My 4 year old ds is a sensitive, shy guy who has touches of autism. He does not like guns and finds gun play scary.
Our neighbor has six children from ages 4 months to 10 years. Often her kids over the age of five are at the local park on their own, sometimes with guns. My son loves playing with her kids - except when they are playing guns. They point their guns and pretend shoot at my ds who repeatedly asks them to "Please don't do that. Excuse me, please stop!" When my ds is riding his bicycle, they will block his way and shoot their guns at him.
I have asked these kids on numerous occaisions not to point the guns at ds and they do stop - for a day or two - and then it starts up again.
It is so sad to see ds, who has troubles socializing with other kids at the best of times, wandering around the park on his own because his "buddies" are playing guns again and he doesn't like it. He was picking dandelions to give to his 5 year old neighbor "So he will like me and stop shooting guns at me."
My options...
Ask their mother to limit gun play to their own back yard. (This is tricky because she is overwhelmed with all of her kids and a SN child.)
Teach ds to pick up a stick and shoot back. I'm only kidding - sort of...
Thoughts?
Our neighbor has six children from ages 4 months to 10 years. Often her kids over the age of five are at the local park on their own, sometimes with guns. My son loves playing with her kids - except when they are playing guns. They point their guns and pretend shoot at my ds who repeatedly asks them to "Please don't do that. Excuse me, please stop!" When my ds is riding his bicycle, they will block his way and shoot their guns at him.
I have asked these kids on numerous occaisions not to point the guns at ds and they do stop - for a day or two - and then it starts up again.
It is so sad to see ds, who has troubles socializing with other kids at the best of times, wandering around the park on his own because his "buddies" are playing guns again and he doesn't like it. He was picking dandelions to give to his 5 year old neighbor "So he will like me and stop shooting guns at me."
My options...
Ask their mother to limit gun play to their own back yard. (This is tricky because she is overwhelmed with all of her kids and a SN child.)
Teach ds to pick up a stick and shoot back. I'm only kidding - sort of...
Thoughts?
