What to do for a 12 year old who says she wants a "sword"?

When my son was 10, he started asking for a sword. Not really because he wanted to learn sword fighting, but simply because he loved to draw, and had a big imagination. When I got it, I also bought a rack, and mounted it high on his wall. We would get it down when supervised. It gave him something visual in 3D to sketch.
 
bflying said:
When my son was 10, he started asking for a sword. Not really because he wanted to learn sword fighting, but simply because he loved to draw, and had a big imagination. When I got it, I also bought a rack, and mounted it high on his wall. We would get it down when supervised. It gave him something visual in 3D to sketch.
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To fuel the imagination

Good stuff :)
 
Raymond1000 said:
It's off topic but...are you familiar with the typeface designed to help dyslexics read? http://www.dyslexiefont.com/en/dyslexia-font/
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No; totally new to me. I just ordered it. I thought I'd worked on everything with her: teachers, evaluators, specialists. Not this, though. Wish we could put it on her iPad for reading. Looks like the Apple ecosystem doesn't allow additional fonts though. We have lots of eye-training tools. But a font? Of course! who knew..:(

Thanks for sharing this.
 
bflying said:
When my son was 10, he started asking for a sword. Not really because he wanted to learn sword fighting, but simply because he loved to draw, and had a big imagination. When I got it, I also bought a rack, and mounted it high on his wall. We would get it down when supervised. It gave him something visual in 3D to sketch.
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I think you've hit on the key point here. She can sketch the one she'll get for her birthday, she can wear it, and so on, and we'll go from there as her imagination and physical development run with it. Or not.

At least, thanks to all of you I know better how to follow her interests.:D

JParanee said:
To fuel the imagination

Good stuff
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:thumbup:
 
What about a shinai? I bought a couple when I was a kid and we had great fun smacking each other around with them.
 
blackbrit said:
You've provided me with a lot to think about here, and also taught me a lot in just this one post! As I mentioned at the beginning of the thread, I am deeply ignorant in this area. And by "this area" I mean not only swords, but all that surrounds swords and makes them meaningful to those, like you, who understand their cultural/combat/historical context.

I can't thank you all enough. As we've mentioned at many points, I want to, and should, support my daughter's interests. Which of course also includes those interests that end up dumped in the back of the closet, but that ultimately still contribute to who our kids become.

I never thought about the various martial arts as while I appreciate them in a vague way, they have never been a passion of mine. Your comments here will help me to learn a bit more, at least enough, I hope, to help me have a more educated discussion with my daughter. And the YouTube video is great!

Something I haven't mentioned: My daughter is deeply dyslexic, to the point of being afraid to read in many contexts. So she doesn't learn from reading. Yet. :D

I guess I tell you this because I have to learn stuff to help her find ways to learn. I definitely learn from reading, and I know that someday she at least won't have such a fear of the written word. I don't push it, and I'm just thrilled I have a daughter who is reaching her age and still is physically oriented toward strength and weapons instead of an excess of mascara. Not that I'm putting down make-up :foot:
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Paul Orfela the retired founder of the $2.5 billion Kinko's was dyslexic and had to discover his own ways for learning as well. Congrats to you for being a great dad and supporting your daughter's curiosity.
 
gstanley75 said:
Paul Orfela the retired founder of the $2.5 billion Kinko's was dyslexic and had to discover his own ways for learning as well. Congrats to you for being a great dad and supporting your daughter's curiosity.
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I collect names and stories for her of successful/creative/interesting dyslexics, so thank you. Doesn't seem to help now, though. She's too deep in the struggle, I think. I've temporarily stopped even telling her about them. They make her scowl. You can imagine, I bet.

Oh, and I'm her mama. No problem; just thought I should let you know I'm female. (As my brothers would say, "Daddy's girl," so I got a good education at his shoulder - and under his feet sometimes, learning how to help but keep out of the way of sharp objects.) :D
 
I work with a lot of learning disabled kids in my other job, having been one myself, and you are definitely right that, after a point, it becomes really frustrating. All the gadgets in the world are great to a point, but ultimately, one isn't always going to have those, and one just needs to figure out for oneself how to cope. Many learning disability, fortunately, also come associated with above-average intelligence, which is part of the frustration. Many of those kids are brilliant minds struggling to come out, and the thought "I know I'm better than this; why can't I do it?" is a terrible one to deal with.

