One of my friends children, about 8 years old asked me "why do you have a gun". I responded "for personal protection and to deter crime". I thought about what I said afterwords and realized that the child probably did not understand what I said very well. What is the best thing to say that a child would understand?
My children are 3, 7, & 8. If you ask them why their dad carries a gun they will say in their own words....and I quote:
My 8yr old daughter-
Me: "Why does your Daddy carry a gun?"
Daughter: "To keep us and other people by us safe."
Me: "Keep you safe from what?"
Daughter: "Anyone that might do something bad."
My 7yr old son-
Me: "Why does your Daddy carry a gun?"
Son: "For safety."
Me: "For safety?"
Son: "Yeah Dad, in case a stranger tries to hurt someone or us."
You asked what is the best thing to say to a child that they will understand. The answer is: the truth. An 8 year old might know understand what the word "deter" means, but I think they would understand what you meant by the context of your statement. I get asked by children a lot 'are you a policeman?" and "why do you carry a gun?" The answer I give is very similar to yours. I carry this for my own protection, as well as the protection of others who are around me. Sometimes people think that statements like those might end up scaring kids. In my experience, they don't. Short honest answers are probably best, as you don't always know what the child's parents may think.
