Oscar went to a birthday party yesterday. It was a pretty fun party, actually - at someone's house rather than Bouncy McFunhouse or Cheese E. Rat's. There were lots of dads watching the Phillies game, beer on tap, grown up food, and ten bazillion boys, mostly around age 5.
They spent most of the time running, screaming, trying to shoot each other with Nerf guns, jumping on a trampoline, running, screaming, more shooting, more jumping. It was little boy paradise. They were alternately supposed to be Star Wars characters, superheroes, Power Rangers Samurai or Bakugan.
I was reading one of my online friends' accounts of a child she knows who is not allowed to play these games as they are too violent. And that makes me sad. They have so mch fun being little warriors. How else will they learn to be evil corporate overlords? How else will they protect their old and weak parents when the aliens descend on us from above?
When I was pregnant with Oscar, I was NEVER going to allow a toy gun in my house. Heh. I got over that pretty quickly. Even if he didn't own twenty light sabers, various swords and sai, Nerf guns, laser guns, and armor, he would have figured out a way to make a gun out of something. And he has perfected that laser gun sound effect (tsew! tsew!). In fact, The Trash Man and he watched Star Wars for the first time when Oscar was only four days old.
I think there is nothing funnier than watching a bunch of 5 year old boys trying to be badasses. And when the aliens come, it'll be MY kid who knows Klingon. And can assemble into a Megazord with his friends.
So, personally, I think we should be training these kids harder. Start working with ninja accessories sooner. Hire a sensei at each day care. Have cage matches in the padded playrooms. Have a Jedi Master start the lightsaber training pronto. Who's gonna defend us when Zurg comes if they aren't ready?
