We went to the Renaissance Faire last weekend and we all dressed up because we are huge dorks like having fun.
First Mate was in love with the whole experience. He loves dressing up so going to a party where lots of people are just a weird as we are was pretty fun to say the least.
Plus, he got to shoot a tennis ball air cannon and dump a bucket of water on a pirate by aiming at a lever. It was hard to hit. He hit it. Twice.
Then he got to shoot another cannon that shot tennis balls directly at the pirate guys on stage. This one he did three times. The guys jump around and yell funny stuff at you, pretending to be on the other ship. The funny thing? He was really good at it. Like really, kinda scary good at it. The workers couldn't believe it and they weren't just being nice. They were sincerely shocked at this tiny four year old's extraordinary aim. He was better than any of the adults playing. It is all he can talk about or think about now.
So what does it mean exactly when your son has a natural aptitude for, um...aiming and shooting stuff? Gulp. We haven't ever bought toy guns. We've avoided it completely and since he was never exposed to it this hasn't ever come up. Early on in my parenting days I wouldn't ever even have considered encouraging something like this. But now? Well, now that I'm homeschooling and my goal is to provide opportunities for my kids to have fun and learn and grow, well now I'm brainstorming ideas that would allow him to enjoy aiming and shooting. But without buying him a toy gun. Yet. Gulp.
I say "yet" because I'm intuitively opposed to making them taboo. Do I want toy guns in my house? No. Will I "not allow" it even if he absolutely begged and wanted one more than anything? Well, that certainly doens't feel right to me either.
But for now, his goal and interest isn't in a toy gun, it is in aiming and shooting a target and I don't think he cares what that looks like exactly.
Dart board? One of those marshmallow shooters? A catapult? Slingshot? Anyone have any other ideas? Are these just gateway drugs to guns? (lol) What would you do?
