Hey fellas, i need some advice on giving my son his 1st knife...

G

Garlic

Joined
Feb 22, 2005
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288
...and not having WWIII with my wife over it.

here's some background.. my 1st child (an incredibly handsome boy), just turned a year old. i can see that he's very keen to his environment, and already wants to get his hands on stuff that he sees me use on a daily basis - for example, my coffee mug, my cell phone, my laptop, straight-haired brunettes, etc. it ocurred to me that he's also bound to want a knife, since i'm such a knut myself. the problem is, my wife still has negative associations with knives, & is FAR from understanding or appreciating the many aspects of their functional art, and just silently puts up with my hobby.

so my question is, how do i:

1) "break her in" to the idea that it's perfectly sane to collect & carry knives - & that they aren't just weapons for those with a violence fetish.
2) not have a knockdown draggout fight over the issue when the time comes that i would love to give my son a knife just as my dad did for me when i was 13.

i know that i should probably ask a therapist these questions, but i don't reckon many local therapists would have a clue enough to empathize.

ps - while i'm at it, is it too much to ask for accounts or stories of when your knife (or someone else's) came in handy during a serious crisis & saved the day? this would be good ammo for my cause.

thanks in advance.
 
The first knife my dad gave me was a Swiss Army Knife, that was about 16 years ago and I still carry it. I love that knife.

I never saw the Swiss Army Knife as a weapon, made me think of knives as tools, as they always should be. All I know is my father was a cop for 30 years, my brothers, sisters, stepmom, everyone in my family hunts and carrys knives, my brother even has a CC pistol permit. I grew up with it, was told from day one they are dangerous, not to be ever ever used against anybody for any reason, respect the power of whats in your hand, etc..

You may want to buy your wife a knife for her to carry. Once she figures out how handy they can come in she'll be much more open. I suggest a Spyderco Jester, maybe with the pink handles. :D

Oh just noticed you said your son was a year old, I'd prolly wait till he was like 5 years old, that's when my dad gave me my first .22 rifle and knife actually.
 
Swiss Army Knife, that was my first knife when I was 6, I got a Mini-Bowie when I was 7. I still have both knives, but the SAK has seen quite a bit of wear and I use other knives now.

SAKs have always been seen as tools and a lot of people (even non knife-knuts) have them, so she's going to be really unreasonable not to accept that. To go a step further get one of the locking Victorinox knives as they're even safer. Once she sees that he's gone a few years with the SAK and there haven't been any problems then you can go a step up. A SAK when he's 13 and a nice folder when he's 16 seems pretty reasonable to me. Of course if I was him I'd be irked that my mom was being so stiff about it but I'd still see it as a reasonable compromise.
 
A: if she gives you a hard time 'bout knives ask her what she uses in the kitchen ? Those scary big things, about three times the size of your regular knife ?

B: when your boy gets older (7-8 years) try to get him interested in boy scouts (or whatever those are called in your area). It's a terrific way t develop friendships, sense of team spirit and cooperation and to become more independent (- less of a fat lazy doughboy wasting their life in front of a friggin TV). A knife is a given with boy scouts, how else is your boy going to get through all that stuff without a useful piece of utility ? Unless you married a room plant she'll figure that one out by herself.

C: as your kid grows up teach him to be responsible and resourceful - the more he can do on his own the more likely it is he'll know what tools are best suited for a certain task. Knives are best suited for certain tasks. If your kid turns out to be a fat couch potato spending his life with his Playstation set he'll have no use for a knife, regardless of how much you try. If he grows up to be a normal person that spends some of his time outdoors he'll need a knife, he'll know how to use a knife and he'll ask his parents for a knife if he cannot afford one. What better way to make your kid happier when that happens than actually giving him a knife ? A good one ?
 
It was the same for me, I started with a little keychain size Swiss Army knife and then was given a Scout knife when I got my knife card in Cub Scouts. I think a nice slipjoint like a SAK or small peanut style slipjoint are good to start out with. Having a slipjoint teaches kids not to rely on a lock, which is a good mindset to carry over once they get a locking knife. Plus they are pretty simple to use and can withstand quite a bit. Just make sure you find one that is easy enough for your son to open and close. I remember I always had a bit of trouble with the scout knife, which has strong springs. Also, make sure to teach all the saftey rules and re-enforce them as much as possible. It is also a good idea the carry and use the same knife, as a child will feel a bond with it ("wow, i'm using the same tool as Daddy) and because you will serve as an example of proper knife use when ever he sees you using your knife.
 
