Popular toys you wouldn't let your kids have

Are there any popular toys or games that you would not allow your kid to play with, or have?

Ouija board. Or a BB gun, as some inadequate parents like to give their children.

^^ oohwee, that ouija board can be scary.. ive had a few instances with that..

nothin to crazy just a few weird things. my ma made us throw it out.

Anything that's popular today for sure.

As far as the older stuff goes, I second (or third) on the ouija boards and also those 'life-like' baby dolls that mess themselves up, Barbie dolls, stuff like that.

I haven't a clue about popular toys today.

Back in the 90s we got our grandsons an electronic game, built like a laptop.

When I was a kid I had a chemistry set, microscope set and later the Visible Man & Visible Woman to put together. I suppose I asked for those things or ppl could really spot the nerd child.

Magnetix or whatever those toys with the tiny strong magnets are called. I think they are dangerous.

ETA: Before I had kids I had a longer list of things that they wouldn't be allowed to play with, Barbie's, Brats dolls, princess things, toy guns...

But then I had Faith, and in spite of my desire to keep her away from that stuff and not have a little princess on my hands, she was a little princess. When we went to the store she was drawn to that stuff, at her friend's houses it was all she played with, when anyone asked her what she wanted, that was what she wanted...

So, since I realized that it was not going to make her a little princess, since she already WAS one, I let her have all the girly toys that she wanted...It paid off though in the end because now she hates all that stuff and is a strong, smart, independent, creative girl who has no use for all that "I need a prince to come make my life better" crap.

With the guns, I still don't buy them but every thing that can possibly be made into a pretend gun, has been made into a pretend gun, or sword, or bow and arrow...

I'm relieved by the studies that show that violent play does not lead to a more violent kid because all my boys want to ever do is play fight.

When our kids were young I wouldn't buy Barbie dolls. I felt that such dolls would give them an unrealistic idea of what a woman should look like. I did get the girls a Skipper doll. She was the little sister. Our youngest daughter however wanted a Chatty Cathy. She got that. I didn't worry about toy guns, (I'd watched the kids who weren't allowed them use their fingers as guns) they didn't really care that much for them anyway. Our son was nuts for Match Box Cars and electronics kits.

thepossiblepolice wrote:
With the guns, I still don't buy them but every thing that can possibly be made into a pretend gun, has been made into a pretend gun, or sword, or bow and arrow...

I'm relieved by the studies that show that violent play does not lead to a more violent kid because all my boys want to ever do is play fight.

My uncle who grew up in the 50s had a BB gun, all the toy guns and stuff of the era, and he turned out...alright, he's not the greatest person alive but he's never gotten in any trouble and is not a violent person. But something I've noticed, there seems to be a vast difference in when they grew up in the 50s with Davy Crockett and that kind of stuff, and the violence in TV and movies was very tame, got shot, fall down, hardly any blood and no overkill...but today...nothing's held back, the bloodier something is the better it is, the more times a person's shot in a movie or video game, that's considered progress. So I wouldn't let my kids, young kids especially, have the shooter video games and stuff, but what's wrong with toy guns?

Lawn darts.

Supernova wrote:

thepossiblepolice wrote:
With the guns, I still don't buy them but every thing that can possibly be made into a pretend gun, has been made into a pretend gun, or sword, or bow and arrow...

I'm relieved by the studies that show that violent play does not lead to a more violent kid because all my boys want to ever do is play fight.

My uncle who grew up in the 50s had a BB gun, all the toy guns and stuff of the era, and he turned out...alright, he's not the greatest person alive but he's never gotten in any trouble and is not a violent person. But something I've noticed, there seems to be a vast difference in when they grew up in the 50s with Davy Crockett and that kind of stuff, and the violence in TV and movies was very tame, got shot, fall down, hardly any blood and no overkill...but today...nothing's held back, the bloodier something is the better it is, the more times a person's shot in a movie or video game, that's considered progress. So I wouldn't let my kids, young kids especially, have the shooter video games and stuff, but what's wrong with toy guns?

I don't let them watch bloody stuff either, I don't like it. I also don't let them play video games like that.

The idea behind not letting them have toy guns is that they should never think that guns are toys...But I guess it doesn't really make a difference.

If kids are taught right, they know the difference in toy guns and real guns, my brother and I had toy ones all the time as kids, but we also knew if you get shot with a real gun, you die. It actually took me a few years from learning that fact to learn that not everybody who gets shot dies if they get medical treatment in time. And our father had guns, he never kept them out in the open, but we also were never curious enough to try and find them either, we knew to stay away from them.

Supernova wrote:If kids are taught right, they know the difference in toy guns and real guns, my brother and I had toy ones all the time as kids, but we also knew if you get shot with a real gun, you die. It actually took me a few years from learning that fact to learn that not everybody who gets shot dies if they get medical treatment in time. And our father had guns, he never kept them out in the open, but we also were never curious enough to try and find them either, we knew to stay away from them.

We have real guns too, locked away...I also grew up with guns, coming from a law enforcement family. I thought that if you were shot you automatically died too.

I also thought that if there was a dirty bomb or a nuclear bomb, everyone in the country would die...I thought that until I saw
"The Sum of All Fears"...That movie actually made me feel better, lol.

