Choose Your Battles: The one about how I said guns are O.K. Ish.

by | May 2, 2011 | Joel, Parenting/Family | 6 comments

Alternately titled: The Hill I Chose to NOT Die On: Gun Control

Alternatelyly titled: I have a boy, and sticks and stones may break my bones, and other creative uses…

Alternativelylyly titled: Give a kid a fish duct tape, a toilet paper tube and freedom to collect sticks in the yard with his buddies, he might make a gun…

sticks and toilet paper roll

I have a boy.

All the hasty generalizations one might make about boys… that’s my boy.

Aaaaand he’s my firstborn…

When I was a freshman new mom, I was committed. NO GUNS.

Ever.

No finger guns, no stick guns, no race car guns, no Mr. Potato Head arms-guns… and certainly no dinosaur tail guns!

Do you see where I am going with this?

One fateful day… when my son was, oh… say TWO… he sat at the kitchen table. The noises he made — artillery. Blasts. And some dino growls.

“Joel. Let’s not play guns. Eat your lunch.”

And then I looked. Had I an iPhone back in early 2001… not only would I have a picture to share, but I’d also have Instagrammed the heck out of it. BUT.

My son…

From his peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I repeat: HIS PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICH

He had eaten around the crusts.

He was meticulous.

Precise.

He had eaten that sandwich into the shape of a gun.

On that day… in that moment… I threw up my hands and said “I give up.”

And when I say I’m gonna do something, you better believe I do.

Oh did I ever give up!

the nerf arsenal

And now I ask… How about you? What has made you throw up your hands and “give up”? Before I was a parent, I was the BEST parent. How were you a better parent before you became one?

********

Get Jenny On the Spot’s newest posts in email or in your blog reader. Keep up on JOtS giveaways – get new giveaway updates via email by clicking here!

Follow: Twitter, Become a Facebook Fan keep-up via Networked Blogs!

Hi, I'm Jenny :)

Hi, I'm Jenny 🙂

I'm on the spot!

Follow me…