My Anti-Knife Parents...Help!

M

mliu8n

Joined
Aug 1, 2007
Messages
220
I recently got extremely interested in knives :D

I have some knives already and I am getting BM42, Spyderco, SOG, Vic etc shipped here.

However, a recent problem appeared, my parents (more so my dad), turns out to be really anti-knife.

he thinks they are extremely to play round with. and that they are not for 'children'....I am 15 already.


When I try any arguements, he always seem to have an answer.

Any one have any good points I can point out to him? hes really pessimestic right now.


Thank you
 
I am 15 also, My first knife was a Schrade pocketknife when I was 10 and a leatherman wave when I was 11, Do you like Camping? The more passive and constructive things to do with them seems to help. I don't buy any knives since i started making them so I cant really help. Sorry about your predicament.
 
I like camping, although I do not go often (once a year maybe?)

I have a leatherman wave, and a vic cybertool for camping.

Ur 15 and u make knives? WOW =]
 
im 19, and my parents arent very "friendly" with knives. my dad likes multi-tools (plus hes an EMT and govt worker, so he gets to use them and other blades often) so its pretty easy to win him over. my mom, however, worries. sure, i've cut and stabbed myself on accident a few times, but that happens. nothing too serious. i would agree though. i go hiking, camping, kayaking, and climbing a fair bit, so my parents understand the use i have for a blade. they just dont think i need another one. and its kind of difficult to explain that i only actually use a few, the others i collect. just wait. stay active in knives but dont buy a ton. i would advise maybe one or so a year. or ask for one as a birthday or xmas present. that worked pretty well for me

just understand that they love you and worry about you. its far better to follow their advise than push against it. you'd only be kicking against the pricks anyways. once you're on your own, then you can go nuts

note: it doesnt help me much that i like collecting knives because i've already got expensive hobbies like cycling and photography
 
I'm 14 and have a 80= knife collection, but I come from a camping/hunting family so everyone understands how useful a knife is.
 
If you can learn to sharpen knives really well, then use your skills to maintain good edges on all the cutting tools in your house, that might be another step in the right direction. Just make sure you let them know if you do sharpen them so they don't slice themselves by accident. Another thing you can try is buying Victorinox Classics for your family members to put on their keychains if they don't carry a knife of some sort.
 
Getting a BM42 might not have been the smartest thing to do then. Nothing screams "flip me around!" more than a balisong.

Me? I'm 19 now but I've been carrying a knife around as EDC for a few years already. Sure my parents don't really like it, but I guess they have just grown to accept it, even though they don't feel that I need that many and that I shouldn't spend more money on them.

Check out your local knife laws. When I saw that the legal age here was 16 I saw no reason why I shouldn't have a knife.

But in the end, some people are just hard to win over. If you can't convince your parents that you need knives to do stuff, then you probably shouldn't have any. At least with me I use my knives for yard work.
 
I am a dad of three children, ages 20, 18, and 15, and have bought knives for all of them, including my 15 yr. old daughter. That being said, I would say, first... don't "argue" with your parents, but rather share with them your interest. Draw them in, and show them what you like about knives and why. They may then have a better understanding and appreciation. Also, if you are respectful, and responsible towards them, then they will understand that you can be responsible with things that have the potential for harm or misuse (eg: knives, cars, guns, etc.). Many parents have fears that their children will hurt themselves with knives, or get themselves in trouble by carrying knives inappropriately (eg: a school), or brandish them foolishly.
I'm sure if your parents know that you are mature and responsible, then they will allow you more responsibility. However, if you mess up then it is very difficult to gain, or regain trust.
Hang in there. Pursue your interest, and educate yourself in all aspects of knives...

Dean
 
You should have been taught at a very early age to use knives and other sharp things.Start at maybe 8 to learn woodworking ,knife carving, chisels , planes. Learn to use knives in cooking ,chop veggies, carve the turkey. And if you misuse them ,carving your initials in things, you should loose them. Respect your parents , don't defy them.
 
I think it's time for you to back off and think about what's going on before you get yourself in trouble you don't need.

If you want people to think you're responsible enough to own and carry knives, then behave responsibly. Learn more about a few knives than look to own a lot of them. Forget about legally impractical balisongs. Learn to sharpen and offer your skills to others. Knives are useful -- pick a couple and use them when it's appropriate. I got a lot of points in my family by taking over the carving duties at dinnertime and holiday meals.

Your enthusiasm is a good thing but overenthusiasm will worry the people around you and lead to restrictions.
 
Nice input so far.

I was in Boy Scouts as a kid and they had a fairly rigorous knife-safety program. You could only cary a knife if you passed a written test and demonstrated competency (there actually is a lot more to proper knife-handling etiquette than most know). If anyone saw you screwing around with a knife, you'd loose that privilege.


In my experience, you can win most parents over if you demonstrate earnestness maturity, discipline and responsibility related to your hobby.
 
ziptrickhead said:
If you can't convince your parents that you need knives to do stuff, then you probably shouldn't have any.
Click to expand...

Knives or parents? ;)

I was given my first pocketknife when I was five years old. When my mother protested that "He'll cut himself" my dad replied (I am told) "Yep. And if we waited 'till he was thirty he'd cut himself then too." Dozens of knives and thousands of cuts later, I have to count myself lucky to have had such an 'old school' upbringing, not just with the notion that it's just silly not to have a knife, but also things like:
1)Stop crying, it never helped anybody
2)Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get going
3)If you ever use a knife, gun or anything else to hurt somebody who wasn't trying to hurt you, I'll beat you bloody and pour lemon juice on you...

Dad was never politically correct. ;) He and I had a better relationship when I was a teenager than most of my friends and their fathers did, however.

Best advice I can give you is act responsibly, be an adult, if you get in a disagreement with your parents don't raise your voice (the unmistakable mark of immaturity, at any age) and instill them with confidence in your common sense. Their worries will diminish in time.
 
(( That is politically incorrect to suggest and especially inappropriate in this forum. ))

Is that politically incorrect to suggest?
 
shecky said:
(( When you quote inappropriate material, you just give the moderator more work to clean it up. ))

Is that politically incorrect to suggest?
Click to expand...

hm, lol :D

actually me and my parents have a really good relationship. (even if we didint, I would never, uh)

But u guys have a point, I got to show them I am responsible
 
That kinda sucks. (My dad always says a man without a knife is like a woman without a bra).




Try to explain to them you are not a child anymore and a knife is a tool not a toy.
 
ICEAGE said:
Try to explain to them you are not a child anymore ...
Click to expand...

What's the worst that could happen? A 15-year-old telling his parents he's not a child anymore could get eyes rolling, or a good laugh. :D

(Spoken by the parent of a child more than twice that age already.)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top