Boys, guns and annoyed mothers

OK, so I know it's funny that this post should directly follow yesterday's. But I have to vent for just a moment. As I walked around straightening the house this morning in an attempt to vaccuum and remove the fur balls hiding in the corner, I had to pick up 6 guns-- yes, toys. But annoying none the less. Yes, real guns would have been horrible, despite what my NRA friends think. Let me reflect just a minute... was it the guns that bothered me or was it the FACT THAT MY CHILDREN TREAT THIS HOUSE AS THEIR PERSONAL DUMPING GROUND? Hmmm, tough call.

I had a very wise pediatrician tell me once that it was in a boy's nature to play with guns. Their evolutionary role as protector made it almost instinctive. Anyone who has had a boy has seen evidence of this. Pacifist household? No guns, swords, lightsabers, even water guns? Check out those kids, they'll be fashioning a small pistol out of legos, play-do, fallen tree branches. Why was she wise? Because she could tell that I was totally freaked out by the gun play despite the fact that my overprotected first son had really not been exposed to much media wise. [Now, that 4th child is another story completely -- his older siblings have fixed that one for me.] She was not wise because she was discussing evolution... she just helped ease my fears that I was the worst mother on the planet (that proof will come much later...)

So, back to my rant. What is the need to stash weapons all over the house? I found a nerf rifle under the sofa -- I am sure this was to protect the younger ones from the older ones poaching the tv remote. I found another nerf rifle leaning agains the dining room chair. There was one on a kitchen chair-- protecting dessert? There one by the front door and one in the bathroom. OK, that was a squirt gun. So are my guys future weapons prodigies? Readying for the next hostile takeover in suburban Georgia? Even my anxious, prepare for anything brain can't give them that one. Might they be just lazy?

My vote goes to lazy....