Nerf Blasters: Love 'Em or Hate 'Em?

If you have a son between the ages of 4 and 14, I'm sure you know all about Nerf blasters (aka "Nerf guns," but if you're like me you prefer the kinder gentler term:).  Not that girls don't enjoy them as well, but Nerf blasters are definitely a classic boy toy.  And if you get a group of boys together and add some Nerf blasters - look out!  Chaos is bound to reign.  So do you allow your kids to use Nerf blasters, or are you one of those parents who thinks they contribute to male aggression and promote violence?

There are definitely parents on both sides of this issue.  Some parents give their kids the biggest most powerful Nerf blasters before they can even handle them by themselves, and others completely ban them in favor of more non-violent toys, like erector sets and chemistry kits.

But many of us have parenting policies that lie somewhere in the middle.  I do not mind my kids having Nerf blasters, as long as they follow a few rules.  First of all, they should never shoot "blast" at anyone's head.  That may be an obvious one.  Also, I am not crazy about using them indoors.  I guess if it is just my son shooting at a target he may use it in the house, but if you get more than one kid involved, you definitely need to move it outdoors.  My son was at a birthday party recently where all eight of the boisterous little boys were allowed to have an all-out Nerf war IN THE HOUSE!  (Needless to say, it was the kid's dad's house with no mom around:)

If you do fall in the pro Nerf blaster camp, which ones are your favorite?  My son has the Nerf Vortex Proton, which shoots the discs rather than the darts.  It is actually very cool and shoots pretty far.  I bought the Nerf N-Strike Longstrike blaster for my nephew, and he loves it, but he is 12 years old.  That one is definitely for bigger kids.  Most of the Nerf blaster products look like they receive pretty decent reviews on Amazon.  They even make a tactical vest!

So are you Pro Nerf blaster or Anti Nerf Blaster?  I'd love to hear from you!


Fun bit of trivia for the day:  Did you know that "NERF" actually stands for "Non-Expanding Recreational Foam"? What you don't learn from Wikipedia, I tell ya'!