Our 'real boy' play pasts

The inspiration for posts comes from the most unusual places and this one goes back to late last week and my Tumblr.

I quite innocuously  thought when I saw this "well this was a part of my past" and maybe posting it on Tumblr might produce a few likes but it lead to a number of thoughts and comments.
One of first is in today's world it certainly polarizes people, like there are, as Sammy said some who absolutely hate it and everything it represents from the world of the Cowboy, the tough and actually caring man who defended his family and community from threats and general lawlessness.
None of us are so ignorant to say the relationship between settlements and First Nation peoples was perfect and that wrongs were not committed but in looking at the value of things few things are perfect and there was (and is) a value on have strong men who could stand up to threats and take care of situations.
There are too those who regard Boys as being a 'problem' cos we ARE different even as much as our sense of gender identities may differ from that of Girls (and by extension, Women).
No matter how much female lead educators and academics try to push a 'gender neutral' way of raising and educating boys and girls, in most situation that boy always comes out with something different and time-honoured-his boyishness.
For instance for as much as I did play with dolls and spend time with girls enjoying it, I also would freely gravitate to my collection of cap guns playing cops and robbers pretending to shoot dead the robber even if I'd been playing in a more nurturing way minutes before.
I'd also play dress up as a Cowboy, doing the outfit with its hat, gun holster and gun standing tall enjoying pretending to lasso horses, chasing after people with my gun out from its holster and play dead too if shot at in play. 
I loved playing with guns, all sorts of guns and as much as we may well prefer to talk out people in situations there are times where it is impossible so whatever laws may be in place wherever you live, fact is responsible adults may have little option but to use them and so guns have place in society.

People worry about fighting and sure some fighting is wrong, but the fights we have as boys are different because we are testing each others limits, learning to respect them to control our strength and yes even the aggression we are capable of.
That keeps us and society safe long term.
I found playing with more 'physical' boys helped me let all that out while at the same time toughening me up being able to give out and take it which helped when it came to forming clear cut bonds with boys.
It's why I can look you in the eye because we both know what we are whatever differences we had. I love being a boy and wouldn't swap it for anything.