Sounds like you're a great mama to me. I remember my mom confiscated the first sword I bought when I was old enough to buy them for myself. I had saved up allowances for 16 months to afford it, but she was very anti-blade. Gotta follow mom's rules when in mom's house though! I did get it back when I moved out, though, and now I make my own swords.
 
Cold Steel makes a a few different machetes & some of them look like swords. They don't come sharpened and are very affordable, you might find one she likes in their line-up.

ps: you must be an awesome dad being willing to meet her wishes on this one, kudos ;)
 
crimsonfalcon07 said:
I work with a lot of learning disabled kids in my other job, having been one myself, and you are definitely right that, after a point, it becomes really frustrating. All the gadgets in the world are great to a point, but ultimately, one isn't always going to have those, and one just needs to figure out for oneself how to cope. Many learning disability, fortunately, also come associated with above-average intelligence, which is part of the frustration. Many of those kids are brilliant minds struggling to come out, and the thought "I know I'm better than this; why can't I do it?" is a terrible one to deal with.

Sounds like you're a great mama to me. I remember my mom confiscated the first sword I bought when I was old enough to buy them for myself. I had saved up allowances for 16 months to afford it, but she was very anti-blade. Gotta follow mom's rules when in mom's house though! I did get it back when I moved out, though, and now I make my own swords.
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crimsonfalcom07 that your blade was confiscated after all your work and saving brings out the ferocious mama in me and makes my heart bleed at the same time. What an ordeal we parents can make of childhood for our children. And that makes me so sad. I know I screw up on a regular basis, but real screwing up, I think, is not letting our children develop their loves and their gifts. How else do we find them? And boy do I ever wish most of us didn't have to wait to leave our family homes to begin, or to at least not hide. That you make your own swords is so truly wonderful. :D It also always pleases me so much when people who have lived with learning disabilities teach or somehow work with kids who are still finding their various ways through school and the expectations there, where so many gifts kids have are invisible to teachers and schools.

My sweet blade-loving child got throwing knives and the "Altair" sword for her birthday on Wednesday. (Along with camo Carhartt's and a few other things like earrings, lol.) Christmas will bring more knives and art supplies. Her birthday evening she sat by the fire with the sword and sketched it while I read to her from "Wild Magic" - it's from a series of four books about a girl with animal magic she does not yet know how to control. Her favorite books right now still are the ones about a girl who becomes a famous and wonderful knight.

Right now the sword is an object to be sketched. Who knows what comes next? Thanks for sharing your experience here. Do you have a folder on BF where I might see some of your swords - especially your own work? I'd love to show them to my daughter! (And, I'd love to see them myself. :) )
 
GooberBoober said:
Cold Steel makes a a few different machetes & some of them look like swords. They don't come sharpened and are very affordable, you might find one she likes in their line-up.

ps: you must be an awesome dad being willing to meet her wishes on this one, kudos ;)
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Thanks, GooberBoober! And I've still got some thickets and blackberry canes that could use slashing, so there might be some fun for both of us, that is if I put an edge on it. :D
 
blackbrit said:
crimsonfalcom07 that your blade was confiscated after all your work and saving brings out the ferocious mama in me and makes my heart bleed at the same time. What an ordeal we parents can make of childhood for our children. And that makes me so sad. I know I screw up on a regular basis, but real screwing up, I think, is not letting our children develop their loves and their gifts. How else do we find them? And boy do I ever wish most of us didn't have to wait to leave our family homes to begin, or to at least not hide. That you make your own swords is so truly wonderful. :D It also always pleases me so much when people who have lived with learning disabilities teach or somehow work with kids who are still finding their various ways through school and the expectations there, where so many gifts kids have are invisible to teachers and schools.

My sweet blade-loving child got throwing knives and the "Altair" sword for her birthday on Wednesday. (Along with camo Carhartt's and a few other things like earrings, lol.) Christmas will bring more knives and art supplies. Her birthday evening she sat by the fire with the sword and sketched it while I read to her from "Wild Magic" - it's from a series of four books about a girl with animal magic she does not yet know how to control. Her favorite books right now still are the ones about a girl who becomes a famous and wonderful knight.

