(...) Unless, I hope, he makes a working LEGO machine gun and begins shooting other people with it. <snip> (...) I'm not a parent, but I completely agree with you. I had access to G.I. Joe, Star Wars, and similar "violent" toys all through my (...) (24 years ago, 21-Jun-00, to lugnet.loc.au, lugnet.general)

Message is in Reply To:
  What do other parents do with Lego guns?
 
Following on from the topic of "small action boys" and Lego stereotyping in loc.au, what do other parents do with the guns in their Lego sets? Until recently I'd only ever bought one set with guns (Pirate skeleton cave) and I threw them straight in (...) (24 years ago, 21-Jun-00, to lugnet.loc.au, lugnet.general)

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