SWISS ARMY HERE, too. Gave my grandson one. He TREASURES it. It does so many things. He helps his mom with all the TOOLS.

There isn't a better 1st knife than a SAK.

(unless he's ready for an Emerson or a Randall to piss off daddy)

;) :D :D
 
I gotta disagree that going for a slipjoint without a lock is the best idea, locks were invented for a reason. Even if you're being really careful you can jam it against something that would cause it to close (especially with the tips on SAK blades, I wouldn't worry as much with a standard Opinel type blade). If you have a safer option out there, why would you go for a less safe option "just for education"? It just doesn't make sense, it's like getting a knife without a guard when you could get one with it - what happens when your hands get sweaty and you slip? What are you going to tell your wife if that happens? "I thought it would teach him to be more responsible with knives". I'm sure that'll fly if she's predisposed to disliking knives :rolleyes: . The Victorinox pocket tool line has a good handle shape that makes slipping a bit less likely, and the nomad and one other have liner locks as well. I found the side locks a bit difficult to unlock when I was a kid (and it's still a bit awkward these days although now that my hands are bigger I don't have the same difficulties I used to), so I'd recomend one of the liner lock models.
 
I'll be the umpteenth guy to recommend an SAK. That being barred I'd say a fairly small traditional slipjoint of some sort, bright, pretty, natural handle materials, etc. Nothing one handed or black.

I'd also recommend checking out the Cub Scouts as soon as you can. By and large they're very pro knife and reasonable about it...might help the lil' lady with those negative images...

Try the history angle during casual conversation too- I've gotten alot of non knife enthusiasts to open thier minds a bit when showing off my khukuris and expounding on the history of them, Especially when you refer to the long history of man kind and how you can look at mans oldest tools (knives) and learn so much about history and how we've gotten where we are from a sociological perspective.

I still have the Remington stockman that my own son teethed on...somehow It doesn't sound like this would fly in your household though.

Best of luck, and let us know how the battle goes! (very wise to get an early start on it, BTW)

As for stories of use...good gawd man...they've saved my pet, made emergency campfires, helped unstick trucks, cut seat belts, been used at car accidents to gain patient access, removed clothing to care for wounds (at my own auto accident) cut strips of cloth for wilderness medicine cut a billion sandwiches, fishing line, opened mail, packages, whittled, trimmed off cracked fingernails, picked slivers, whittled marshmallow sticks, cut umpteen miles of rope and tape, whittled toothpicks, opened food packages, carved canoes, soldiers, toy guns, and envelope openers....the list never ends.
 
My best advice is to let your son see you use your pocket knife, wheither it be to open letters, boxes or blister packs with his toys inside. Let him see you use the screwdriver or can opener in your SAK. That way he gets used to the idea that knives are tools and not some "terrible weapon of mass distruction" . The best way to teach is through example and that goes for all types of behavior.
 
I understand the emotion behind Migos safety issue but personally I think that a lot of those "mistakes" are really the best learning tools. I've had knives since I was around 7 and I can still remember, at about that age, closing a slip joint on my little finger . It only happened once and I never forgot about being very respectful about what a knife edge can do after that. Obviously we don't want kids getting badly hurt but I feel we're getting a bit over-protective, kids have to learn cause and effect and consequence of action. My dad never kept my knives real sharp, ostensibly in anticipation of such an event, and I got some serious lectures about safety and responsiblilty in owning a knife. Get him a SAK that has a bunch of tools in it and teach him the necessary respect for what he's carrying. He'll love it!
 
I would get your son a Victorinox Tinker model SAK with a Boy Scouts of America logo on it.
Advantages--
--It has good selection of tool blades for "fixing" things rather than cutting them up.
--It has a secondary small knife blade for initial practice.
--It has a BSA blessing symbol on it.
--It is a compact design that is very easy to carry and yet does a lot of things.

Other advice. ASAP get a Victorinox Classic SAK (the little one with knife, scissors, nail file, toothpick, and tweazers) Hand it to your wife whenever she needs to open a package or pick out a splinter. Maybe she needs to carry it for you sometime and you will just forget that she has it in her purse. My wife didn't give hers up until the TSA made it inconvenient for her to take it on her business trips.

When you get the knife for your son, don't let him take full possetion of it for about a year. You only want him to use it while you are together working on something for a while. If the kid has it in his pocket he will find things to cut with it. Typically it is things that are highly prized like the inside of the new minivan. Come up with some projects to share.
 