Right now the sword is an object to be sketched. Who knows what comes next? Thanks for sharing your experience here. Do you have a folder on BF where I might see some of your swords - especially your own work? I'd love to show them to my daughter! (And, I'd love to see them myself. :) )
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If that’s not The Deed of Paksenarrion, it might as well be.

Elizabeth Moon is a mixed bag, but that omnibus trilogy should hit the spot for your girl.
 
blackbrit said:
Thanks, GooberBoober! And I've still got some thickets and blackberry canes that could use slashing, so there might be some fun for both of us, that is if I put an edge on it. :D
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For sword-machetes check out the Condor Jungle Saber, Hog Sticker, and the gladius-like Combat Machete. Condor Tool and Knife is a highly respected maker of machetes, parangs, and other choppers. Condor also makes knives, and swords like the British Cutlass and the Dynasty Dadao. The swords look cool, but aren’t even close to medieval.

(The gladius is a double edge short sword. In the hands of the Roman legions it conquered the known world.)
 
Raymond1000 said:
If that’s not The Deed of Paksenarrion, it might as well be.

Elizabeth Moon is a mixed bag, but that omnibus trilogy should hit the spot for your girl.
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+1 on this. The Deed of Paksenarrion was an excellent tale, IMO. One of the best in the genre of "girl who becomes a famous and wonderful knight," if there is such a thing. Most of the others that I like the most in that general vein are sci-fi, such as Path of the Fury, and the Honor Harrington series, I think both by David Weber. I also like Mike Shepherd's work with Kris Longknife. She's a fun character. But Paks is pretty special.

Blackbrit, you can see a few of my blades on here in this section. I did a gladius build that's on here, a modern niuweidao-styled design, and a sword based on Tam's heronmark blade from the Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan, among others. You can also check out my photobucket. Thanks for your interest. My blades are nowhere near the quality level of folks like Stuart Branson, Scott Roush, or, one of my favorite makers, Dan Keffeler. But I do have fun making them, and they fit my purposes.
 
crimsonfalcon07 said:
+1 on this. The Deed of Paksenarrion was an excellent tale, IMO. One of the best in the genre of "girl who becomes a famous and wonderful knight," if there is such a thing. Most of the others that I like the most in that general vein are sci-fi, such as Path of the Fury, and the Honor Harrington series, I think both by David Weber. I also like Mike Shepherd's work with Kris Longknife. She's a fun character. But Paks is pretty special.

Blackbrit, you can see a few of my blades on here in this section. I did a gladius build that's on here, a modern niuweidao-styled design, and a sword based on Tam's heronmark blade from the Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan, among others. You can also check out my photobucket. Thanks for your interest. My blades are nowhere near the quality level of folks like Stuart Branson, Scott Roush, or, one of my favorite makers, Dan Keffeler. But I do have fun making them, and they fit my purposes.
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There’s also By the Sword by Mercedes Lackey. It shows a once-noble girl learning the ropes of a mercenary company.

That story arc is only part of a larger tale. Which is just fine with me.

Don’t expect another Honor Harrington. In this context sword means sword, not a pistol or ray gun.
 
blackbrit said:
Thanks, GooberBoober! And I've still got some thickets and blackberry canes that could use slashing, so there might be some fun for both of us, that is if I put an edge on it. :D
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That sounds great, haha. I was foolish enough to wait until I had finished up all the yard work for winter-time before I bought one of their Magnum Kukri machetes myself :rolleyes:
 
Raymond1000 said:
If that’s not The Deed of Paksenarrion, it might as well be.

Elizabeth Moon is a mixed bag, but that omnibus trilogy should hit the spot for your girl.
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Hey! This is great, as what we are reading are the books by Tamora Pierce, first series is "Song of the Lioness." Finished that set. (This is the one where the girl ultimately becomes a knight, and even the King's Champion, ultimately.) Next is "Immortals." That's what we are reading now. So I'm planning on getting the one you mention for her for Christmas. It sounds wonderful!
 
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