Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy 9 year old son and fascination with weapons?

When DS was younger he loved airplanes, then it turned into ships, then into battle ships, then to the weapons on the battleships, then World War 2 and now all weapons with World War 2. He is fascinated by anything and everything World War 2 but can describe every type of weapon used, whom it was used by and the pros and cons of such things. We have had lots of talks about guns and he knows the difference between playing with one of his nerf guns or seeing a real one. IN fact he will lecture people on the importance of having guns locked up lol. Anyways, it still makes me nervous he has such a fascination with this. Is this a boy thing? Is this a gifted thing? Should I be incredibly concerned and have him seek counseling? Or am I completely over reacting to the media's portrayal of children and guns? We don't have a gun but I know other people do. I don't think he would play with a gun he found at a friends house (hell he won't even use a knife because he's afraid of getting hurt). Anyone else dealt with this?

Totally normal boy thing

From what you describe, it seems normal. Having lived in areas of the country where hunting and gun ownership is the norm and other areas where it is considered a "high risk" behavior, it can be hard to tell what is going on in other families. IMO it is a good idea to talk openly with your child about gun safety.

If this is making you uncomfortable, you could try to interest him in the politics and personalities of key people in the war. Maybe including the conflicted feelings that many of the developers of weapons felt after their weapons were used in wars. I'm thinking of Nobel, Oppenheimer, Einstein, and Kalashnikov, all of who expressed regret for how their inventions were used.

He wants to make roadside bombs DNA specific so that innocent people are no longer killed because of War. He has a fascination with World War II that he wants to visit Pearl Harbor. I've never seen a child so fascinated with World War II before. But he was also completely fascinated with Dinosaurs for the longest time that he could name them in alphabetical order. It doesn't scare me, I'm just nervous if perhaps it isn't "deemed normal". He's my oldest, and my only boy. My daughter wants to barbies, my son wants to play zombie world war II hunter in the backyard.

I would indulge it - maybe take him to the local shooting range so he can get a fix in a safe environment (if you think it won't lead to him wanting a gun at home)

I had a child in the preschool I worked at who progressed through the same thing, then it moved on to Vikings with their ships and such, Western frontier exploration, etc. His mom, bless her heart, to him to every exhibit in the city and checked out books in the library about his current interests. I don't think it has to do with the violence, but with the idea and the engineering. It can be a starting point for all kinds of other ideas and stories that are more...constructive, instead of destructive,you know? History, diplomacy, medicine (how do you counteract some of the effects?), geography, materials. I do think it's a boy thing.

I would indulge him, part of this is normal boy and part of it seems like he absorbs information on his current interests deeply and comprehensively, IMO.

ITA it is a very normal boy thing. If schools spent more time in history class on weapons I think a lot of little boys would pay much closer attention.

Normal boy thing and kind of an awesome interest for a nine year old.
My DS8 went through a long stage where he was fascinated by tornadoes and the total destruction they wreak based on the EF scale. It worried me a bit - like he didn't "get" that those are actual houses that people once lived in. It was the shock and awe- not anything malicious or violent. Now, he's into world 's deadliest spiders and will explain in great detail what will happen if you're unlucky enough to be bitten by one of the "top ten."
For the record, this kid is deeply compassionate and kind- cries if he sees anyone hurt or in distress.

For DD10, it's historical disasters... Titanic, etc.

I put this down to the natural attraction of breaking stuff.