Inappropriate party bag gift?

[SignOnTheWindow]

Friend's DS went to an outdoor-activities birthday party (lots of running around grounds of large house; marshmallows over an open fire type thing). Sounds great fun, tbh.

Friend's DS was given a party bag at the end and in the back seat of the car on the way back he opened it and started playing with the contents... which included a penknife - cue him opening it and accidentally cutting himself. Not deeply enough for stitches or anything, but deep enough to end up with blood everywhere.

Now, one thing I didn't find out was whether the parents had been warned that there was a knife in the party bag. I'm assuming not because my friend is pretty paranoid about potential safety issues and I imagine would not have let him have the bag in the car if she knew it contained a penknife.

If they weren't warned, it seems a foolishly dangerous thing to put in party bag for 7 year olds.

What about if they were warned, though? AIBU to think that even with a warning, a penknife is an inappropriate gift to put in a party bag at that age? Or am I being precious?

[stopfuckingshoutingatme]

I thought you were going to say a cock ring , or an e cig .

Plus aren't they quite costly

[Elliepurpleflower]

I'd find it inappropriate.... I think they are too young to be unsupervised with something like that so it isn't really party bag suitable. If we were given it I'd probably keep it in a high up cupboard for when I could show them how to use it properly in the outdoors. Then it would go back in the cupboard!

[Crumbs1]

I think the issue is more about the notion of a knife being something to covet, a possession that all boys would want. I'd have a problem with my children being given a knife as a gift at any age unless it was a specific knife for specific purpose e.g. Hobby they already participated in.
Knives as toys are not a good idea. They shouldn't be played with but treated with respect.
Seven isn't a baby but isn't so very old either.

[MrsWombat]

A 7 year old is old enough to start learning how to use a knife with supervision. A pen knife is not an appropriate party bag toy though. So YANBU for that.

I bet it was one of <a class="break-all" href="//www.amazon.co.uk/d/Home-Kitchen/Draper-Redline-67679-13-Function-Pocket-Knife/B010Q2612W/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1494310240&sr=8-3&keywords=pen%20knife&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">these rather than <a class="break-all" href="//www.amazon.co.uk/Victorinox-My-First-knives-Stainless/dp/B001CK0C46/ref=sr_1_1?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1494310605&sr=1-1&keywords=childs%20penknife&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">this slightly more child friendly with a rounded blade.

[NotHotDogMum]

It is the parents choice whether they are going to allow their 7 year olds to use pen knives.

Not appropriate to give other peoples children knives.

[ShowMePotatoSalad]

Bertrand well said

[BertrandRussell]

I'm just about as gung ho as you like- and this is ridiculous. Of course 7 year olds are not babies and can use pen knives properly- once they have been shown. Giving pen knives out indiscriminately is massively irresponsible and I would be furious.

[Westray]

I don't think argument is whether 7 year olds should be safe around knives, it's that fact that is wasn't the host's call to make the judgement.

It's up to parents to decide when their children are old enough to be given knives, not some randomer.

My kids were using knives with supervision from the age of 3 for cooking, but I would have been livid if someone had given them a swiss army type knife at the age of 7. My son in particular was keen on whittling things at that age, but was rather undiscriminate, could be a chair leg, or any piece of wood that took his fancy, so knives were always under supervision.

[MerryMarigold]

Perhaps it was a bag meant for someone else eg an older child attending and got handed by mistake by someone unaware eg a grandparent

[MerryMarigold]

I think with a warning that it's a brilliant present. However, would have handed to parent and not put in bag. Assume if friend was overprotective that nothing was mentioned or forgotten in her particular case.

[user789653241]

I was given craft knife at that age by my parents. My ds uses craft knife since around that age.
But giving somebodyelse's child a knife is totally different, imo. Especially with the danger of opening it in a moving car.

[ShowMePotatoSalad]

Why is everything so extreme on here?

7 year olds are not babies.

A penknife is an inappropriate gift for a young child.

HTH.

[WomblingThree]

If it's not even your child why are you so bothered?

[insancerre]

I'm all for children being taught to use knives and to manage risks but it's pretty irresponsible of an adult to give a child a knife without teaching them how to use it properly
YANBU

[RockyTop]

I'm sure there are 7 years olds who could use a pen knife safely, but it's not an appropriate party bag gift for children you likely don't know all that well.

And (to the other poster) no, 7 year olds are not babies!

[Mummyoflittledragon]

. Awful!

I would have expected my own DC at 7yo to have been sensible enough not to open a pen knife without permission. They have been taught knife safety though.

My dd has been taught how to use a knife safely. She's almost 9. She would have tried to open it simply because she wouldn't have realised it was a knife. I imagine most 7 yr olds wouldn't know what it was.

[e1y1]

What the fuck? I can't imagine a situation where a penknife would be an appropriate gift for anyone, at any age, besides probably a hiker.

A 7yo?

[PigletJohn]

I think that "Penknife was a flick-open style thing" is pretty sure to be a misleading choice of words.

Anyway, age 7 is too young for a child to be given a knife without supervision and guidance. A pen-knife is the sort of thing you might use to cut string or sharpen a pencil. A kitchen knife would be even worse, because its blade would be bigger and sharper.

[patheticpanic]

7 year old babies?!

My youngest had a penknife at that age, not a decent one but a penknife that he'd use make things from twigs etc. Now he has a proper one (he's 13) and makes all sorts of things and uses it as a very useful tool as well.

If your child goes to an outdoors activity party then it's not that inappropriate as a gift but I would mention it to the parents in case they don't check the party bag before handing it over.

[TestingTestingWonTooFree]

Unless they were 13+ I'd think it was for parents to decide whether knives were suitable and they'd need to be warned. Yanbu.

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

YANBU - a knife at that age is inappropriate as a random party bag gift. By all means, give a pen knife as a present to a child whom you are knowledgeable about, if you know they can handle it safely - but do not be giving it out to all and sundry who rock up to a party, that's ridiculous.

Even with a warning, I wouldn't do that. As other posters have said, maybe when they're older; but not at 7.

[user1491572121]

Sign you said it was a "flick open style knife" so I think that's why that poster mentioned flick knives.

[SignOnTheWindow]

Scarlett, yes - I think a compass/whistle would have been a better choice!

Perhaps their own DC are so at home with penknives that it just didn't occur to them that others might not be.

[SignOnTheWindow]

Adarajames I'm not sure, but a flick knife is not the same as a pen knife.

AFAIK a flick knife has a spring operated blade that flicks open when you press a button.

A pen knife - which is what we are talking about here - has a blade that folds into the handle. You have to pull it open, but the mechanism can often be quite stiff so the blade sort of 'flicks' out all of a sudden when you try to open it. Bit hard to describe!

[Adarajames]

Aren't flick knives illegal?!