Brings a tear to my eye...

kamagong

kamagong

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Have you ever noticed a young boy watching his elder use a pocketknife for daily tasks? I was in the kitchen yesterday cutting a mango (food of the gods) when I saw my nephew (4-year-old) watching me in rapt attention. He seems to have taken a keen interest in my Eye Brand stockman, so after I rinsed it off I handed it to him. I asked him if he knew what it was and he said it was a pocketknife. I then explained to him that the knife in his hands was called a stockman, and that the scales were made of stag, from the antlers of a deer. My nephew took it all in. After our conversation he told my mom that when he gets bigger he wants a knife just like Uncle Kam. Warmed my heart to hear that. My mom on the other hand just sighed and gave me a look of vexation and then resignation. I guess she knows that there's no fighting it.

I don't think she realizes that this boy already has a Camillus Roughcut Stockman with his name on it.

:D
 
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kamagong said:
Have you ever noticed a young boy watching his elder use a pocketknife for daily tasks?
Click to expand...

You kidding? I WAS that boy! (I guess we all were at one point, eh?)

Seriously, great post. :thumbup:

I have a boy who turns 4 in a few weeks. He's always coming to me asking me to cut a thread off a sweater or sock or whatever - I'm sure - just to see me pull out my knife and cut something. Nine times out of 10 I'll close the knife and let him hold it a bit. Luckily, no grief from his mom over any of this. Three great kids and the best wife in the world .... not sure I deserve all this. :D
 
Excellent story. Like so many here, I was also that boy when I was around my grandfather. I still have the first knife I was given when I was 7 years old. It was a stockman made in Japan, has "Sabre" on the main blade, with carbon steal blades. One of my most treasured possessions.

Again, great story.
Mike
 
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:cool:: :thumbup:
 
Great story...I love the "look" you described.

I was stropping a couple of my daily carries last night. One of my 11 year old sons was watching me. I always put my stuff away when I'm done. I went to bed early last night. When I got up this morning my strop was on the table and next to it was a gun metal gray alox victorinox cadet. All 3 of my sons have cadets and farmers. All different colors of course to avoid any fist fights. :)

I left before any of them were up this morning but I'm guessing the owner of the gun metal gray cadet tried his hand at stropping last night.
 
I think it's hardwired into the genes, maybe all the way back to the cave.

Many times I've taken out a pocket knife to do something, and any little boy in the vicinity seems transfixed. Almost as if the pocket knife is some sort of holy talisman of manhood. They want to hold it, look at it, feel it in thier hand.

I can only imagine in my minds eye, a scene from very long ago; a cave lit by the flickering yellow light of a fire, the hunters getting ready for a trip out for meat. They sit by the fire with a piece of deer antler in one hand, an obsidian blade in the other. As they finish the last of the touch up knapping, one hunter gets up to go, and he see's a young boy watching with rapt attention. The hunter hands him a freshly sharpened obsidian knife and the young boy holds it with great reverence. He feels the razor sharp scaloped edge, and the weight of it in his young hand. He hands it back to the hunter and the hunter tells him to practice with the left over flint nods by the fire. If he gets good, maybe he'll come along one day.

The boy practices what he see's his elders do. He wants to be one of them.

Obsidian, copper, iron, steel, all the same. The boy learns by watching. The pup imitates the full frown dog.
 
Years ago, before BFC, I used to sell knives at shows. Really just did it for fun and to meet knife nuts. (It worked. ;)).

I specialized in higher quality stuff, but would keep my eye out for closeouts of good stuff in the distributor catalogs I received at the time and would buy a few of them and keep them under the table in a bag.

When a kid would come by with his parents, after the kid was distracted I would ask mom or dad if it was OK if I gave them one of the knives from the "bag". The look and appreciation from the kid and sometimes even the parent(s) was priceless.
 
Ahhh...Blues ,the soap bar carving. My own little cub scout used my Camillus made Kabar stockman for his.

After he was finished I wiped it off and gifted it to him. He made a "memory" with it...and by watching him,so did I.
 
Bastid said:
Years ago, before BFC, I used to sell knives at shows. Really just did it for fun and to meet knife nuts. (It worked. ;)).

I specialized in higher quality stuff, but would keep my eye out for closeouts of good stuff in the distributor catalogs I received at the time and would buy a few of them and keep them under the table in a bag.

When a kid would come by with his parents, after the kid was distracted I would ask mom or dad if it was OK if I gave them one of the knives from the "bag". The look and appreciation from the kid and sometimes even the parent(s) was priceless.
Click to expand...

That's just about the coolest thing I've heard in weeks.

And yeah, I was that kid, too.

