Just Child's Play? Parents re-thinking letting kids play war games

Fox News ^ | Thursday, August 21, 2003 | Amy C. Sims

[Skooz]

NEW YORK

[dighton]

Saki: The Toys of Peace

[No Truce With Kings]

You forgot the barf alert.

[mrjeff]

Just went to check on my kids - they were engaged in various war-related role-playing, involving lots of different kinds of weapons - from swords to mock winchester rifles to futuristic laser devices.

This article was a welcome reminder to stock up on more violent toys before the nitwits in charge get around to banning them all.

[Dead Corpse]

More granola munching pussification. Humans are predators. Get over it.

[Skooz]

You know, when I was a kid I had a massive collection of GI Joes, model airplanes (WW2 military), and thousands of those little HO scale army men with weapons galore. I never hurt anybody. I'm normal. I don't kill people. What gives?

[Brett66]

Yeah, kids shouldn't play games like this, they should just play Postal on the computer. Heh.

[C210N]

This would be fine if agreed to by Palistinian parents, Taliban parents, Terrorist parents, drug cartel parents, Communist parents, etc, etc, etc.

As a uni-lateral change in policy, it dooms our kids to be unprepared for a dangerous world.

[CJ Wolf]

or buy violent toy stock!

[Caipirabob]

Both my kids are into the camouflage army gear. They have matching camo-plastic machine guns and for a thrill I bought each of them one of those keychain-bullets which they keep attached to their camies.

My son keeps asking for a sniper rifle. Not until he's six...

*evil grin*

[RoughDobermann]

“Because for a little boy, watching tanks blow things up is exciting.”

And what of the adult little boys (AKA, Men)? ;-)

[Chancellor Palpatine]

We are not adult little boys - our interests naturally turn to the educational aspects of destructive physics.

[George Smiley]

If they ban toy guns, then kids will use sticks.

If they ban sticks, then kids will use fingers.

If they ban fingers, then they're just plain stupid.

[Mears]

When I was a kid many years ago all we played were war games and bad guy games and cowboys and Native Americans(sorry,I couldnt resist that)

We didn't turn out violent and neither did our kids and all with psuedo violent games in their background.

Lighten up,it's gets the aggression out of the boys.

[The Brush]

When I was a kid my friends and I spent our summer playing war games. There were plenty of army toys available from gernade launchers to walkie talkies to greeny stickup caps.
It didn't screw me up (as far as you know) I got my exercise, burned off energy and grew out of it when I discovered girls.

[Sangamon Kid]

My 9 year old boy started training with firearms at the age of 7. He and his siblings will continue to train as long as they remain under my roof.

[baltodog]

I have to say that I agree...
My children are now 8, 10, and 12.
Last year, I took the two youngest kids' toy guns away, and got out the BB gun...if they are going to pretend to shoot someone, then they're gonna' learn how to shoot.
Nothing disturbs me more than driving past a playground or schoolyard and seeing a bunch of kids playing "war". Maybe 50% of those kids look like they know how to properly handle a weapon.
When it cools down, I'm gonna' start them on a bow.

[cavtrooper21]

Start em' early, teach em' right...

Hey Raven! Any helpful hints???

[TomServo]

"Let’s make it your magic wand...”

I got yer magic wand right here, lady...

[4mycountry]

Let me have my toys.