Kids & knives...a good thing to teach responsible use...or better to hide the hobby?

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My kids know daddy loves knives, they know where the kitchen ones are,, but also know the only knives they can use right now are butter knives.
I do plan on getting the boy a small SAK, which if I remember was my first, I still remember my Dads words, "Always cut away from you"
It always brings a smile to my face to hear my three year old say "Dad, they're tools not toys"
 
Teaching them is the responsible thing to do. Be a good parent and tailor the lessons to your child. If you don't think they are ready - they are not. Safety is #1 (cause you know exactly what the wife is going to say if/when something happens ;))

I started teaching my son at 4 and my daughter at 3 (she was more responsible and listened to instruction better)

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Now on nice days we all love going for walks through the local forest and stopping to carve up some tent pegs or walking sticks!
 
smart. i have a woodworking shop full of tools that could maim,hurt,and destroy any flesh or body part,given a chance. when my son's old enough(turns the big one on sunday:) ) he'll learn about those and my knives-just the way i did from grandfather,stepfather and others over the years. de-mystifying things and teaching safety is all of our responsibilities, always to children and unfortunately to adults at times as well.
 
My opinion fwiw, is to get my child(ren) accustomed to knives and firearms being around. This allows for:

A) education of their ability as tools
B) education of their inherent danger from NEGLEGENT use, and irresponsible use
C) education about their status as NOT TOYS. PERIOD.

One of my biggest pet peeves is toy guns and knives. They only seem to desencitize young ones to the danger of misuse, or that misuse is even possible. I'll avoid these toys like the plague for them.

Another thing to do is to make sure that they have access to YOU if they have any questions regarding blades or firearms. My children will have access to my firearms and blades IF AND WHENever they ask, and ONLY when they ask. This allows for a bit of bonding time, and most importantly time to educate.


Always keep your word with your children. If you say you will take time to show them this or that, make sure it's set aside and I think a responsible firearm and knife enthusiast is going to be the result.

Just my 2¢. Fwiw.
 
Moondrop said:
Not sure how you could hide the hobby. The kitchen is full of knives, isn't it?

Learning from Mom & Dad to respect and use knives responsibly can only be a good thing, I would think.
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Nailed it. Calling knife use a "hobby" only feeds into the misconception that using knives is some unusual thing that is not part of everyday life. Its acting like these "sheeple" everyone is always all bent outta shape about.

You got knives in the kitchen? How do you let the kids use those? Do the same stuff with your other knives. What's the difference? A knife's a knife. That chef knife in the kitchen is just as safe/dangerous as your Delica.

That said, if your knives and "yours" and you want to teach children respect about other people's things, then that's a different matter. I'm sure you got a ton of other stuff that they are not supposed to mess with...so treat the knives the same way.

Don't get the big mystery.
 
marcinek said:
Nailed it. Calling knife use a "hobby" only feeds into the misconception that using knives is some unusual thing that is not part of everyday life. Its acting like these "sheeple" everyone is always all bent outta shape about.

You got knives in the kitchen? How do you let the kids use those? Do the same stuff with your other knives. What's the difference? A knife's a knife. That chef knife in the kitchen is just as safe/dangerous as your Delica.

That said, if your knives and "yours" and you want to teach children respect about other people's things, then that's a different matter. I'm sure you got a ton of other stuff that they are not supposed to mess with...so treat the knives the same way.

Don't get the big mystery.
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Knife USE is a skill to be learned then taught, refined & respected. "Collecting" (flippers/thumb stud deployment knives/autos etc., etc. both production, mid techs & customs) is the (or my) "hobby" part. The kitchen & utility knives obviously shouldn't be hidden but correct usage taught when kids reach what parents feel is an appropriate age & maturity level for that individual kid. The fun, flashy, fancy stuff, that's eye-candy (to kids and adults alike) is the question...because they are usually less "necessary". Glad to see so many responsible parents out there that agree about appropriate education & training.
 
Scrim said:
One of my little Scrims learning about knives, one of daddy's many crazy hobbies. Smart parenting or a bad idea. Your opinions?

[video=youtube_share;cXXu3i3KFpA]http://youtu.be/cXXu3i3KFpA[/video]
PS. She really gravitated (organically) to the zt0900.:eek:
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Well, I was gunna say it depends, but after seeing that adorable kid flip that ZT, your doing the right thing!!!
 
tinfoil hat timmy said:
My opinion fwiw, is to get my child(ren) accustomed to knives and firearms being around. This allows for:

A) education of their ability as tools
B) education of their inherent danger from NEGLEGENT use, and irresponsible use
C) education about their status as NOT TOYS. PERIOD.

One of my biggest pet peeves is toy guns and knives. They only seem to desencitize young ones to the danger of misuse, or that misuse is even possible. I'll avoid these toys like the plague for them.

