The Word Liminal and the Toy Gun

The boy above is Drey. He’s my husband’s regular morning visitor, the reason why he had gotten so fond of this little 3-year-old boy.

One day, he told me to buy a toy gun for Drey. I am so forgetful that I haven’t got a chance to buy one. When the daughter came to visit, my husband asked her to buy a toy gun for the little boy but my daughter refused. My grown-up children believe that toy guns are not the right toys for kids.

This incident occurred to me upon learning the word liminal. Perhaps my grown-up children think that giving little kids toy guns could transition them into violent or uncontrollable individuals in the future. I don’t know. I haven’t seriously asked why. At the back of my mind, I was thinking that they are just kids trying to enjoy. How about a little boy playing with dolls, I thought. Are we going to stop him because of a possible transition, too? Or are these two situations totally different from each other?

I still think that this is where parents’ responsibilities come into play. If they decide to give him a toy gun, then they should at least talk to their children about the dangers of having a real gun, or that using a real gun can harm people and animals. During the formative years, which starts from the day a child is born until he/she reaches 8 years old, parents truly have to be very careful in addressing their children in terms of their intelligence, social behavior, and personality developments.

If Drey begins to hurt other children or adults using his toy gun, the adults around, especially his parents, should warn him and talk to him that it is bad. I think this liminal process of kids becoming aware of the consequences will help them to be responsible individuals in the future.

What say you? 😀