indoor fireworks

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I never played with gasoline, but that's because its fumes (which is what actually burns, not the liquid itself) sink. I had a buddy get burned because he was lighting a campfire with gasoline, forgot the matches, went to get them, lit the fire, and himself because the fumes surrounded his feet. I always stayed with alcohols (denatured alcohol, cheap cologne, rot-gut vodka, etc. Basically, the stuff you will get very sick if you drink) and dry items like thermite, and those are legal too. They can be more dangerous though, because alcohols like methanol burn almost colorless. The good thing is, water will put out alcohol fires. Water will NOT PUT OUT A THERMITE REACTION, IT WILL MAKE IT VERY DANGEROUS, VERY QUICKLY.

DingoDv~ yes, son is allowed to make campfires when we go camping ( we go all throughout the summer). he's also been in cub scouts and boy scouts & has earned his firemen's chit....he knows about fire safety, but just doesn't always utilize the knowledge he has..............as i've said earlier, we've set up an area in the backyard where he can make fires as long as we know about it & are home. ( at least one adult has to be home)....

We have the same rule with our camp fire ring in the yard. He can use it as long as I know about it and as long as I am home.

He has spent many hours studying the temperatures of different chemicals and how to make the flames different colors. He took basic high school chemistry early (when he was 11) and is going to take Physics next school year (age 14). He is very science oriented and he thinks he knows what is safe and what isn't.

The problem is that he lacks Executive Function. He doesn't always understand cause and effect or he isn't able to "see" what the results of his actions are going to be.

His desire to experiment with fire is not because it is forbidden. It isn't. I allow him to make fires in the fire-pit and under controlled situations. He has just always been facinated with fire and I knew that if I tried to forbid it, I would have a sneaky Pyro on my hands, which in my opinion is usually more dangerous than having it out in the open.

My problem is that I hate fireworks and I have a healthy fear of fire. I just wish there was someone else to hand him off to for this particular obsession. I'm burned out with dealing with it. I had a nightmare a few nights ago, before he lit the siding on fire. I dreamt that my house was burning down and I was trying to save all of my pictures. I was throwing everything out the window and the glass on the pictures was breaking all over the road. Isn't that strange that I should have that dream just days before he actually does set part of the house on fire? This whole issue really stresses me out.

Dingo makes an excellent suggestion, If it comes to it you may check into a visit to a local burn ward to see first hand what real physical suffering burns can cause. Also it sounds to me as if Ster and SandySue are both dealing with an adolesent's failure to recognize their own mortality or vulnerability. I know I suffered from this malady and am surprised I lived to adulthood when I consider the reckless things I did. Fortunately I'm only missing part of one finger.

Kids need to understand they CAN be hurt, but how to do that without becoming an abuser is beyond me.

You know, I have to chuckle while reading this thread because...well...sometimes you just have to.


I have several friends who think I'm being funny when I mention that when my son was really little (like around 3 or 4) I figured I had a good 30 seconds in the bathroom before he'd figure out how to assemble a bomb.


yeah, I wasn't kidding - and I'm sure all of you know exactly what I'm talking about! In all seriousness, he really has no fear of fire. There's other things that he is very cautious about (for instance, riding his motorcycle....he has a dirt bike and he is VERY cautious with it. Thank goodness.), but he loves fireworks and fire in general.