Boys Are Different!

Completely normal! This is the perfect age of pretend and imagination. He will not end up with a life of crime beacause he chews his toast into the shape of a gun and tries to shoot people at breakfast...LOL Relax.

Little boys like guns, motorcycles, firetrucks- and the list goes on. For some reason it's built into their brain to love action. Not a problem, he won't be going to prom with his Tommy 20 in his belt;)

This is normal - no worries. I'm going to go out on a limb here and assure you that guns are not bad. There are bad people who have gotten ahold of guns - as well as a slew of other weapons, but guns do not make people bad. If your grandson doesn't get a "monster slaying machine" :) he will more than likely resort to the classic "finger gun", "Lego gun", or even "stick gun". Again, totally fine. He is using his imagination (such an important part of being a kid!) so I would foster it. My only warning to you is this. Do not get him a toy gun that looks real. I come from a household with guns and have had to educate my kids about them and you don't want a toy that looks like the real thing, or vise versa. It confuses them. Let him know that the toy gun (if you get one) is only for slaying his imaginary targets and never for pointing at other kids or any person. This starts him on the path of respecting guns and their potential. I have found that interest in toy guns is a great way to initiate gun education. Please don't think that just because there isn't a gun in your house that he will never encounter one. And as he gets older there are gun education classes you can put him in, if you and/or his parents are interested. But back to the question at hand. Your Grandson is just being a boy. This doesn't mean he is violent, or ever will be, it means he is normal. :)

It has to be natural with boys because I was sooooo against guns with my first son that he didn't even know the word "gun" but he would use any pointy thing (finger, stick, etc) and say "pshew, pshew... this is my shooter!" So I decided instead of freaking out that I would teach him to be responsible-- I was very clear that we do not shoot people. At all. Ever. I don't find it silly or amusing or cute when kids pretend to shoot their parents and their parents "play dead". Too many stories on the news about kids finding real guns. My sons were allowed to "shoot" at imaginary things like monsters, or they could shoot at targets like their toys. They are never allowed to walk up to me and shoot me, nor can they run around shooting at siblings or friends.

Yes, it is totally normal.Even if a young boy hasnt been brought up around guns boys are pre-registered to need these things. My three and a half year old son Braxton is the exception to this rule, he wont touch a gun, not a little one, not a big one, not a water gun..nothing! He wont even play with the fake bow and arrow that has the little orange sticky darts that someone got him for his birthday. I personally love that he is a mams boy and doesnt have a violent bone in his body, but, his step father isnt as pleased about it.lol. But, yes, to your question it is all too common for every little boy to want a toy gun. Just make sure if you plan on buying him one that you make sure it is age appropriate and that you make sure he isnt pointing it at anythig living when he plays. Fake or not, pointing these things at other living things should not be considered a game in any perspective.

I have two boys and they both did that it is just a part of them and just let him have a toy gun but teach him not to point it at anyone or any animals. That is what I did and both my boy respect guns and are hunters - not that they have ever got a deer but they go with their dad and it is a big deal to them that they spend that time with their dad.

Even though I grew up with guns always around me I did not want my boys to get gun crazy but the more I did not give in and give them a gun the worse it seemed to get so I got them a gun and after a short while they would move on to something else - video games were next.

It does seem natural for boys to want guns.

It's normal, he is just being a boy, and it will not lead to something like Columbine! I know when my grandsons came along they were foreign to us (I had four girls). They are a great joy, an even bigger handful, and it's amazing to see how differently their minds work!

It's funny, isn't it! I used to be anti-gun with my boys and I learned that they will take anything and make a pretend gun out of it. So it's really pointless to try and avoid it. Try to tell him about all the good guys that carry guns and what they're for. Cops, military, hunters, etc. Guns don't have to be scary tools for violence. They are just playing, not thinking about becoming gang members!

I dont know of any little boy who doesnt want a gun. It doesnt mean hes going to grow up to be in a gang or be a violent child. Its just a boy thing, and it wont hurt a thing. :) Let Santa bring him the gun, hes only a child once. :) Good luck

Completely normal, boys are made with the desire to destroy and fix stuff. My 19 month old builds his Legos only to grab his little pretend hammer and smash them to pieces. As long as he is not extremely violent or you can see that he wants to harm people, then I say he is a perfectly normal rambunctious little fella!

