Wanna give my 11 year old "brother" a knife for his bday, but...

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KennyB

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Jan 19, 2010
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Well my girlfriend's brother is turning 11 on Friday. Yeah, no kidding, on national knife day too. Now this kid makes my day all the time, and he reminds me of myself at his age. He and his older brother caught caught playing with some knives they got ahold of, so I know there's interest. Meanwhile he reminds me so much of myself that I really wanted to give him an Uncle Henry stockman that was my favorite knife when I was 11.

Only problem is that his parents think he's too young. I haven't talked to them about it, we aren't very close yet, but my girlfriend has told me all about it and how his older brother didn't get one until he was 13.

Still it sucks, I feel like it'd be the perfect gift and that he would really like it, but I don't feel right undermining his parent's wishes. I thought about maybe showing it to his dad when I was there and see what he thinks, but maybe I should just wait a couple years?

Input from parents would be most appreciated.
 
who cares. the parents will still think its nice of you to get him a knife. even if they take it away. he will love it. teach him how to use it and be careful!
 
dont be stupid, if his parents think hes to young wait until they feel hes the approprate age. if you get it for him anyway and he does something stuipid (like bring it to school), their going to blame you. if he gets caught with it at school he can be expelled. I had a newphew who got in alot of trouble becuase of this. there are tons of other things that could happen too. Wait until the feel its ok.
 
I gave my 10 year old son his first real knife this year. He would be pissed if someone came along and gave his 7 year old brother a knife after he had waited until he was 10. I wouldn't give him a knife out of respect for the parents wishes and respect for the older brother.
 
I got my 12 year old cousin a knife several months ago and he lost it within a month. For that reason, I'd suggest getting him something cheap to learn with, and only after he proves he can handle the responsibility would I get him something a little bit nicer. Stick to Moras, CRKT, Smith&Wesson, cheap Kershaws, SAK's etc.. Chances are, he's going to love it no matter which one you choose!

I'd give it to him but only if his parents know about it, and keep it safe until he wants to use it, Make sure you get out there with him to supervise and teach him how to use it properly too. I think boys arent being boys unless theyre outside getting dirty or getting cut. Parents HATE to see it, but its a crucial part of the learning process imho.
 
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11 years? Opinel nr 7 would be perfect :). A classical look, a nice wooden handle...
 
KennyB said:
Only problem is that his parents think he's too young.

I haven't talked to them about it, we aren't very close yet, but my girlfriend has told me all about it and how his older brother didn't get one until he was 13.
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^ here is your answer.

if you go against the parents wishes they will probably just take the knife away and it will negatively effect the way they view you, that's a lose-lose situation. if i were you, at minimum i would wait until next year and talk to his parents first, before you mention anything to him. show your girlfriend's parents respect and maturity and it will be a winning situation.
 
Buy a knife for him, show him the knife, and keep it at your place until he is older.

He can know that nobody will touch the knife and he can use it under your supervision, and it is really his knife, but it stays at your place for now
 
Ask the parents if you can give it to him on the condition that he can only use it under direct supervision from you or them and the rest of the time it stays with dad. I'm sure they would be reasonable about that and you'd gain their respect in the process. It is absolutely wrong in this case to even think about circumventing the parents wishes even if you disagree with them. Also don't criticize the parents views in front of the boy, you'll do much more harm than good.
 
You all need to rethink your advice folks. This is 2012. For us, a SAK and other such "non-scary" knives were what one was give at that age. That was in an age when taking a small pocket knife to school was not the life altering event it is today. Growing up in the country, every boy from about the 4th grade on had a pocket knife, usually and hand-me-down from a big brother or grandparent or uncle or something.

Today this kid, either just to show his pals, as a smart alec, as a space case, leaves the thing in his backpack from a weekend ends up in school with the thing his life will probably be ruined, his story will end up on the news, his parents held up for ridicule etc. It's sad but true.

With that in mind, I have recommended larger fixed blade knives as better first knives for boys these days strictly from the rationale that a) a cut is a cut whether it's from a SAK cadet or a Randall, and b) it is going to be a lot easier for a parent to keep track of a larger fixed blade knife (no "I forgot it was in my pocket" thing gonna happen).

Maybe get the boy a nice Buck 119 or something of that nature.
 
Hauling said:
even considering going against her parents wishes is foolish
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Absolutely. You know how the parents feel about it. To go against their advice would be a major BLACK mark on your character list. If you can convince THEM then you're golden... I'd use the "he's going to be interested and will seek them out anyway so I might was well teach him how to handle one safely" angle. That's how I convinced my wife to let me get my son his first when he was 10 - and he was in cub scouts and was moving into Boy Scouts.
 
I echo the sentiments of almost everyone else here: talk to his parents first and get their permission. Whether you hold on to it for awhile, they hold on to it, or they decide to let the kid hang on to it, the choice is theirs. If they decide it's too soon, then it's too soon. When you have your own kid and if you decide to pierce his nostril and have him grow a mullet, the choice will be entirely yours (and the mother's).
 
res1cue said:
Buy a knife for him, show him the knife, and keep it at your place until he is older.

He can know that nobody will touch the knife and he can use it under your supervision, and it is really his knife, but it stays at your place for now
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Ew. Problematic! 1) If the girlfriends and/or parents are not there....don't invite the lad over to one's play with knives (or anything for that matter) with you. 2) Only the kid's parents supervise the kid.

It's a nice idea...what 11 year old boy wouldn't like a knife? But w/o approval from the kid's parents....I wouldmn't touch that with a 10 foot pole.
 
Oh I hadn't dreamed of giving it to him anyway or something, but I'm kind of feeling like it might be disrespectful to even try to convince them or something. Who amI to try to make them think differently?
 
Oh I hadn't dreamed of giving it to him anyway or something, but I'm kind of feeling like it might be disrespectful to even try to convince them or something. Who amI to try to make them think differently?
 
KennyB said:
Oh I hadn't dreamed of giving it to him anyway or something, but I'm kind of feeling like it might be disrespectful to even try to convince them or something. Who amI to try to make them think differently?
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Uhhh....yeah.

"Sir, I'm going to take your daughter to the movies and make out, and here's some advice on bringing up your son."
 
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