Another thing to do is to make sure that they have access to YOU if they have any questions regarding blades or firearms. My children will have access to my firearms and blades IF AND WHENever they ask, and ONLY when they ask. This allows for a bit of bonding time, and most importantly time to educate.


Always keep your word with your children. If you say you will take time to show them this or that, make sure it's set aside and I think a responsible firearm and knife enthusiast is going to be the result.

Just my 2¢. Fwiw.
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I disagree about toy guns. I had them, my kid had a bunch of them from 4 on. Other parents were horrified to see the black dollar store arsenal. Now that he's older he knows the difference and if anything he's lost interest except for the odd rainy day Nerf battle. Meanwhile his peers who were denied access are now obsessed as a result of movies, TV, and video games. The first chance if ever they to see a real firearm will end in disaster because they're a lethal mix of curiosity, overconfidence, and ignorance.
 
Teaching children the responsible use, and consequences of misuse, of any tool is generally a good thing. :thumbup:
 
Scrim said:
The fun, flashy, fancy stuff, that's eye-candy (to kids and adults alike) is the question...because they are usually less "necessary". Glad to see so many responsible parents out there that agree about appropriate education & training.
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Then, like I said, treat that stuff like any other fun, flashy, eye candy. You got china, crystal, the new sofa, daddy's Star Wars toy collection, etc etc etc. Same thing. Treating it any differently than any other stuff like that is just feeding into the idea that your "fancy" knives are not needed and can be legislated away.

(But no one would say that about your kitchen knives, or "fancy" china.)

As long as we treat that stuff differently just because they are knives, then others will too.
 
I just goy my son his first knive he loves it won't put it down holds it all day.
Ohh btw my son is 1 year old and his knife is spyderco dragonfly wooden kit.
 
tinfoil hat timmy said:
One of my biggest pet peeves is toy guns and knives. They only seem to desencitize young ones to the danger of misuse, or that misuse is even possible. I'll avoid these toys like the plague for them.
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Never had a problem as a kid distinguishing between toys and real knives and firearms. Maybe we live in a different world now. But I would think it depends on what age you're talking about too. I don't believe in allowing 5 year olds to shoot guns. They can watch.
 
Moondrop said:
Not sure how you could hide the hobby. The kitchen is full of knives, isn't it?

Learning from Mom & Dad to respect and use knives responsibly can only be a good thing, I would think.
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Yep. I think if a child has a good understanding of other safety rules(look both ways before crossing the street, don't play with matches, etc) they are usually ready for learning knife use.
 
Hi! I got my first knife (an Opinel # 8) when I was about 7-8 years old :). My Grandpa (fishing was his hobby thing) gave it to me one day we were fly-fishing, a day I still remember so brightly, after 30 (+) years. He was the one teaching me how to fillet a trout properly :). I have always seen my Dad and Mum working sandwiches, mushrooms, fruits, kindling for camp fires, etc. with SAKs, when taking us out hiking in the mountains. Dad also always had an Opinel # 10 (his knife :D) he used to carve walking sticks with, some forks and spoons and even some funny wood “sculptures”, starting from some weird looking trunks or logs, during those long summer holidays of my childhood in the Alps. I was allowed to handle SAKs since I remember, but until 7-8 years old, the Opinels always had been forbidden for me. They were the “grown-up’s tools” :D. So, when I got it, it really meant much to me: it meant that Grandpa felt I was ready for responsibility, that it was time for me, according to him, to begin to leave childhood behind. I have learnt how to use it safely, also getting, from time to time, some rather bad cuts. How can one learn to walk without stumbling or ride a bike without falling? Not my case anyway, still have some scars and memories :)! I think all that carving, milling, chipping, chopping, working wood to make tools (I remember so many bows and arrows :D), were activities that helped me out in building trust and confidence on my abilities. I felt I was really “able” to produce, create or modify the things and, to some extent, the surrounding environment, according to my needs. I strongly believe in educating kids to proper use of knives, tools and firearms, I think these are good vehicles to help children learning about responsibility, accountability, confidence and character. For my part, I try to help the three of mine building a sound relationship with knives and tools adapting, of course, the experience they can be exposed to, according to their different ages. I also agree that kids nowadays are so much sheltered and protected from any failure/harm or even from plain experiences of living and consequences from their actions that, some of them, either break down too easily when exposed to “normal” stress level or turn into “wild” as soon as they have full access to the “prohibited things” and parental rules/control are gone.
 
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This is my eight year olds collection. He's been collecting since he was 4. Now we are teaching his 4 year old brother all about knives. Great hobby to share with the kids. It really does teach responsibility. He also has a Kershaw Emerson trainer so he can get the feel and the weight of a real knife. Plus watching him wave it is pretty cool...
 
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[video]https://youtu.be/A12HFE0Y4S0[/video]
My sons first kids knife review. Sorry... It's kind of long.
 
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