C., I refused to buy my boys guns when they were little, All my friend thought I was being crazy, and maybe I was. Then I realized that they made "guns" out of everything! At most of the time they were shooting monsters too! I honestly feel that it is a natural thing for boys. I also contribute it to all the "protection" we have around us, our military. Unfortunatly our children are growing up in a time of war and guns are so visible. I am grateful for our military and very proud of them for protecting me and my familiy. Maybe since you protect him so much he is protecting you from all the "monsters"! Don't stress, like I did, boys are different than girls!

My boys get toy guns every year. They pretend to hunt for food like on Little House on The Prarie (which their sisters make them watch LOL). The shoot the bad guys (monsters) to protect their sisters. They have a lot of fun. They are not allowed to shoot their sisters or anyone else in our home. Only hunting and monsters.
My MIL has a fit, but I don't see anything wrong with little boys playing with guns.
That being said we don't allow violent gory movies or video games in our home. To me those visuals have more impact on kids then play guns.

sincerely, I am a peace lover myself, but boys are just that way!!! I've been a kindergarten teacher forever and struggled with what to do with THAT need to "shoot things"..my experience, if it makes you uncomfortable,draw the boundaries "guns make me sad, because they hurt people..could we please talk about other things.." they knew better in my classroom, and i was a lot younger!! my son didn't even know the word gun until preschool but he had his "shooter tools"..I've heard little boys even in aborigine tribes in the outback, who truly have no influence of guns, pick up sticks and "shoot"! some folks just play it out and act "dead" if a little testosterone points at them and pulls the trigger..good luck,but definitely don't worry..personal boundaries with weapons but I'm sure your little guy is quite fine!!

Hi C.,
I am a mom of 2 boys, 3yr and 8mo. Sometimes I think the same thing, is it a boy thing or should I be worried? I have 4 older sisters, no boys in our family either. One of my sister's had a boy first, thank goodness for me, I learned from her. And my mom, she said don't look at me, I have no idea, haha. But as I was reading your request, I had to giggle. I turned to my husbands grandmother, who just arrived in town last night, and read your request to her. She has one brother, has one son, 4 grandsons and 3 great grandsons. You'll be happy to know she said "He's just being a boy..." She said, guns will be his thing this month, next it'll be something else. Best of luck you to and your family and Happy Thanksgiving!

To a wonderful Grandma who takes care of her first baby boy!!! I have two of the wonderfully, overactive little guys! :-) I tried so hard to keep the guns out of the house!!!! We wouldn't even allow water guns. When my oldest was about 4, it was all I could do to get him to stop using everything as a gun. It was killing me! Every stick or lego or tinker toy could be used as a gun as far as he was concerned! Now, my boys both go to day care so I am sure that he got most of it from there. But, I am assured by many Moms that even those that don't go to day care still somehow pick up on it.

Long story short - it's normal and I don't think there is much we can do about it except explain that guns hurt people and like the movies we watch, these are only pretend.

Good luck to you and happy Thanksgiving!

He is so normal it aint even funny. Keep reminding him about real guns and how they hurt people. I try to tell my son he is not allowed to talk about shooting people and guns in school, as this is a very sensative subject today, but otherwise, I allow him explore the subject. I believe trying to shelter them from things only makes their curiosity worse. Leave the subject open for discussion and make sure you keep reminding him of the real dangers of guns.

i would definitely say yes, and completely agree boys are way different then girls. :) my son just started to get into guns also (he's almost 3.5) he's not violent either. i tell him that he can shoot at anything in the house except for the animals and people. if he does it and i see him and he does it after i've told him not to, then i take it away. it was always a rule in my family growing up that even if it's a toy gun you never point it at someone or an animal. i'm not big on guns (even toy ones) bc they might lead to confusion with a real gun if those are around, but my husband is an avid gun lover. but definitely don't worry about it, just tell him to not point at anyone, and if you see him do it just correct him. my son got mad at the dog the other day bc the dog licked him and he ran to his room, grabbed the gun, and started shooting the dog telling me he needed batteries so he could shoot the dog cause the gun wasn't working. i about had a heart attack. so i took the gun away

Hi Grandma,
Don't worry it is com$pletely natural for boys to want to shoot everything! My 3 year old likes to shoot me and then laugh when I flinch (I do it for his amusement). We are Christians and even Christian parenting counselors will tell you it's how boys are wired. Just be sure he understands not to actually hurt people or animals.

He's a boy. I'm betting he doesn't play with Barbies or dollies, either. I have seen boys with NO exposure to guns MAKE ONE out of sticks or drink straws (my own son). After that, I quit worrying about what having them around might make him do. It's not the object... its that he's a boy. Just be sure to talk about it so that he knows never to point them at people or animals (yes even the toy ones).
:))