my six year old nephew likes guns and violence, is this just an age thing?

Question

he only wants to hurt "bad people", but should we worry or will this correct it self as he gets older? he is not withdrawn, he loves to cuddle, he still has a stuffed animal he loves, and he is very protective of animals. he has never hurt anybody. he just likes to talk about guns and likes to watch things that are violent movies and games. we don't allow him to watch or play and we have desposed of his guns. i need to know if this is something to worry about.

Answer 1

Sorry sweetie... this is a GUY thing. You can't stop a kid from playing "cops and robbers" or using his Wonder Bread as a machine gun. Too many folks are obsessed with the idea that guns=violence. It simply isn't true.

He is fine... unless he starts hurting animals, people, etc, then there is absolutely no need to worry.

:)

Answer 2

I have a 5 and a 6 year old and my husband is in the army so we are surrounded by "harming the bad guys" and they are boys. They play "guns" once in a while, but it is not an obsession, and they don't like violence at all. When the "shoot" they don't shoot people, they shoot targets and shoot rocks and such. They are never allowed to point it at people. But they also play basketball and jump on the trampoline and draw and do many other things. I would say they play "guns" less than once a week. We never allow them to play violent video games or anything of the sort. Just watch him and try to move his intrests else where if it seems that guns and violence tend to be at the top of his "fun" list.

Answer 3

I think it's pretty much an age thing. Both of my boys were into the gun thing at that age. Play fighting is just a part of the male psyche. It is the equivalent of kittens pouncing on each other or puppies biting at each others legs.

IMHO, this is why it is important for boys to have a well adjusted male influence when growing up. Part of becoming a man is learning to channel all of those natural male impulses in a positive way. It goes quite a bit beyond the basic "it's not ok to hurt people", but rather an understanding that you are not abnormal for having such feelings. Unfortunately, ladies are equally unequipped to deal with this as men are to deal with shepherding girls through all of the emotional changes that happen to them as they become women.

Answer 4

I'm not a boy but when I was little, boys were always obsessed with weapons. They hear about a new thing like this, and they can't help themselves. But for now, you shouldn't worry. They hardly are old enough to know the true concept of guns and knives. If he grows older and still has this addiction, you may want to consult someone.

Answer 5

It's a boy thing. As long as he isn't acting violent then I wouldn't worry about it. You can take his toy guns away if you want, but he'll probably just use a stick or something and pretend it's a gun. My son is one of the most loving and least violent people I know, but he loves guns and swords.

Answer 6

I'm by no means an expert, but I don't think there's overly much to worry about. When I was that age, I played soldiers and cops and other such games involving toy guns with other boys, too. I think it's in the nature of boys to play a little rougher...

Answer 7

no its nothing to worry about to much. it is normal for boys to play cops and robbers and all that. my son is 4 and he does all that. the thing for u to do is to always remind him of the rights and wrongs of things. my son is NOT allowed to ever point a gun at a person or animal or his gun will be taken away and put in the garbage. also he will get in trouble for what ever my rules are in this subject that he did not obey. I feel it is very important to teach ur kids the rights and wrongs of violence and to block many things that are to violent in ur parental oppinion. even many stupid cartoons out now a days.

Answer 8

ITS PRETTY NORMAL SINCE MY SON WAS THREE ALL HE TALKED ABOUT WAS GUNS AND GETTING THE BAD GUYS AND ARMY TALK AND SO ON, AND HE IS VERY SWEET AND LOVABLE HIS BEST FRIEND IS HIS DOG. HE'S A BOY.I LET MY SON PLAY WITH HIS TOY ARMY GUNS BUT HE CAN'T WATCH VIOLENT MOVIES & TV OR PLAY VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES. IF I THOUGHT HE WAS PLAYING IN A BAD WAY HE COULDN'T PLAY WITH HIS GUNS , BUT I HAVE WATCHED HIM AND HE DOES OKAY! HE'S A BOY! BOYS WILL BE BOYS! MY GRANDMOTHER SAID TO ME ONCE; YOU CAN TELL A BOY FROM A GIRL IS BECAUSE GIRLS PLAY WITH BARBIES AND BOYS CAN MAKE BARBIE INTO A GUN IN A SPLIT SECOND ! SO DON'T WORRY HE'S A BOY!

Answer 9

I think that role-playing in small children is very normal. And boys seem especially drawn to playing "cops & robbers" type games. If they don't have cap guns or toy guns to play with, they will use sticks or their fingers to represent the gun. I don't see any problem with this based on the other things you've told us that he enjoys. Sounds like a normal little boy to me.

Answer 10

Yes , this something to be concerned about. It's not the same as when us older boys played with toy guns in the 50's and 60's. Much of the credit goes to Hollywood for that. Each state has a Hunter Safety education program. You should contact your state fish and game department and ask about this. Six is too young for most programs, but they may have something for you to consider. Thanks for caring enough to seek help.