Issue link: http://hvparent.uberflip.com/i/438206
20 Hudson Valley Parent ■ January 2015 guns. "But they cannot point them at people," she says. "They have to pretend there's a bad guy to shoot." Banning rarely works As parents like Waggoner and Lunsford have learned, banning pre- tend gun play usually doesn't work. "If your child wants to play guns and you're enforced such a ban and think it's working, you're probably just not turning around fast enough," says child-led play advocate Jeff A. Johnson, owner of Explorations Ear- ly Learning and author of numerous books, including "Let Them Play: An Early Learning (Un)Curriculum." Kids with a drive for pretend gun play will find way to make it hap- pen, says Jonson. "I've seen children chew toast into handguns. " Another reason parents cringe at pretend gun play: it's a stubbornly stereotypical "boy" behavior that per- sists, even in families that dial down traditional gender roles. Parents who are careful not to impose strict gender paradigms are often dismayed to find that their little boy finds them anyway, racing around the house shooting bad guys with a hairbrush. Gender-influenced toy preferences appear across cultures by one year of age; by 3, children overwhelmingly choose toys associated with their own gender, say neuroscientists Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang, authors of "Welcome to Your Child's Brain." Even primates distinguish stereo- typical male toys from female ones, according to Aamodt and Wang, male monkeys prefer to play with trucks, and girl monkeys with dolls. Arms ban So kids will find a way to conjure up a toy pistol if they want one, and boys will be boys. And parents are just supposed to be okay with this? TOY GUNS (Continued from Page 18) 8QLYHUVLW\/HYHO3HGLDWULF*DVWURHQWHURORJ\ LQWKH0LG+XGVRQ9DOOH\ +%G&3>G%&0,3% Puneet Gupta, MBBS, MD Pediatric Gastroenterologist •>0&G0&G9G0& •%G!G%% •G%0-%"E&0% •>0&G!G>% •<*!%,;!G%% •0>&£!G%% •0GG 7UHDWLQJ 845-896-0736 DigestiveDiseaseNY.com Locations in Poughkeepsie and Fishkill • Now with Extended Evening Hours start the New Year With a New Smile 375 Windsor Hwy., Suite 400, New Windsor, NY 12553 (845) 565-6677 • www.WindsorDental.com One-Day Smile Makeover by Dr. Dean Vafiadis, DDS – Prosthodontist Program Director Full Mouth Rehabilitation, CE Course NYU Clinical Associate Professor of Prosthodontics, NYUCD Using the most advanced techniques in cosmetic dentistry, we can create that gorgeous, natural- looking smile you've always dreamed of. Porcelain veneers are a fast, easy and permanent solution for achieving a spectacular smile in a single day! Maddy, Actual Patient