So, last night I had bath duty for the two girls. Usually the Mrs. and I swap days so that the other can get 25 minutes of time away.

Normally I bring a book with me. The girls are old enough to play without drowning each other, so our presence is just in case of "soap in eyes" or a "sharing incident".

However, last night I had no book. So I cleaned my rifle.

The best part was Georgia commenting on how she liked the new synthetic stock and asking me what the bolt was and how it worked. She even said she'd like to help me clean but that she couldn't because she was taking a bubble bath. How *cute* was that??!!?

These two girls are going to have absolutely no understanding why other parents and kids would freak out about guns. Georgia is old enough to talk to her about them and they are locked and kept out of reach of either of them throughout the day, so I don't worry about curiosity. Georgia also knows that if she ever wants to see one, she just has to ask me.

I have explained to Georgia what to do if she finds a firearm in anyone's house (including ours). She knows the rules and has repeated them to us on several occasions which makes me comfortable that she understands - Don't touch it, leave the room, find an adult. She even knows she's allowed to "tattle" on other kids if they're playing with it.

I believe in not "hiding the guns" from my daughters for the same reason they both refer to genitalia using the proper terms (yes, my daughters know what a penis is and call it a penis) - it demystifies the concept which takes away a lot of the lure of them. Both penises and guns (which according to many anti's, are closely related).

Safety of course is paramount. The bolt is removed from the M44 as that's about as effective as it gets. The .357 Magnum and the .22 LR both have child safety locks on them since they're not my primary protection. The Glock is with me so I act as the safety.

If you have young children and you have firearms, it is important that you balance the need for access with the safety of your children. It is up to you as the parent to assure they are well educated in them to keep them safe, and that education differs based on their maturity.