Boy's and Their Behavior

I have mentioned a couple of books in the past regarding boys- Boy's Adrift by Leonard Sax & Raising a Non-Violent Child by John Rosemond. These books offer excellent insight into often what concerns but most baffles parents. What is behavior that should be of a concern, the kind you need to quickly & seriously address. But what is it that still rubs me wrong, when my child 'line's me up in his site/sight?' Imaginary as that gun is, & being a proponent of the right to own guns (for use & not decoration only), It still gets old. If you have a boy, you know that they make that sound, almost as soon as they begin to suckle. That rapid fire of some weapon, that is amazing, impressive. While playing with other children, Mom's cringe all around the room, not knowing what to say (is he destined for newspaper headlines, the kind nobody wants to read? should I be concerned about letting my child play with this child, or if its mine, which it normally is, do they worry about their child playing with mine?)Because, I believe, we've been sold a gender-neutral bill of goods, wwe aren't sure of ourselves. Regarding guns as toys, there's always that first discussion, with other mom's about firearms, & usually if there's disagreement, there's usually a polite parting of the ways. It's not based on this one thing entirely, but it is a symptom of very different parenting styles. This article shares well this dilemma, & interestingly enough I think the comments display the different approaches in solutions and exemplify to lack of understanding about boys, and thus, the differences between genders. I can't tell you how many times I wish I had a mute button or a medication that would subdue the wildness that is my boys. I won't take that approach (& have had personal experience in the use & withdrawal of available drugs of this kind in a treatment situation for children I have taught). For now, I'll continue to channel it into healthy & safe channels, while teaching virtue that guides the heart.

post script- I did not purchase weapon of mass destruction(see pict)- Poppa Bob supplied the 3 boy cousins with these beauties. Henry can't even load his, but it is the weapon of choice these days, loaded or not. BTW, he's shooting at a snowman on the wall.

I didn't write this post to precipitate debate over whether or not boys & girls are different. That is an assumption one can put down in a side bar list on this blog page. However, many mom's (often myself included) have no idea how to deal with current trends, situations, conversations in public. My experience has been that the behaviors mentioned in the article above are real. I spend alot of time teaching 'gentleness'-- to what feels like, no avail. To the person who feels like these are trained behaviors, to say 'channeling into healthy & safe channels' may seem rediculous. I mostly wrote it because I think the lady at First Things who wrote this article titled The Killer Instinct was watching me the other day. And had me in mind when she wrote this article. Perhaps you'll glean something that helps you too.