THINK back to your childhood. Chances are yours was before mine (just a little, of course) but for many they were some of the best years of our lives.

No worries, no responsibilities and, best of all, no bills. A surprising number of people still tell me that they wish they could go back to their school days.

Childhood ought to be about having fun and experiencing what life has to offer. Naturally, some of that will be good and some will be bad. Those experiences build character and resilience.

But there exists a brigade of concerned parents and government officials who are trying their utmost to sap all the fun out of childhood and mollycoddle youngsters to the nth degree.

It was reported in The Advertiser on Monday that as many as 20 showbags at this year’s Royal Adelaide Show will contain toy guns and Mark McPherson, whose son Lewis was shot and killed four years ago, expressed concerns.

“In the less politically-correct days, we all played cowboys and Indians and ran around pointing guns at our friends, pretending to shoot each other,” he told The Advertiser.

“Now, that sort of play progresses to violent video games that can really desensitise people — not everyone, but susceptible people — to violence.

“This is a hard question for all of us but I truly think we would be better off if guns weren’t in showbags than if they were.”

Mr McPherson has obviously endured a highly traumatic experience and I can understand his concern. But with all due respect, I don’t think playing with toy guns is the precursor to gun violence.

As young children, my brother and I played with toy guns. As far as we were concerned, it was harmless fun.

Our parents explained to us that real guns were weapons, whereas we had toys. We understood the damage a gun could do and we had no inclination to use one. Contrary to popular belief, the mere sight of a gun does not turn boys into rampaging murderers.

If you have the mentality that it is acceptable to shoot someone, I don’t think the presence or lack thereof of a toy gun is going to make much difference.

Earlier this year, women’s group Zonta International made a submission to the domestic violence and gender inequality Senate inquiry recommending that children’s toys should come in plain-packaging, much like cigarettes, because blue and pink is supposedly detrimental.

Their argument was that stereotypically gendered toys reinforce that women should be submissive and men dominant, thus contributing to domestic violence in later life.

You can’t make this stuff up.

My parents and grandparents have regaled me with tales of their younger years and the tricks they got up to. Without any gadgets to keep them occupied they went out gallivanting for long periods with school friends, creating games and having a jolly time.

They had no mobile phones to let their parents know they were all right, but they were always home by dinner. Despite the fact that crime rates have not changed significantly, and in some cases have decreased, few children are allowed to have these experiences anymore.

In the last ten years I’ve seen play equipment that I once enjoyed removed from playgrounds, presumably because it was deemed too unsafe to use. Is it any coincidence that they are always the most fun part of the playground?

Children will fall off play equipment and they will break bones. When I graduated from trainer wheels on my first bike, I rode around the backyard too fast and hit the deck, significantly grazing most of my arm and half my face.

Instead of my parents taking my bike away from me because it was a safety hazard, they cleaned my injuries and told me to be more careful. I soon learnt to control my speed.

Making mistakes is a big part of childhood and indeed life. It helps one learn right from wrong and when not to take risks. The more we bubble-wrap children and shield them from the realities of the world, the more harm we do. It doesn’t protect them — it hinders them.

If we don’t watch it, we will breed a whole generation of people who need a guiding hand until they are about 40.