There's an interesting short article in Parents magazine on how to ask other families about guns in the house before you send your child off to play there. Has some good information and good suggestions for bringing up this touchy subject.
I've always thought about asking but chicken out. Anyone else?
Susie is a discussion leader in the east valley for arizonamoms.com. She has two sons, ages 7 and 3.
I've wondered about that
I've wondered about that too. Never have asked though. I'm not sure if I'm chicken, but more hopeful they don't have a gun. So far, we've never left the kids at another home without adult supervision. I know this will change once they are in middle school - sort of the scary years for kids.
My inlaws have guns openly displayed in a hunting case (they live out of state), but they keep them locked. Still I don't like it. Probably one reason I don't trust our kids to be over there by themselves. I just worry their attention to detail isn't the same as mine.
Please don't ever assume
Please don't ever assume that having another parent with the children makes it a safe place. Children are curious and you can never teach them early enough about gun safety - boys and girls. Parents cannot watch the children 24/7 and the earlier you teach your children what to do when they encounter a weapon, the better prepared they will be. We began in preschool and our 8 and 10 year old just finished a gun safety class given by Sportsmans (others available at Cabellas, AZ game and fish, etc...) We do have guns in our home, in a safe, and no one has ever asked. I have asked other parents, don't be afraid to. The ammo and weapons should be seperate when stored. Please don't wait till the middle-school years as children are always curious and can encounter a weapon anytime, as was recently when a child found one on the way to school, put it in his backpack and brought it to school, not knowing what to do with it. Please educate your children.
Thanks for the
Thanks for the insights.
Susie
Susie is a discussion leader in the east valley for arizonamoms.com. She has two sons, ages 7 and 3.
One of the reasons I like to
One of the reasons I like to meet the parents of my son's friends is so I can ask them what they do in their leisure time. We don't hunt, but many of our friends do. We don't have guns, but many of our son's parents have given their kids "airsoft" (sp?) guns, which have been used by their kids to shoot each other with BB's. So yes, I do ask them about guns. I even do it with my own family members, as I'm the only one with a minor in my care, and don't want him discovering the loaded shotgun sis keeps in her closet "just in case. He's a curious minor at that.
Over the years I've too many of my friends and students have gotten hurt by gun-related negligence, nonchalance, or other related shooting incidents to let politeness issues or potential awkwardness hamper my efforts to keep my own son safe.
I find that the most responsible gun owners have been quite open with me--though they probably thought of me as overly nervous or protective. It's the people that wave me off and say "Oh, don't worry. We've got it under control." who make me worry about safety issues.