Kids and knives...

tiogatires

tiogatires

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Feb 6, 2007
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Greetings,

I have a question for you all. I have a, soon to be, 10 year old daughter who is ready to hit the woods with me. I really want her to have her own knife, and she wants one too. She knows how much I'm into them... The thing is, although she is very responsible, I am worried about getting her one. Obviously, she would be supervised while using it, but I still worry about her safety. Am I being an overbearing father? I really want to share my love for knives with my kids, but I couldn't bare the thought of her getting cut. I've been into knives as a hobby for a long time now and although I've managed to cut myself in the past, it's a rare occurrence . What you you think? Any advice as I really want to share my love of knives with her.
 
My dad bought me my first knife when I was 9 or 10 years old. It was a case sod buster jr and I still use it. He taught me proper knife safety and let me use it unsupervised once I showed I could handle it. I feel that maturity is a better gauge than age. I cut myself with it once and expected my mom to take I away. Instead they made a lesson out of it. They let me keep my knife and I was much more careful with it from that point forward. I'm 17 years old now, and my parents don't blink at me whipping out a knife to cut something arundel the house and my friends always ask me to cut things because they know I carry a knife. I think 10 is a fine age as long as she is shown how to use one safely. As for the knife I don't think you can get much better than a sod buster jr for a slip joint! Good luck!
 
Maturity would seem like the better yardstick to me than age. Setting knives aside for a moment, what level of autonomy are you comfortable giving your child? Would you trust your child to do their own cleaning up? What about cooking? Stay home alone? Run an errand? Babysit? Use a hammer to drive some nails? Tend a campfire? Use a chainsaw? Compare owning a knife to the other things she is already trusted with, that should give you some idea about whether she is ready and of course common sense guidelines are a must. No running with sharp objects, no cutting with any limbs in the line of fire, no pull cuts, no heavy cutting without control etc etc.

I had knives before age 10. The first were a run of used fixed blade mora knives that I lost, broke or lost interest in (I was probably 5 or 6 when I got the first one). It wasn't so much a totem of maturity as something to cut things with while messing around outdoors. I had a SAK when I was maybe 7 or 8, that would have been my first safe queen/pocket knife. I got a gerber gator when I was 8 or 9 and cut myself the very first day. :D:o

There are risks in growing up. I got cut, burned, bitten, stung, beat up, dropped on my head, lost in the Rockies, lost on a cruise ship, lost in a blizzard, and electrocuted before age 10. My first really remote camping trip was 3 month with the family way off the beaten track making a cabin. I was maybe 5 at the time. I did my first solo swim in a lake (first supervised and then life jackets had to be worn at all times near the water) and first solo treks during that trip. So, uhm yeah, don't use my childhood as a yardstick. What's she like? That'll be the better measurement.
 
I am in total agreement with sideways. It's how much you trust her, age is just a number. I gave my nephew his first one at 7, a Cub Scout knife with liner lock and after he earned his wood chip badge I got him a Victorinox BSA Explorer. Derrick at knivesshipfree has a great article about kids and knives here http://www.knivesshipfree.com/knives-for-kids/
 
I think it is all a matter of maturity, and trust. I have a daughter that is now 8, and at 7 she started working with me in the shop along side me. She has already made three knives and does just fine.
I think your daughter will do good.
 
tiogatires said:
Greetings,

I have a question for you all. I have a, soon to be, 10 year old daughter who is ready to hit the woods with me. I really want her to have her own knife, and she wants one too. She knows how much I'm into them... The thing is, although she is very responsible, I am worried about getting her one. Obviously, she would be supervised while using it, but I still worry about her safety. Am I being an overbearing father? I really want to share my love for knives with my kids, but I couldn't bare the thought of her getting cut. I've been into knives as a hobby for a long time now and although I've managed to cut myself in the past, it's a rare occurrence . What you you think? Any advice as I really want to share my love of knives with her.
Click to expand...

I am a father of three daughters aged 15, 18 and 26...so I know exactly what you are pondering.

We all camp, hike and I hunt and we all have our own blades. I bought them their first blades at the ages of 10, 10 and 11 respectively. The thing that holds us to being overcautious is the fact we are parents, looking out for the safety of our kids.....but as parents we are also responsible for their education. So long as we teach them the right things in life, only their own 'issues' will compel them to do what's wrong. safety is part of that. If you don't detect any of those "issues" then you should be fine with getting her one.

The only other issue that may arise is the societal ignorance on kids with knives. One knot-head ruins it for everyone else. That's how knives became a "capital offense" in schools. Hell, when I was in HS, it was NOTHING to see rifles and shotguns hanging off a rack in the back window of a truck from September through March. Teachers walking by asked, "Get yer deer yet?" and never batted an eye.

So if you teach your kids that "safety is paramount" and SHOW them [as opposed to only telling them] how to use them safely, when to use them and when NOT to show/use them...everything else should fall into place.
 
I would imagine that you worry about her cutting herself. That's not an if scenario, it's a when. My youngest daughter gave herself a wicked cut on her finger at 6. She called to me and told me she'd cut herself. The funny thing was she said.it doesn't really hurt(sharp knives are a +), just a fair amount of blood and that's what had her worried. She asked how long it took to bleed to death and how much blood is in me. Couldn't help laughing. It seems that pain and a little fear are the best teachers. 8 yrs later n no nicks since
 
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