First Knife Rules for 8 year old

abo4ster

abo4ster

Joined
Aug 24, 2003
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I know it sounds over the top, but I will not always be around and I want to drive home the responsibility of owning a knife to my 8 year old nephews when I give them thier first pocket knife tomorrow, an SOG Flash-1. I made a list of rules that they must adhere to or lose the knife. I am actually going to make them sign it. I will go over the rules below, teach them how to open and close the knife, the parts of the knife, do some whittling, etc. Did I miss anything? Any suggestions?



Dalton’s First Knife Rules

· Knives are tools, not toys.
· The sharp edge and point of the blade should always point away, never towards me or anyone else!
· I will never pull the blade towards me.
· Always ask yourself, “If the knife accidentally slips, where will it go?” If the answer is “into my hand or part of my body,” then I will change my position.
· I will not carry my knife with the blade open.
· I will not open or use my knife unless I am stable (feet on the ground).
· I will never throw my knife.
· I will never use my knife like a screwdriver or to pry.
· I will never use my knife as a hammer.
· I will not use my knife to chop. A knife is for slicing.
· If the blade does not open and lock or close all the way, I will let an adult know immediately.
· Sharp knives are safe tools, dull knives are dangerous. I will let my Mom know when my knife is dull.
· Whenever I am not using my pocketknife, I will keep it closed and locked.
· Knives have acceptable uses, but I will not take my knife to school.
· I will keep my knife clean and dry after use.
· At the end of the day, I will check my knife into my mother. I will not get my knife back from her unless I have her permission.

I, Dalton XXXXX, agree to the above rules. I understand that if I do not follow those rules or if I use my knife in an unsafe manner, it will be taken away indefinitely.
 
Did I miss anything?
Click to expand...

Yes.

I will polish my knife regularly with Flitz polish.

I will protect my knife with Ren Wax.

I will keep it properly lubricated with Militec-1.

The Bible says, "Teach a child in the way he should go and when he grows old he will not depart from it." In other words, start 'em with the good stuff.
 
Wait Wait Wait Wait Wait...

The first knife I carried was THIS, which I borrowed (not my picture)
VN-54213.jpg


And three years later at age 8 was THIS which I got at a dollar store:
6r1.jpg



And YOUR nephew gets THIS when he's 8?
B00007E1M1.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg



:mad:
 
you have put a lot of thought into your decision and have given an excellent set of guidelines. i can tell you that my 8 yr old carries a mini socom proudly and with a great deal of responsibility. i knew he was ready--on the other hand my 6 yr old may never carry a knife, simply because of his temperment. i will always look for a reason or sign to give him the opportunity to carry-he owns a case xx lockblade-but is only aloud to use it with me present-this works pretty good.Last but not least(and most important)be sure that these guidelines are met by you as well, then they will mean something- i have every reason to believe that you do based on the time and care that it took to develop these guidelines, pick some great knives and then look for other suggestions-these nephews have an awesome uncle:)
 
Thanks everyone. I was hesitant about the SOG Flash-1 too, but it came highly recommended. I also like the extra lock that keeps it closed. And the opening assist it has means that it will get opened fully -- lessens the chance of an accident from being partially open.

Finally, I did want them to have a knife they could use and grow with as I teach them outdoor skills. Thanks again.
 
"· I will never throw my knife.
· I will never use my knife like a screwdriver or to pry.
· I will never use my knife as a hammer."

Mine would be all gone. :o :D

All kidding aside. IF it were ME with a FIRST knife. : I'd drop the oath, but still make them promise. I'd get them a less tactical knife on the sharp side of dull. Hammer home the safe use and shool stuff. Not be too hard on them for mumblety peg.

NOTHING wrong with you're approach. The above is just my opinion. And I gave my nephew a Gerber lockback when he six so I must be nuts. ;) :D :eek: :footinmou
 
I gotta go with NeedleRemorse on this one. You gotta walk before you can run. This is far too aggressive a first knife for an 8 yr old. Hell, if he so much as decides to take it to school (innocent mistake) to show his friends, in todays zero-tolerance environment, your nephew will find himself in the news and off to a very bad start.

If I tried to give my nephew of 12 this knife, my sister would (after reviving from her fainting spell) chase me around the room with it. Humor aside, your notion is noble but I hesitate at your choice. His first knife should say whittle not weapon... JMHO

PS- you may want to reconsider and get him a fully loaded Swiss Army knife where the 'gadget factor' helps mitigate the 'blade' factor. A knife like this carries with it a whole different persona. I know if I got one at that age, I would have spent many happy hours fooling with all the cool things it could do.

