Men Are Warriors

This is shocking, isn't it! Especially still shocking for me, even after all these years to acclimate to the fact of men and guns. When I taught in the public schools, before I had children, I was very surprised at the levels of "violence" that was so plain among the children during recess. I even did my master's thesis on the effects of violence in the media on elementary-school aged children. So when I had my own little BBs, I declared, "No Guns or Weapons for Our Little Boy!" My brothers, parents, grandparents were not allowed to bring him wee little toy guns, bow and arrows, or knives. They smirked, but I prevailed! My little guys had a weapon-free toybox! Until the day, and I remember it well, when my son was using a plastic golf club as a gun to "shoot" birds. "What are you doing??" I asked. "Shooting!" "Where did you learn that??" "At Grandma's house, I watch 'Fox 'n da Houn'!" he crowed.

Yes, my child corrupted by Disney, and using a common golf club as a rifle to shoot furry things! 

I gave up the fight at that point, much to the joy of every male in the family, who all pointed and snickered at me while offering manfully-wrapped toy weapons to my sweet little boy. My Dear Husband just nodded and patted my arm, much smarter than those male relatives who tend to gloat. 

The photo above is from this Christmas past. This photo is shocking even for me, and I have grown callouses on my eyes. The guns are air-soft guns, not 'real' guns - see the orange tips, and the freaky mask is actually a safety mask! 

I'm glad there aren't any photos of the knives they received as "gifts"...

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