With a Bible and a Gun

Today my son turns ten. My baby, my firstborn.

He was born in the same city where we are now living. I labored at the beach with him, before going to the birthing center and then transferring to the hospital. It was a long labor. I wish someone had named transition to me when I was in the midst of it. Pushing was a relief.

When he was born and was placed in my arms, I had an unknown feeling, an unrecognized new love overwhelm me. I remember in that moment identifying with Eve. "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man."

So J is now 10. To mark his first decade he was given two gifts, his first full Bible and a shotgun.

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Wow! What gifts. Two mighty weapons!
Posted by: Mist at July 1, 2006 11:18 PM

Oh, I remember feeling the same way with mine! Your whole word changes as there is this little person who demands all of you and you are so willing to give. And there is not feeling quite like having them snuggled in your arms and all they need is you...comfort, warmth, affection and nourishment from a single, loving source. Whenever I nursed, I thought how I should rest similarly in the arms of the Lord, but somehow I thought other things were going to fill my needs.
Posted by: Dana at July 1, 2006 11:31 PM

1)oh boy. ten. sigh. i remember that birth. and cherish the time i shared with you when he was born. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIDDO!
2)sis - have you lost your mind!?! a shotgun?!?
biting my lip - biting my tongue - sitting on fingers - okay i lie... gotta trust the parents. gotta trust god. ARE YOU NUTTS!?!?!? please tell me you are waiting till another decade passes before the shells are given... ok. biting the tongue now. i've said my peace.
3) pat had his first gun when he was ten too. he still has part of it still. (part was burned in a sister's house fire. sentimental sap that he is...
Posted by: mtnmama at July 2, 2006 02:28 AM

Hi,
again, I like what u write about, but the two gifts you gave to your son, are both dangerous, if misused, religion is love, and a shotgun can be used to kill people and to defend one's country, hope you show him how to be a good loving human to all humans,we in this part of the world need your love.
pray for us.
Posted by: eyad at July 2, 2006 08:20 AM

Why would you give a 10 year old a shotgun? stupid!!!!!
Posted by: julie at July 2, 2006 10:42 AM

My wife "Mist" commented about the great gifts-but a shotgun for a ten year old...that is terrible...how can he follow the conceal and carry laws? He is 'gonna have to have a big holster to carry that around, Pilgrim!

-Seth
Posted by: Seth Huckstead at July 2, 2006 08:20 PM

That's what they give Israeli soldiers when they are inducted into the army, a (machine)gun and a bible. Kind of poetic, actually.
Posted by: The Mommy Blawger at July 2, 2006 09:44 PM

Not stupid at all if he is taught to use it correctly. I wish my boys had learnt when they were ten. (We have a gun for our sheep).
Posted by: Marion at July 2, 2006 10:35 PM

Not that I'd be so quick to give my own kid a shotgun, but maybe it's a good way to teach him about respecting something like that before it's too late. Does he hunt?
Posted by: Jake at July 2, 2006 10:46 PM

doh...just now got the 'The Wanderer' reference...

Our first is about 2 1/2 and seems like time has just flown since he was born. Congratulations!

--pete
Posted by: Pete at July 2, 2006 11:53 PM

Okay, I was with you, right there, through your whole post, until you wrote "shotgun". Now, I don't actually think there's anything wrong with a shotgun in very responsible hands. And since I can't imagine you and your husband being anything but responsible, I'm assuming that you had a very good reason for this gift, and I won't give it another thought.

But in my head flashed briefly a scene from the movie "Saved", where the stereotypical homeschooled children explain how God created the shotgun for shooting dinosaurs and "homosexshuls" and I laughed out loud.

Happy Birthday little Tulip Boy! And good work, Mama Tulip. You've survived the first 10 years. =)
Posted by: Anne Basso at July 3, 2006 12:27 AM

A quick common-sense interjection:

Just because my son was given a shotgun for his birthday does not mean he was given absolute license to use it. In fact, he has no allowance to use it whatsoever except when out with me, both according to me and the laws of the Great State of Florida. Absent those opportunities, the shotgun remains in my closet broken open with a solid-steel gun lock.

It's 'his' because it's a junior-sized gun which has little recoil. I can thus use it to teach my boys marksmanship and the fine art of small game hunting without having their shoulders pulverized with 12-gauge recoil.

Hopefully this will help still the quavering hearts of follow-on readers.

(I'm TulipGirl's hubby, btw.) :-P
Posted by: Discoshaman at July 3, 2006 10:13 AM

No quavering heart here. I grew up in the "wild west" where guns were commonplace---and nobody got shot unless they had four legs and antlers. I watched my dad build a muzzleloader, went shooting with him, and watched all the men in my family go off hunting in the fall. Guns were serious. It was clear they weren't toys. To this day I respect their power and abilities. I am grateful my father took the time to teach the kids in our family these lessons.

Happy Birthday to your son!
Posted by: mopsy at July 3, 2006 11:01 AM

I dont see anything wrong with a shotgun. My daughter first shot a gun at 7 years old. Of course we live in the Wild West. My husband belongs to a gun club and is very pro guns! Our theory is that if children are taught gun safety they are less likely to get into trouble with guns. Of course our guns are in a huge safe with a complicated code that the kids don't know. I'm sure tulipgirl is also being responsible with her sons gun.

Longer ago every child knew how to shoot a gun and bring home a rabbit or squirrel for the pot. It's all about being responsible.
Posted by: mrs darling at July 3, 2006 12:55 PM

hey, disco and tulip -
thanks for the further info. now my hippie-aunti heart can rest - abit. at first i had visions of the younger boys wanting their turn, and all of them running around playing american soldier - with a REAL gun. i know ya'll had thought it throough and wouldn't have gone ahead if you didn't think it best. didn't MEAN to seem reactionary. i know pat wants to teach the kids to shoot as well and with all the snakes and whatnots out here - it's not a BAD idea... but i still cringe to think about kids w/ guns. we've known two folks who recently lost sons to gun *accidental* deaths. both teens and grew up with guns and knew gun safety... love ya'll! happy gator hunting.
Posted by: mtnmama at July 3, 2006 05:01 PM

Well...that's quite a gift! Just hope you didn't take him to the Dr. for a check-up, because we know how deadly THAT can be--LOL!

http://sayanythingblog.com/2005/01/11/doctors-more-dangerous-than-guns/

Jenn
Posted by: Jenn Riedy at July 3, 2006 08:11 PM

My oldest turned 10 at the end of April. It is strange to me that he is now in "the double digits." I have commented to my husband that we now only have 8 more years with him. How fast time flies! Happy 10th to your J. If my son saw this post, he'd be really jealous of J getting a gun!
Posted by: jennifer at July 4, 2006 09:21 AM

Don't want to hijack this but what does he think of the ESV so far? Is it readable for a ten year old? Just curious.

That shotgun thing is cool by the way. Its better to teach 'em right than have them learn accidentally.

Josh
Posted by: Josh at July 7, 2006 12:28 PM

I was about 10 when I received my first shotgun from my grandfather--a long barreled single shot 16 gauge I still own. By that age I had also fired various pistols and my father's Springfield Army .306.

I never used them without adult supervision. One develops a great sense of responsibility with such a gift.

Posted by: Paul Yost at August 24, 2006 05:16 PM

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