James
 
Uncle cam, that was a good bedtimestory for me. I have two sons Six and soon to be four years old. They are of the same sort. Especially Olle my small one takes good interest in my knifes and like the traditional. Fabian the older one likes to look at SAKs. They bouth has knifes, for ex victorinox Soldiers with their year of birth on the blade.

Bastid, A sweet thing to do.

Bosse
 
Last night I was sitting in front of the TV and my 6yr old little girl decides to bring an apple for me to cut up, without a knife of course. I take out my swayback and cut off a pieces and she suddenly decides it has has to be peeled, and she wants to do it. So I look around to make sure wife is not around and carefully guide her through removing the peel from the apple. Good news is no blood, bad news is little girl does not know how keep mouth shut (wife very unhappy!). This summer daughter and I will spend some time making toothpicks out of branches while camping, until then I need to teach her some safety rules.
 
kamagong said:
Have you ever noticed a young boy watching his elder use a pocketknife for daily tasks?
:D
Click to expand...

Hey- quit being so sexist!!! :pMy 2 year old little girl is the same way. She knows where the handle is, why not to touch the blade (ouch, I'll get cut), and how to properly touch a knife. Almost always when she sees me use a knife she'll ask to touch it. Lately she has been cutting her food with a butter knife when we go out. It has gotten to the point that I do not close the knife when I let her hold it- time for her to act responsibly and if she makes a mistake with it- well that is how she will learn. I keep a very close watch that it does not go near her eyes, but she is showing the responsibility that so many are lacking these days. She makes her daddy proud:D- even showed my classmates how to properly cut when we went out for dinner a couple of weeks ago!
 
You have to love the look of amazement on kids faces. Both my son and daughter know I have pocket knife. They've held them, and asked my wife when they "get big" will they have there own. They've seen me use my knives for different tasks and think in their own minds that with such a tool you can face the challenges of the world.
 
I have two grandsons and two granddaughters that I hope to instill the usefulness of having a pocket knife. I've always had one in my pocket or at least close by since I was 5 or 6 years old.
 
That's a great story, thanks for sharing it! I am glad to hear tales like this one. Too often you hear the other kind (why would you need that?).

Sounds like it runs in the family :D
 
Great story Kam ! we were at a family gathering a couple of weeks ago when I herd some one in the other room say I can't get this open then I herd one of mu three year old daughters say "My Daddy can, he carries a pocket knife" then I heard " Daddy... come cut wiss pwease." Made me grin from ear to ear :D
 
Great story.

When I was in the 5th grade (1959 :eek:), the teacher (female) told us all to try to bring a pocket knife to school the following week because we were going to do soap carving. We did, and we carved, and I don't recall any injuries or problems. A lot of us boys already routinely carried a pocket knife everywhere. Most of us had a Cub or Boy Scout issue folder. I remember being proud of us guys in front of the girls since we were "veteran" knife users.

My how times have changed.
 
jackknife said:
I think it's hardwired into the genes, maybe all the way back to the cave.

Many times I've taken out a pocket knife to do something, and any little boy in the vicinity seems transfixed. Almost as if the pocket knife is some sort of holy talisman of manhood. They want to hold it, look at it, feel it in thier hand.

I can only imagine in my minds eye, a scene from very long ago; a cave lit by the flickering yellow light of a fire, the hunters getting ready for a trip out for meat. They sit by the fire with a piece of deer antler in one hand, an obsidian blade in the other. As they finish the last of the touch up knapping, one hunter gets up to go, and he see's a young boy watching with rapt attention. The hunter hands him a freshly sharpened obsidian knife and the young boy holds it with great reverence. He feels the razor sharp scaloped edge, and the weight of it in his young hand. He hands it back to the hunter and the hunter tells him to practice with the left over flint nods by the fire. If he gets good, maybe he'll come along one day.

The boy practices what he see's his elders do. He wants to be one of them.

Obsidian, copper, iron, steel, all the same. The boy learns by watching. The pup imitates the full frown dog.
Click to expand...

great story kam

and jackknife great minds eye
 
Shore08 said:
That's a great story, thanks for sharing it! I am glad to hear tales like this one. Too often you hear the other kind (why would you need that?).

Sounds like it runs in the family :D
Click to expand...
What could my mom say? My grandfather, her father, was the one who gave me my first knife. It was a cheapie, but that knife stimulated the latent knifenut in me. I'm just doing as I was taught.

:cool:

Then again it looks like most of us could use that line to justify our hobby.
 
I helped an older gentleman (knife user, but not a knife knut) pick out a first knife for his grandson. They left with a brand new Case yellow trapper in CV. It looked "just like grandpa's." It was a beautiful thing, and they both left happy. :)
 
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