MandyPerfumeGirl wrote:Ouija board. Or a BB gun, as some inadequate parents like to give their children.

LOL, we had a BB gun when I was a kid. Let's see....both kids grew up, graduated from HS, went to college, are gainfully employed, not on drugs, and never been in trouble with the law. I guess my parents were 'inadequate'. LOL.

Nystyle709 wrote:

MandyPerfumeGirl wrote:Ouija board. Or a BB gun, as some inadequate parents like to give their children.

LOL, we had a BB gun when I was a kid. Let's see....both kids grew up, graduated from HS, went to college, are gainfully employed, not on drugs, and never been in trouble with the law. I guess my parents were 'inadequate'. LOL.

haha, you mean you didn't shoot your eye out?

I'd be far more worried about them hurting each other or our neighbors window or something than I would be about their future.

thepossiblepolice wrote:

Nystyle709 wrote:

LOL, we had a BB gun when I was a kid. Let's see....both kids grew up, graduated from HS, went to college, are gainfully employed, not on drugs, and never been in trouble with the law. I guess my parents were 'inadequate'. LOL.

haha, you mean you didn't shoot your eye out?

I'd be far more worried about them hurting each other or our neighbors window or something than I would be about their future.

I got shot in the ass with a BB gun. Just stung like hell. Ironically enough, it didn't leave a mark. We only used them to shoot at soda cans and other innocuous shit for fun. It wasn't that serious.

Nystyle709 wrote:

thepossiblepolice wrote:

haha, you mean you didn't shoot your eye out?

I'd be far more worried about them hurting each other or our neighbors window or something than I would be about their future.

I got shot in the ass with a BB gun. Just stung like hell. Ironically enough, it didn't leave a mark. We only used them to shoot at soda cans and other innocuous shit for fun. It wasn't that serious.

Owch!

Nystyle709 wrote:

MandyPerfumeGirl wrote:Ouija board. Or a BB gun, as some inadequate parents like to give their children.

LOL, we had a BB gun when I was a kid. Let's see....both kids grew up, graduated from HS, went to college, are gainfully employed, not on drugs, and never been in trouble with the law. I guess my parents were 'inadequate'. LOL.

I had a BB gun as a kid too. Unfortunately, I grew up to do drugs, hang with criminals, got arrested once, had sex with prostitutes, just a completely wasted life. My parents were inadequate.

But that was about a year or so in my youth. Otherwise, I was an honorably discharged serviceman, police patrolman, computer operator, nursing assistant, child care worker and volunteered in a free clinic in India. Give my parents a medal!

My parents would never let me have a Ouija board, and I always wanted one, I still do kind of. lol

Also, I agree about never letting my child have a BB gun.

Supernova wrote:If kids are taught right, they know the difference in toy guns and real guns, my brother and I had toy ones all the time as kids, but we also knew if you get shot with a real gun, you die. It actually took me a few years from learning that fact to learn that not everybody who gets shot dies if they get medical treatment in time. And our father had guns, he never kept them out in the open, but we also were never curious enough to try and find them either, we knew to stay away from them.

Must be a full moon because I agree. Granted, I still wouldn't keep a real loaded gun in the house with young children, but toy guns are JUST that....toy guns. I was terrified of real guns when I was kid, but I had bb guns, cap guns and water guns that I grew up with and had absolutely no problem with it. Simple fun. It's harmless.

Supernova wrote:If kids are taught right, they know the difference in toy guns and real guns, my brother and I had toy ones all the time as kids, but we also knew if you get shot with a real gun, you die. It actually took me a few years from learning that fact to learn that not everybody who gets shot dies if they get medical treatment in time. And our father had guns, he never kept them out in the open, but we also were never curious enough to try and find them either, we knew to stay away from them.

IDK how popular it is as a toy, but when I was about 16, I was given a .22 cal. single shot rifle (with a scope). I grew up around guns - my dad was a hunter and on the farm in Mississippi rifles and shotguns were in everyone's home. So, they knew I knew about the dangers of guns.

Still, how many would give your teen a rifle?



Oh, I also had pencil and paper to play with.

Shale wrote:
IDK how popular it is as a toy, but when I was about 16, I was given a .22 cal. single shot rifle (with a scope). I grew up around guns - my dad was a hunter and on the farm in Mississippi rifles and shotguns were in everyone's home. So, they knew I knew about the dangers of guns.

Still, how many would give your teen a rifle?



Oh, I also had pencil and paper to play with.

This is one of those gray areas with me because I just don't get it. Annie Oakley never shot a person in her life, and she had been taught to use guns at a very early age, I think it's been said she killed a large bear when she was only 9 years old. So back then, kids were around guns constantly, they were as common as breathing, and the kids were not using them to blow people away because they got mad at them.

TODAY, it's lock up your guns, you're crazy if you have them in the house with your kids, kids are not taught how to properly use them or anything, and they are now taking guns and shooting people just for the hell of it. Why? Maybe because of this 'bad! don't touch!' mentality that goes with them today, so it's a forbidden fruit and people have that other mentality of 'if you don't talk about it, nothing will happen', which as we all know is a falsity in the greatest way. Maybe if the kids WERE started out very young learning about the responsibilities and realities of guns they'd prove more cautious with them than the dips who are using them now.