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Advice on Teaching Toddler Gun Safety

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MissMichella:
Any parents have any good advice?
I'm a single mom to a 2-year-old, and I want to teach her how to respect guns without being overly fearful of them.
I think I handle my firearm and storing it in a responsible manner, but I know when she goes to see her dad, he's not very careful about keeping his out of reach or locked up.  She's pretty young to understand anything too much in depth, but I'd at least like to start teaching her!
Thanks in advance for any ideas!

Bucket:

--- Quote from: MissMichella on May 24, 2013, 02:17:27 PM ---Any parents have any good advice?
I'm a single mom to a 2-year-old, and I want to teach her how to respect guns without being overly fearful of them.
I think I handle my firearm and storing it in a responsible manner, but I know when she goes to see her dad, he's not very careful about keeping his out of reach or locked up.  She's pretty young to understand anything too much in depth, but I'd at least like to start teaching her!
Thanks in advance for any ideas!

--- End quote ---
At that age, there's not much you can teach that would be all that practical with regard to gun safety.   If there is an unsafe environment for your kid when she goes to visit her dad, then that's a bigger issue than what you can teach the kid.  There's no way to teach a 2 year old enough to overcome a careless adult in this case. 

Seems to me that you need to have a frank discussion with the dad and then reflect on whether you want your daughter in that environment if you don't get the assurance you need.  I can't imagine putting a curious toddler into an area with access to a loaded firearm. 

MissMichella:
Believe me...there's been a lot of frustration on my part as far as that goes.  There are legal issues that go along with visitations, and if he says the guns are out of reach and safe, I can't legally enter and check.  I just know how they have been stored in the past, so there's some fear that goes along with that.  I guess careless would be the best word to describe what I have seen before.

Mudinyeri:
Children's ability to comprehend abstract concepts like death and danger at the age of two is very limited.  The Eddie Eagle program is about the best thing for kids of that age.  It's very simply and straight-forward.

STOP!
Don't touch!
Leave the area!
Tell an adult.

The NFOA has some Eddie Eagle materials that I would be happy to mail to you if you'd like to message me with your address.  I would recommend reading through the materials with your daughter on a fairly frequent basis - maybe if you have story time before bed.

CitizenClark:

--- Quote from: Mudinyeri on May 24, 2013, 03:07:18 PM ---Children's ability to comprehend abstract concepts like death and danger at the age of two is very limited.  The Eddie Eagle program is about the best thing for kids of that age.  It's very simply and straight-forward.

STOP!
Don't touch!
Leave the area!
Tell an adult.

The NFOA has some Eddie Eagle materials that I would be happy to mail to you if you'd like to message me with your address.  I would recommend reading through the materials with your daughter on a fairly frequent basis - maybe if you have story time before bed.

--- End quote ---

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