Boys (and Dads) Will Be Boys
My wife and I went to pick the kids up from creche this afternoon.
The assistant supervisor broached a subject she was clearly uncomfortable with.
"'J' has been using some unacceptable speech", she began "and has been playing aggressively with the other boys"
Tracey and I exchanged worried glances-both of us thinking of what bad words we might have said with the kids in earshot.
"'J' has talked about splattering brains and he's been playing.......wargames"
Relieved as hell, I asked what was wrong with that? I was secretly proud of my three year old son's vocabulary and imagination.
"Well we have a policy against any kind of aggressive games. War games are a no no."
"Well", I replied, "I actually encourage my boy to play with toy guns and swords do heaps of play fighting"
"Yes" my wife added "that sounds pretty PC, we're about the most unPC family around".
"Aren't the boys allowed to play fight and 'shoot' each other", I enquired?
"No" she replied "if they pretend to have guns, we get them to imagine they're something else".
"Like a bazooka, you mean, I replied?
Tracey nudged me as she could see the creche staff getting more and more sheepish.
We discussed the issue a bit further and the assistant manager showed me the creche's directive forbidding aggressive play.
Then 'J' and I went outside and "machinegunned" each other in the carpark. Then we drove home where we played "Tigers" in the lounge while Tracey cooked tea.
The assistant supervisor broached a subject she was clearly uncomfortable with.
"'J' has been using some unacceptable speech", she began "and has been playing aggressively with the other boys"
Tracey and I exchanged worried glances-both of us thinking of what bad words we might have said with the kids in earshot.
"'J' has talked about splattering brains and he's been playing.......wargames"
Relieved as hell, I asked what was wrong with that? I was secretly proud of my three year old son's vocabulary and imagination.
"Well we have a policy against any kind of aggressive games. War games are a no no."
"Well", I replied, "I actually encourage my boy to play with toy guns and swords do heaps of play fighting"
"Yes" my wife added "that sounds pretty PC, we're about the most unPC family around".
"Aren't the boys allowed to play fight and 'shoot' each other", I enquired?
"No" she replied "if they pretend to have guns, we get them to imagine they're something else".
"Like a bazooka, you mean, I replied?
Tracey nudged me as she could see the creche staff getting more and more sheepish.
We discussed the issue a bit further and the assistant manager showed me the creche's directive forbidding aggressive play.
Then 'J' and I went outside and "machinegunned" each other in the carpark. Then we drove home where we played "Tigers" in the lounge while Tracey cooked tea.
posted by Trevor Loudon at
8/31/2006 08:38:00 PM
9 Comments:
Hahahaha
Excellent blogging
I loved playing with toy guns, swords, micro machines military, toy soldiers, violent video games as a kid and I'm a hard out peacenik anti-war activist who has been on numerous demonstrations against the US bombing countries, Indonesia killing West Papuans, Israel bombing Lebanon etc.
If you stop your kids playing with toy weapons it will just make weapons seem cooler.
Thanks rick.
Quite right Cameron, but I hope my boy becomes a freedom lover, rather than a "peacenik".
There is a sequence here. Establish freedom and you have a good chance of peace.
Work for peace first and you'll probably get neither.
Ha, ha, that is, sadly, the way things are today. I believe the this rot started about 15 years ago. My wife worked in childcare back then and I recall her joking to me about the mad directives coming out about discouraging cowboys and indians, replace firemen with firefighters etc. All that was just prior to the Peter Ellis Civic Creche case breaking out. Oh, BTW, people should check out www.peterellis.org.nz, quite sobering.
The world is becoming to PC.....
I grew up around guns and watching violent movies and playing war.. and I don't shoot people....
... oh wait a second, .. thats right.. I do, all the time... with paintball guns..
... forget what I said :-P
There definitly seems to be a movement to try and feminise boys.
Me, I play 'Matrix' and 'Lord of the Rings' with my nephews, so I'm doing my bit!
An excellent related post is here:
http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com
It's called "Western Feminism & the Need for Submission".It's well worth a read.
PS How about a post on Gramsci Trev?
EXOCET
time to move creches possibly? Or better yet, start up a creche which allows this sort of activity. Actively recruit others who have been marginalised in their positions by those who oppose normal behaviour, and then advertise the fact that you have forts perfect for play acting as cowboys and indians; although if you called it Tangatawhenua vs colonialist oppressors, and made the fort a stick fenced pa, you would probably receive a hefty handout for cultural nuturing.
I agree anon. What I'm being told however is that in order to recieve state funding, which most, if not all creches do, certain "guidelines" have to be adhered to.
Check out my latest post on the issue.
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