(edited for spelling and content)
 
Yes, please add "I will not take this to school"

"I will never use it to start a fight..."
 
And YOUR nephew gets THIS when he's 8?
Click to expand...

You gotta walk before you can run. This is far too aggressive a first knife for an 8 yr old.
Click to expand...

The Bible says, "Teach a child in the way he should go and when he grows old he will not depart from it." In other words, start 'em with the good stuff.
Click to expand...
 
Incidently, my 3 yr old plays with his daddy's knives (supervised) now and then and knows and understands the rules. He has yet to break the rules - mostly because I keep everything locked up, put away, etc. But he knows they're dangerous and not to just play with them. Got a new khukuri this morning and let him hold the handle, check out the blade, etc. (no touching the blade, though) He's a good kid. I will have no problem trusting him with a real knife when the day comes. I've already started design a multi-blade I'll make for him...

My other son, though...I don't know if he'll ever be ready - he's lethal with blunt objects...:eek:
 
Quiet Bear,
Good for you for giving this so much thought before giving the knives to your nephews.

My only suggestion, and you may have already done this, would be to ask the parents what they think of your plans prior to the actual giving day. Sometimes parents have different ideas for their kids than us uncles do. ;)

Also, please see the below link, to a brochure that AKTI has available on their website, that is for exactly this subject.
*Note-You'll need Acrobat Adobe to view the document.

http://www.akti.org/education/safetyPamphlet.pdf

--The Raptor--
 
I would go with something along the lines of a Case Copperlock.Bound to attract less attention and would make a great first knife at that age.
 
I also think it is a good idea to get the boy an "adult" blade, and making him understand it is so. I was a bit younger than that when I got my first one, and it was a 5 or 6´´ fixed which I trated as if it was a nuclear weapon. Had it been a small SAK, maybe I would have got injured sometime.
To the above rules I would add:
* no stabbing -This is a corolary of one of the rules, but I don´t think a boy would give much thoughts to corolaries.
* don´t let the knife lying around, even if for a couple of minutes while you do something else - quite typical to let a knife on the grass while you tie something and finding it only after stepping on it.
* A knife is to be held always as if it could move by its own will - well, knife handles get slippery sometimes, you grab them like a fork somtimes... and I feel that is dangerous. Also, a knife is a precission tool, not to be grabbed as a hammer (only for chopping, which you have forbidden).
* No digging - self explanatory, I believe.
Last, if the boy is not allowed to chop (I find it very reasonable), teach him how to baton through small braches, or the day he wants to cut one (he will one day or another),he can get nervous not knowing how to slice through it and get in trouble. It will make him know the power of a knife if properly used, and that there is an intelligent way to do things, effectively and safely.
Oh, a habit I keep having having is putting a name on my two or three most used knives. I suppose right now is something pretty stupid to do, but to a boy it makes him feel his knife is not something easy to replace and quite close to him.
Just my thoughts,
Jaime
 
-i will not point a knife at people
-if the knife falls from my hand i will move away and not try to catch it.
-i will not cut up mom's curtains
 
I've got to throw my hat in with psdrew on this one. As much as I would have loved to get a knife like that when I was 8, I don't think it's the best choice, ESPECIALLY because it's an assisted opener. You may be setting him up for the wrong kind of attention from the wrong kind of people. I'm not saying it's right or that we should allow the sheeple to dictate our choices in hardware, but IMO a kid is far too likely to see such a knife in the wrong light, no matter how responsible or mature he is. My first blade was an SAK and my second an Old Timer; looking back I still think that both were good choices that lead me to where I am today. Other than the choice of blade I think the rules are great, just what I was taught (but didn't always observe ;) ). Also, accept the fact that he's going to get cut sooner rather than later, the important thing is to make sure it isn't too severe. Prepare his mother for that too. And don't forget to teach him how to sharpen it properly! I ground half the blade off of my Old Timer trying to teach myself; it wasn't until I came here that I learned how to do it right. A sharp knife really is safer than a dull one.
 
I suggest replacing your complex, soon to be forgotten rules/oath with four simple rules.

1) Don't cut yourself with it.
2) Don't hurt enyone with it.
3) Don't abuse it.
4) Don't bring it to school.

Explain the details but don't try to list all of the possible ways to break the basic rules.
 
Too much knife for an eight year old in my opinion. I would include no using it to rob banks or commit murder:D
 
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