When my oldest son was 2 years old, I swore he would never touch a weapon. I bought “gender inclusive toys” and encouraged him to play with cars AND dolls. It was all very politically correct.
I have to be honest. He didn’t touch the dolls, unless he was running them over with the cars. And he really didn’t play with the cars much, either. He wanted costumes.
And weapons. It didn’t matter much that we didn’t HAVE any weapons. They could easily be fashioned from sticks and string and butter knives.
This patient boy was almost four when we allowed him to get one–just one–historically accurate wooden Revolutionary War musket. That one gun pried the lid off Pandora’s box. It was as if there was no stanching the flow of bloody weapons that poured through windows and doors from that moment on!
The Revolutionary War musket was soon followed by Civil War pistols, Roman swords and shields, Viking Battle axes, grenade launchers, Gatling guns…you name it, we have it in our arsenal.
Boys dream about battles won, heroic victory, and an honorable, glorious death. They want to defend castles, rescue maidens, and triumph over evil against all odds. They don’t want to make tea for dolls and think about keeping the home fires burning.
Nor should they. I want my boys to conquer their world. I want them to fight when they see evil, not run the other way! I am glad that visions of heroism still fill their dreams. As they play games that pay tribute to heroes of the past, they are preparing to become heroes of the future.
My pastor used to say that if you give a boy a Barbie doll, he’ll cock up one leg and use it as a machine gun. Lol. It’s so true! I really have to work hard to honor my little guys’ manly tendencies, but it’s so worth it.
Deb
http://www.AsWeWalk.typepad.com
My son is so much the same. He makes anything a gun and he loves to draw civil war pistols. He is getting pretty good at it too. But because we don’t do video games or violent TV he isn’t getting all that junk to twist the heroic conquering of the world into something subversive and evil.
Jennifer in PA
I know I am late to comment, but I couldn’t help it! I have two boys and I, too was horrified when they would fashion guns out of anything at hand (Legos, sticks, fingers) to shoot at each other and anything that moved. Then I read in Genesis, “And let them have dominion…” and I realized that God has made my little boys to be conquerors, to subdue and be in charge. That is how they are MADE. I, being female, am not built that way. I think nurturing our boys to become the conquering heroes they were made to be is a great anti-modern culture thing to do. Most boys these days are not being raised to be MEN. God bless our little boys to be warriors for God.
Amen!!!! I was actually surprised how different my little boy was at two years old. I have always been a ‘let boys by boys and girls by girls’ kind of person, but I didn’t think it would happen that fast. Weapons are a big area for my little guy, too. I put up some of their toys when we thought we would be moving–all he asked for or remembered, was his sword. I want my children growing up the way God made them, and if that is against the politically correct, too bad.
Thank you for this encouragement. I have two boys (4 & 2) who love to play this way (of course!) and it is helpful to be reminded that it is natural. I find it difficult determining what the boundaries are though. I tell them not to point their guns at each other and not to fight with a sword unless the other person has one and is willing to play. Does that even make sense? Any other advise? Thank you!
You are the second person this week who has asked me for some of our “rules of warfare”. I’ll try to post on that this week!
What good food for thought! We always say “shoot what you plan to eat.” Of course, I’m not good at enforcing that when it comes to war games. Their papa is taking them soon to a gun safety workshop so they can get a hunting license – he’s an awesome man of God and I look forward to his take on the issue. Thank you for sharing!
I have two teenage sons and they love (still) to play with weapons. I did the same things you did, but found out quickly that boys don’t think like society says they should.
I’m with you, they need to know how to stand firm in battle…whether the battle is spiritual or physical.
Like your blog!
🙂
I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed reading your post, and that it inspired me to write one of my own too, which I’ve linked to yours (as you may have already noticed). Obviously my thoughts were too numerous for a mere comment. 😉
I have three boys, all of which have gone through (or are still in) this phase. The Halloween aisle on Nov 1st has often been our friend, with its stash of armor and swords and shields.
From time to time, I’ve had to enforce rules of warfare, like not attacking unarmed civilians, namely me.