"Popsugar" published the latest dash of lunacy from the left. Check this out:
Why Kids Should Never Play With Water Guns. Period.
My mom was pretty relaxed during our childhood and only had a few nonnegotiable, never ever going to change, concrete rules. Her biggest: no water guns.
I'm confused. Lauren's #1 non-negotiable, never ever going to change concrete rule was "no water guns"? Really? It wasn't something like "don't play with matches"? Or perhaps, "No swimming by yourself". Or "don't throw boiling water on your sister"? Don't microwave the goldfish? No mention of "stranger danger" or taking candy or puppies from creepy wierdos?
Nope.
Her mom's #1 rule: No water guns.
I didn't just have a mother when I grew up. I had a mom and dad, at least until age 16. We had some pretty big rules, too, as a youngster. As I recall them from the semi-rural setting where I grew up. They changed over time. The big ones as I recall:
1. Don't play with matches/fire. That got upgraded to no homemade fireworks or pipe bombs in my early teen years. (Mom took my cannon fuse away…)
2. Don't play with AC electricity, razor blades, sulfuric acid or other hazardous items. (Yes, I was a little overly precocious at times.)
3. Don't bully others or start fights. (My parents were borderline pacifist liberals at one time.)
4. Don't mix baking soda and vinegar in glass bottles. (I've got three scars from that one.)
And the #1 non-negotiable from my earliest years through adulthood:
Never, ever point a gun at another person.
Nowhere, no time did I have a ban on toy guns or water guns like this Lauren Levi woman.
She goes on to write:
We didn't have a gun in our home, but I think my mom's passionate stance on water guns is even more important for those who do. A gun is a serious and powerful object that can permanently destroy lives. The sooner people start taking this topic seriously, the safer our children will be.
Cars are serious, powerful objects that can permanently destroy lives. They take far more lives in accidents than guns, yet I doubt Lauren's mom also has an irrational fear of her Buick.
Each day in the United States, 48 kids and teens are shot either accidentally or intentionally. We tell kids that guns are dangerous, to never touch one if you see one, and to tell an adult immediately if you ever see one at school.
Lauren, dear. In over half of American counties, not a single person is murdered. Accidental firearms deaths are at near record lows. As far as homicides go, if your little crumb cruncher isn't slinging dope, gang banging, or hanging out with other ne'er-do-wells, committing illegal acts, then junior's pretty safe when it comes to getting dead from gunfire.
In fact, shooting sports are safe and fun. Far safer than soccer, volleyball or baseball/softball.
At the same time, we are handing them idolized versions of these objects that we're trying to teach them to treat with extreme caution.
So, that means your kid never watches TV or movies? Or plays violent video games?
If a child becomes familiar and comfortable playing toy gun, what's going to stop their inquisitive hand from reaching out for the real thing if it ever crosses his or her path?
What's to stop them from reaching out for the real thing? Your parenting, that's what.
Then she tries to lay a guilt trip on us:
Popular water guns also make light of a very serious situation. There are some children who will never smile again — all because someone picked up a gun.
That sounds a lot like my mom and dad telling me there are starving Ethiopians when I left food on my dinner plate.
Here's a child who will never smile again…
Why won't he smile again?
Because he pointed a real handgun – illegally acquired and possessed – at a police officer and the cop put him down. The reason he's dead is not because his momma let him play with a water gun. A more likely reason is because dad was nowhere to be found in his life.
Black dads matter.
This woman makes my ass ache.
You think this is crazy… you should look at some of her other high impact writing! Thought I'd try to understand her phobia about water guns by looking at some of her other musings. Probably a mistake on my part.
Caution: It seems to be weighted towards breastfeeding picture stories and "rainbow babies". But there are other hard hitting gems like "Why I'm Glad My Mom Never Let Me Open Presents During My Birthday Parties".
https://www.popsugar.com/author/Lauren-Levy
Yep, her mom didn't let her play with water guns. Shame she missed all that clean, wet fun.
Mama tried that with me (no guns, no hitting – even BACK). Backfired badly. I learned to recognize both hypocrisy as well as ostrich syndrome at an early age, and how to keep my opinions to myself. Also put some stitches in local fledgling street gang members – after which they mainly stuck with vandalism instead of direct assaults.
when they came out with fillable. Water guns. We all had one. But I got mine taken away by the high school principle and couldn't get it back Til. the last day
i lost my water gun, when i filled it with water and gave it to my nephew to shoot my sister…..he chickened out and squirted grandma….. that was 35 years ago, never did get the water gun back
I traded my water gun for a .45, M9 and an M16A2. Best trade I made! As far as this special snowflake goes, she could benefit from getting a little wet! On many levels!
I checked out the website she posted this on, and now I know where all the liberal moms raising spoiled brats and sheeple hang out. If you're bored, check out some of the posts, They're either infuriating or hilarious. Also, o definitely didn't suffer from playing with water guns, and I've never shot someone.
Off topic, was reading a post at Second City Cop about their SWAT team not having take home emergency vehicles and how naroctics teams and others do. Why wouldn't a SWAT team not have cars? They are the guys who respond to active shooters, terrorists and other high threat situations. Chicago truly is one messed up place. Just another reason never to go into Chicago. Well if something does happen the people can sue because not equipping a SWAT team with cars is pure negligence and then giving cars to cops who don't need them is just plain idiocy. Oh yeah, I forgot this is Chicago we were talking about.
Thought I'd check out the link for some laughs. I got
"This link is either outdated, inaccurate, or the server is just not having it today."
Could the server be hiding in a safe space?
Ever notice how the anti gun idiots always come up with one unbelievable excuse after another as to why they don't like guns or GSO's (gun shaped objects)? I absolutely do not believe that her mother's biggest rule was "no squirt guns." The problem is that they realize how stupid they sound when they are asked why ban guns and the only answer is "because. ..guns?" So they come up with what they think is an interesting/thought provoking little story about how someone allegedly important in their lives enlightened them. I call BS. She hates guns and gun owners but she wants us to think it's not her fault.