[sandytroop]

Exactly as you fellows suggest, my agency actually teaches new guys to introduce the kids and guns, eliminate the mystery, and hammer the safety issue home.

I also have little kids... boys, 8 and 4, aka The Cyclone Brothers. My 8 wanted to see the guns, so I got them out and, because he is HUGE into robots, I disassembled my Gov't Model and showed him the mechanical relationships. He loved all the mechanicals, but then I tossed in the ringer "Hey buddy, as long as it's all apart, lets clean it up a little." So we did, the whole "detailed wipe" with hoppes etc. Then we oiled it, and reassembled it. By the end he was clearly getting a bit antsy. Next time, I repeated this procedure. Now, I ask him "Hey Jacky, you want to see the guns?" he's like "Uh, no dad, that's cool." I swear, if he even smells Hoppes now he would probably take off out the back door.

Momma caught his 4 yo brother stabbing a box of cereal with a butter knife recently... I'm not at all sure if there's any teaching technique for that outside of "Stop stabbing my cereal boxes! Go to your room!" (Hey, ya gotta start where they are, right?)