Dennis/Laurie Brown

I was going to stay out of this...but...
 
The scenario below is EXACTLY the situation I found myself in when I was 11 or 12.  I was not able to get myself out of the situation and was shot in the chest with a highly pumped pellet gun.  Luckily for me (and the boy with the gun) the gun was not a larger caliber and the pellet lodged against my rib and I ultimately recovered okay.
 
There really was no way for me to anticipate that my friend's little brother was going to decide to show off with his gun.  He didn't even know it was loaded and was showing off.  I also did not know there parents were not home.  I had just arrived for a pre-arranged after school play time, had found out no parents were home and was putting on my coat to leave when her brother came into the room.  He was between me and the door.  There was no talking him out of pulling the trigger because he didn't know the gun was loaded and was 'playing' with me.  (His and his parents' level of irresponsibility is not the topic of my post.)
 
My point is that responsible parents do their best to train their children to react well in whatever circumstances they find themselves.   The scenario described is not at all far fetched.  This was not a gang neighborhood and my family was about conservative/(poorer) middle class as they come.  This was also 30 years ago when juvenile crime and gangs and drug use was not nearly as common as it is today.  I'm sure the risks have not lessened any in 30 years.
 
Kudos to all parents who are doing their part to protect their children by role playing and teaching them to be safe, for helping them find answers that work for them.  And, especially for helping their children learn when mistakes have happened.
 
Eiraul
----- Original Message -----
Sent: February 08, 2001 5:41 PM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] There are lies and there are lies, was guns


In a message dated 2/8/01 6:26:23 PM, czuniga145@... writes:

<< What if the kid replied, "No, you're not," while pointing the gun at my

daughter, and standing between her and the door? >>

Does she know kids like that?  Do you?
It sounds very much like a scene from a movie, and not even a very
imaginative movie.  Sorry.

If you expect other people to act like dramatic movie characters, then I
guess you should have your own dramatic movie lines prepared.  

So far I've disarmed (pun intended) more people with the truth than with any
thought-out dialog.

Perhaps it's a personality thing which my kids inherited.  When they want to
leave a situation, they just leave, and the people they've walked away from
are usually well aware of why.

Sandra