[laynejc]

I have a 9 yr old that I would like to get interested into shooting, about 3-4 years ago she saw me shooting and started to take an interest into it, and then just out of the blue lost the interest. Is there anyway to get get that interest alive again? I have a 2 year old that has to "help" me anytime there is a gun. If I clean one, load a mag, whatever the case may be. My oldest has said my youngest can have the gun I bought her. Is the interest gone or just dormant? Before anyone says anything about a 2 yr old being around guns, she dont handle them, it is never too young to start gun safety. She knows better than to point her toy mp5 at people. Guns are kept in locked cabinets, keys are kept in electronically locked box above even my reach.

 

[junho806]

i would say dormant
little kids have short attention spans
i'm 19 and my attention span is about 5 minutes...
just make it interesting and reignite that curiousity!

 

[matt g]

I think your problem is that your little girl is becoming a big girl. Maybe try bribing her with a new iPhone or something. Once you get her back on the range, she may remember how much fun she had.

 

[wrench]

Make sure she has fun and feels comfortable

Just something to try......

Take some time and watch your daughter, and figure what peaks her interest about things, then spend a little time and plan a Father Daughter outing with the information you've gathered. Probably letting her be herself while with you and not trying to change her at the same time.

Dress nice and smile alot, and don't get dirty, and try and make her experience very enjoyable. Make sure that nobody is around with a bad attitude or doesn't look respectable, decent or someone who might be loathesome to your daughter. Remember it doesn't matter how old a female is, looks are everything, how they look, how you look, and also how they are perceived by others, vanity is pre-programmed to girls.

IF she shows interest, let her pick out some special hunting/shooting clothes. (cableas has some very nice kids clothing) Let her know that she did good for anything done well, and even if the outing is a disaster, find things to praise her for. Focus on the Family Ministries (James Dobson Colorado Springs Co) has a book called "Bringing up Boys", they probably have one for girls by now.

NOTE: You are competing with electronic gadgets, cell phones, toys, the mall, and other useless things.Maybe try and limit TV exposure and Disney Movies, especially bambi, the media, is humanizing everything except unborn babies these days, in an attempt to turn children "Green" aka into earth worship.

The biggest thing is she is a girl, not a boy.

i was a Jaycee, and we did alot of things with kids, and i learned alot from the parents of our chapter. If you can, talk to some older men with older daughters,(with a good Father Daughter relationship) they would surely have some good tips if they know your family. This is some general advice i have heard and seen, i hope this helps. Good Luck!

wrench

<striving to enter at the narrow gate>

 

[bkt]

Does she have any friends whose parents like to shoot? Maybe making an outing with them might make the event more fun for your daughter. If she and her friend get into a friendly competition that might make it fun for her.

Even if she doesn't have a burning desire to hit the range twice a week, it would be good if she knew how to handle a firearm, shoot straight, and field strip and clean an AR. Just MHO.

 

[Northwoods]

I have a 9 yr old that I would like to get interested into shooting, about 3-4 years ago she saw me shooting and started to take an interest into it, and then just out of the blue lost the interest. Is there anyway to get get that interest alive again? I have a 2 year old that has to "help" me anytime there is a gun. If I clean one, load a mag, whatever the case may be. My oldest has said my youngest can have the gun I bought her. Is the interest gone or just dormant? Before anyone says anything about a 2 yr old being around guns, she dont handle them, it is never too young to start gun safety. She knows better than to point her toy mp5 at people. Guns are kept in locked cabinets, keys are kept in electronically locked box above even my reach.

My daughter went through a pattern where she was fascinated by guns and then lost interest completely and then re-developed an interest but not as intense as before. It is related to self and social awareness. Our son is two years older than our daughter and they are very close. Along with her own social group she was deeply involved with her brother's social group. All the little boys really liked her because she knew to play with the boys.

Guns became a part of this. As soon as guns became "common" and "normal" instead of "magical" and "powerful" they started to lose their appeal.

When boys become interesting to your daughter instead of just gross and embarassing, if the boys are interested in guns, she will be too. It is a way to compete for a boy's attention (she can talk about, shoot and handle them when other girls can't - it will make her more interesting to the boys).

When asked about her fading interest in guns, my daughter said she got tired of the noise (she always wore hearing protectors - heavy ear muffs and plugs) and didn't like cleaning them (she doesn't like cleaning anything - her room, dishes, etc).

No anomosity towards guns - just bored.

Sorta' like most girls feel about football - it's a boy thing.

 

[robocop10mm]

Reactive targets are one of the best ways to keep a kid interested in shooting. Dueling trees, miniature silhouettes, cans, etc.

 

[Northwoods]

Reactive targets are one of the best ways to keep a kid interested in shooting. Dueling trees, miniature silhouettes, cans, etc.

Keeps old kids like me interested too!

 

[dragunovsks]

I would'nt push the issue, maybe the interest will return later. The reason I fell this way is because if someone isn't interested in something then they won't take it seriously and firearms deserve/need to be taken seriously.

Plus, I recently gave up trying to get my wife interested in shooting and hunting. She used to hunt squirrel with her dad when she was younger, he even said no squirrel was safe if she had a .22 rifle in her hands. But when she got into her teens she lost interest.

 

[stalkingbear]

The best things to do are like the other posters reccomended-NO pressure and keep it FUN!

 

[vanguard]

i think it is up to the kid, some like guns and some don,t .i have loved guns since i was about 5 years old , but was told they where bad ,you know guns kill people, but as i got older i see that they are like anything, it can be used for good or evil, i have two sons one is 19 the other is 21 the older one does not care for them but the other one likes them? i dont hunt i just like to target shoot and collect. then that is just me.

 

[WhiteWolf4]

If I may be so bold

There's a person inside that 9 year old...Let her be what she wants to be, it's only fair that we don't kill the person inside...I'm sure she will grow up to make her Papa proud regardless if she ever shoots a rifle or not....WhiteWolf

 

[sinzitu]

Give her time. She is still young and she may come around again. Definitely keep it fun and always ask if she would like to go with you. I have 2 youngs girls right now and I'm trying to see if my oldest has any interest.

Even if they lose interest over time I believe it's important for them to be educated about firearms. I want them to know the difference between a toy and a real weapon. I want them to be safe around any firearm whether it is in our home or outside our home. Think of all the gun owners who don't secure weapons.

You can try other target sports as a well that might interest them. Before my dad bought me my first gun (.410 bolt action) I had slingshots, bb/pellet pistols, and rifles.

 

[laynejc]

She is coming back around, SHE wanted to make a competion out of deer hunting, see who could get the most. I told her she had to practice. Got her shooting, she likes it except for the noise. Someone said something about boys, she is already at that stage, Ill be grey before my time. Thanks to all.

 

[WhiteWolf4]

Glad to hear the good report...And don't forget the sound suppressors to kill the noise...Sounds like she's on her way...Now all you gotta do is beat her at deer hunting...lol...WhiteWolf

 

[sgtdeath66]

just keep it fun like stalking bear said, like you said she wanted to make it a competitve with deer hunting, its all about who can do it the best with kids these days