Tactical vest for my son

[richc]

Hey Tony,

If we did not use firearms I would not care if he chose to wear the vest. It is because we do use firearms that I am concerned about him losing track of ammo.

Regarding having the same problem with a wind breaker. Yes, I worry a little about that too. But there is a big difference. The windbreaker has two pockets. It is easy to double check them for any evil stuff. And honestly I don't see him putting ammo in the pockets of a windbreaker... there is no cool factor.

The tactical vest had dozens of pockets. And being a kid I know he would get a kick out of stuffing it full of lots of cool ammo and gear. It is a kid thing. And IMHO it would be much easier for him to lose track of all the ammo and magazines and stuff in all those pockets, nooks and crannies. Me thinks it would be much easier for him to wander around without realizing he is carrying a cartridge or magazine.

I don't think we can compare the windbreaker to the tactical vest in that regard.

Cheers,

Rich

Rich, are you more concerned that the vest would draw undue attention to your son, or are you concerned that he'd do something stupid like walk around with ammo in his pockets?

If it's the former, I have to side with your son. I could understand how your son would think you're being paranoid and unreasonable. A cop or teacher can't walk up to him and say, "Hey, you're wearing a military vest, let me see what's in your pockets." I don't understand why he would want to wear such a thing (when I was 16 I wouldn't have been caught dead wearing a tac vest around in public), but if that's what floats his boat, so be it. And if you're right and he does draw attention to himself, well he's just going to have to learn that the hard way, and when he complains you can say "I told you so."

On the other hand, if it's the latter I think you have much more serious problems than what your son is wearing. If you think he's careless enough to walk around with ammo in his pockets wearing a tac vest, what makes you think he's not going to make the same mistake without one? A brass cartridge or handful of forgotten ammo can fall out of the pocket of a windbreaker just as easily as it could a tac vest.

 

[the jeff]

a tactical vest as a fashion statement. Kids these days. i shale never understand.....

 

[richc]

As 28 year old with 20 month old twin boys, these questions and the world we live in ( and what it will become ) scare me more than I could have EVER imagined! All ready many sleepless nights have been had worrying.........

Hey DRB,

Thanks for the kind words. And congrats on the 20 month old twins!

You have to pay attention all the time. You have to realize that boys think differently. They may not get the notion of consequences of their actions. Actually I don't believe they consider consequences much at all. They tend to live for the moment. Adrenaline is their friend.

Here's a tip... open your house up to all your kids friends. Host parties. Invite kids over for dinner. Bring kids on trips with you.

In my experience only the good kids want to hang with someone whose parents are around. The troublemakers want nothing to do with parents. It makes a difference.

Cheers,

Rich

p.s. One quick story to illustrate my experiences. A few years ago I was pulling into the driveway at dusk. I see my son riding his bike up the street. Then out of the corner of my eye I notice something trailing behind him by about 25 feet. It is his best friend. The kid is lying down on a skateboard and holding a rope attached to Joe's bike. Basically the kid is invisible to any cars driving along. HOLY SHIT... it would have been so easy for a car pulling out of a driveway or around the corner to just run him over. When Joe turns the corner to enter the driveway the skateboard and kid goes wide into the middle of the street. And the boys... they just thought it was soooo coooooool...