It's not emotion for me, it's experience using a SAK as a kid, I've had a couple near misses with the blade closing on my finger that I'd rather hadn't happened. I'd already managed to chop my foot open before that with an axe, I didn't need any more learning experiences. When you're teaching someone to use a chainsaw you don't let them use it without chainsaw pants first so that they learn proper respect for the damage a chansaw can cause. Safety equipment and features were invented for a reason, not using them is just plain stupid. I don't use knives anymore that don't have some form of locking mechanism (unless they're fixed blades of course), and it's not that I'm being overcautious. I juggle knives, I get nicks here and there in my hands when I screw up but those aren't serious. The potential of losing a finger when a slipjoint closes on me is something I'm not willing to risk, so it would certainly be even more irresponsible to let someone with less experience and co-ordination using a knife use something I wouldn't. There comes a time when you leave the "good old days" behind, and that time came when locking knives became widely available.
 
nelsonmc said:
The first knife my dad gave me was a Swiss Army Knife, that was about 16 years ago and I still carry it. I love that knife.

I never saw the Swiss Army Knife as a weapon, made me think of knives as tools, as they always should be. All I know is my father was a cop for 30 years, my brothers, sisters, stepmom, everyone in my family hunts and carrys knives, my brother even has a CC pistol permit. I grew up with it, was told from day one they are dangerous, not to be ever ever used against anybody for any reason, respect the power of whats in your hand, etc..

You may want to buy your wife a knife for her to carry. Once she figures out how handy they can come in she'll be much more open. I suggest a Spyderco Jester, maybe with the pink handles. :D

Oh just noticed you said your son was a year old, I'd prolly wait till he was like 5 years old, that's when my dad gave me my first .22 rifle and knife actually.
Click to expand...
How about the Kershaw TwoCan for his wife...I just got one and I love it!
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migo,
Let me tell you from my own experiences. When I let my brother when he was younger use my knifes he would stab with them, beat the back of them, twist it, basically do all sorts of things that could break the lock and/or cause it to close on his hands. The injury he could get from a lock breaking or becoming unlocked when he didn't expect it would be a lot greater then the nick most people get from misusing a slip joint. If they start with a knife that doesn't have a lock they will not rely on the lock in the future. They would know better not to put a knife in a situation where the lock could break or become unlocked. Plus, young kids need simple things. Some children arn't strong enough to work the lock or can't figure out the best way to use it. My brother took my father's lockback one time and the only way he could close it was use both thumbs on the lock and push the blade against the bottom of a table. He almost cut himself good with that technique until I caught him.

Between the simplicity and lessons learned from a tiny slipjoint it can't be beat for a starter knife. Once they get the hang of that (8-10 maybe) then something with a lock for saftey is the next step, since by then they will/should be using their knife frequently for tasks. But, they need the skills to start. If the rely on the lock they will treat a folder like a fixed blade, they won't treat it with the respect it needs. Which will someday come back to bite them hard.
 
All of these replies are great advice! I had a slingshot at 4, a basic one blade knife at 5, a single shot 22 at 8,a bow at 9, a shotgun at 10, and a leatherman at 12. I was always taught that all of these were tools and not weapons, and in reality they are. My wife has numerous Girl Scout knives but never had an EDC. I got her numerous ones and finally the day came when she wanted a totally one handed EDC. Got her a Kershaw scallion and she is amazed at how many people ask her to help them out when a knife is needed. They initially flinch a bit when she whips it out but then she explains the functionality as a tool. As a result I have bought many knives and pocket tools for her friends and relatives as they have a bonafide use as a multi-purpose tool. IMO the tool angle has always been the best since it is true.
 
Def a slip joint to start with, they really need to cut themselves once to gain respect for it. I got my first 'proper' knife when I was 5. I have a 20 month old boy myself that is into everything, especially my socket sets and flashlights. He learned to twist them on a long time ago. He has a wood scale Swisschamp waiting for him for his 5th birthday. How about one of the trainer knives with the blunt edge to get him started?
 
Go with a Swiss Army Knife (SAK). It might help if YOU started to carry one so your wife could see you using it and see just how useful it is. Try one that has scissors. There's not a woman in the world who doesn't know how useful a good pair of scissors is.

Paul
 
Giving a child who is mature enough to be trusted with and properly handle it teaches the child responsibility.
 
What they said, if you give him one while he's young (10 yrs or less)-SAK. This should teach him the "knives as tools" thing.

As for breaking in your wife to the idea, I suggest you give her one before hand. A small SAK should be first, then if she uses it, maybe a small folder later.
 
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