great job Smuckatelli, there are few better ways to spend a day 
Good job Dad…no doubt she will chat with her friends.
Probably won’t be long before a bf or other is tagging along to the range as well. Way to grow the sport & keep the good name alive!!
That was at the Verizon Center, not a scalper. She didn’t go and yesterday’s activity gives me some ammo.
Any time she comes up with that type of expensive requests, I’ll break it down to how many rounds we could buy with that money instead.
Having a 16 year old Sophomore I understand the hell you are going through. Trust me, it doesnt get better for a while. Hang in there brother.
I’ve taken one lad shooting, but all of her other suitors have had to have a ‘get to know me and the ground rules meeting’ before they take her out. Of course this always occurs while I am cleaning a weapon
Brittney maybe. but a lot of the 16 year olds consider her a has been now. Hannah Montana is looked upon as being good for the middle school girls. Now for the high school girls, Taylor Swift is who all the girls go nuts over these days. Froze my ass off at her concert in February when I took my girls there. The things a daddy will do.
Yes, I have found it quite effective to have a friendly discussion with the young lad’s father prior to any dating. Believe me, you will likely find him to be an ally of yours. It is in his best interest as well as yours, that his son does not “do anything stupid.”
My ex and I used to have a combined “I love me” wall in the house. She was an Army warrant, and I was a graduate of the University of Science, Music and Culture. Nothing like the young lad seeing lots of photos of you, heavily-armed and in military garb, to make him ponder his life choices.
My daughter ran through potential suitors the way Rosie O’Donnell runs through a Chinese buffet. Lots of boys calling and visiting. But she is a smart girl, and carefully coached. “Daddy, they are all stupid and just want one thing.” She’s settled on one boy that seems to be a smart, respectful lad.
The trick is to weed out the cunning wolves and stupid sheep, and make sure she finds a loyal sheepdog.
Best of luck to you.
Good on you Dad. Hopefully, this event will grow into a life long love affair with firearms. Make the offer to join you at the range, every time you go.
I think this is worth repeating. I have a 5yr old son and we are very close. He loves being involved in everything I do. With a little luck, I’ll do half as a good a job as my parents did.
That’s what blows my mind, when she came up and asked about Britney…I pointed out that she is/was a has been. That didn’t float with her…but she still didn’t go;)
She’s an interesting one to figure out when it comes to pop culture. She’s been to U-2 and Cold Play concerts (BTW, they are MUCH cheaper). She has Taylor, Britney, Tom Jones and various other artist from 1960 to the present on her iPod. She’s also tri-lingual (English, Czech, French), she is much more intelligent than I am but I have experience over her:D
She really took to the shooting, she was freezing her rear end off but I had to practically drag her off of the range.
Good stuff! I’m working on mine right now. Santa brought her a pink Daisy air rifle for Christmas and I had been getting her amped up on A Christmas Story. I finally got to get her out to the ‘range’ at my buddy’s property last weekend. She had been reluctant to learn very much beyond mandatory safety and sight picture. Saturday night (after we arrived) before we turned the lights out in the camp trailer, she says (7 years old, mind you), “Daddy, I don’t want to hurt your feelings…but I have something to tell you.” Long story short, she didn’t want to shoot because her First Grade teacher had been instilling HER fear of guns by telling the kids that they’re “bad and they kill people.” My kid is smarter than that, so I asked her, “Honey, have you ever seen any of my guns come out of the safe or their locked cases and kill anyone?” “LOL, no Daddy…guns aren’t alive, they can’t do that.” I ask, “So do you think it’s reasonable to say that GUNS are bad or the PEOPLE using them to do bad things?” Well, her answer was obvious. I’m encouraging her to ask questions in class like, “Teacher, why do the police have them, then?” or “Doesn’t it make more sense to learn about something instead of just fearing it?” We’ll see where that gets us. I’m not talking to the teacher or administrative staff because I know it won’t go anywhere.
I think we’ve got a handle on it at home now, especially since she couldn’t WAIT to load the next BB. She was also giggling while I was doing reload drills with the 1911. Turn around when we’re all done and she’s clapping. 
Taking aim (plywood angled down slightly to minimize bounce):
High group on lower A-zone of 1/3 scale IPSC target…from about 20ft. VERY acceptable, especially for the first rounds ever!
Sweet shivering Shiva, man! You are teaching your child to respond logically and analytically? My goodness, don’t you know she’s supposed to react only to blind emotional appeals, with no basis in fact?
Great job on educating your child, sir.
I know, a 7yo vs. a Liberal isn’t a real fair fight. :D:D:D
Thank you, we’re trying. We started her young and it’s one of those topics we keep down low at school. Here she is at 5, out bird hunting (grouse) with me. She had a great time picking up turkey feathers in one field we walked through.
Awesome work gentlemen! My daughter isn’t due till the first week of June, but she’ll be right behind them in terms of gun safety, education, and proficiency!
Get their heads right while they are young. Wont be long before the college professors try getting their claws in.
Wow, my first child (a daughter) is due on June 8th as well! Good luck brother!
This is an awesome post to be reading right now. I am very keen on teaching my child firearms safety at a young age and start them out shooting when they are ready. Seeing posts like this make me very excited to be expecting a kid here soon! I can’t wait to have a “range buddy” here in a few years.
Good guess, she’ll also spend a good amout of time on a Marine Corps range.
Saturday was cold & wet. I need to get her there during pleasant, hot, cold and dry and winter days…with a lot of range time inbetween.
I stopped by her room last night, she has the target taped to the wall.
Absolutely awesome!! Kudos to all of you who take the time to do this with your children of all ages.
Kudos for forcing her to wear the proper eye protection as well. As one of the club RSO, this is something I have to address at my local club just about every time I make the trip. There are too many things can go wrong at a range that can result in the permanent loss of vision.
Smile on your little girl’s face after a day of hunting: PRECIOUS!!
I’ve got to add to this great thread as well.
Took my (then 12 yr old) daughter to the range for the first time in mid-Feb. She had a wonderful time. She loved shooting the rifles but didn’t particularly like shooting the handguns (.45 and 9mm) so I went a picked up a Beretta Neos in .22LR for her 13th birthday (earlier this month.) We went this Saturday to try it out and she liked it. But she told me she still preferred shooting the rifles.
(Glock 19)
Awesome thread!
Last month, mine told me she wanted to become a Misguided Child herself. My heart nearly stopped. She wants to become an MP, then maybe become a K-9 handler, if she works hard and does well.
I think I have finally figured out how to be completely terrified and very proud at the same time.
Her mother took it calmly. She looked at me, announced “This is all your fault”, and did not speak to me for four days.
I dunno. Maybe yours and mine will be in the same platoon at PI.