Gaming addictions & others

[OakLeaf]

Going slightly off topic, it always amuses me when parents will not let their children play with toy guns! So they end up using pieces of Lego or sticks, with the same result.

Depends on how you define "the same result." Probably in the UK you're talking about whether kids grow up aggressive or pacifist.

In the US, what happens is that kids play with "guns" without learning appropriate firearm handling skills. So when they get their hands on a real gun, they're still handling it as though it were a toy. They don't know your most basic things like being aware of their line of fire or keeping their finger out of the trigger guard or being sure it's unloaded. And they wind up shooting someone else or themselves, unintentionally.

Not that I have children, but no way would I let a child of mine play with a toy gun. I would teach h/h to shoot a real one, though.

[vinbek]

I have a 10 year old son and a 13 year old daughter. We try to instill values, respect, integrity, honesty in everything we do. Won't know if its taking until they get older, but many of their friends don't have solid boundaries for what is right and wrong or appropriate. When they were younger and had friends over - I would sit them down with the other parent present and explain the rules at my house - and that they might be different elsewhere, but these are the rules they are following while at my house. I have to do this at school too. I am an elementary school librarian and I try very hard to encourage the kids to read - especially the boys who lose interest in reading. It seems more time is spent with behavioral issues than actual learning issues these days. The students don't want to take responsibility for their actions and the parents don't either. But I am a different generation than most parents with kids my age - I had my first one at 41......Bekki

[wildhawk]

I feel that technology is a vital part of a child’s learning experience in this day and time, but that a balance has to be struck between video and hands on learning and physical activity. I am dismayed that so few parents spend enough time doing physical activities with their children and that kids are spending entirely too much time in cyber activities via the internet. The rise in obesity in children in America is one example of the growing lack of physical activity. I would much rather see families playing outdoor sports together, camping, hiking, biking, etc. I remember when tv took over in my childhood and blame a large part of my problems with obesity on that. We spent hours in front of our old black and white tv - what an addiction! And we did not have game systems and computers then. My DH and I still use rabbit ears for tv reception and eventhough we own an xbox game system we rarely play for very long. As I get older, I value my free time and want to enjoy my many hobbies and time with my DH. I am also concerned about the meteoric rise of text messaging and young people. I am seriously worried about kids losing their speaking, spelling and writing skills. I remember Pastor Billy Graham being asked one time in an interview that if he could change one thing about his life what would that be and he replied, “I would have spent less time watching television!”

[RoadRaven]

In the US, what happens is that kids play with "guns" without learning appropriate firearm handling skills.

YES, this is the key.
We are a hunting family. All (5) of my children grew up with rifles. But all of them knew basic safety before they were 4yrs old (never point at people or houses or cars... always rely on a bolt being open but don't rely on a safety catch... etc)

Even their toy guns were only used to go hunting deer or bears (my daughter placed a ban on hunting for tigers as they are endangered!), or to "play" at target shooting. They knew no war or shoot'em-up games were ok - though that did of course happen sometimes.

This safety awareness was obvious... to the point of two of my children (aged nearly 4 and nearly 5) telling my brother-in-law off because he came into the house with the bolt still in his rifle - bolts have to come out if you are in the house with a rifle. They noticed before he had made it 5 steps inside the door. Even him showing them the magazine and breech were empty wasn't good enough and he had to remove the bolt!!!

Aged now between 20 and 13, my children have good firearms safety awareness, and to date we have had no injuries or hooliganish behaviour.