Six year old and a pocket knife

[AnxiousPixie]

DH thinks it's ok for him to have one at six, I don't and have said no. DH had one at about the same age and doesn't see the problem. I think times have changed and knives just aren't an acceptable thing to 'play' with. I'm the bad guy.

Am I being unreasonable to say he is too young??

My brother and his mates all had sheaf knives as children - they used them to whittle bits of wood and build dens but no way on Earth would I have allowed my DS to have one. Times are very different now. I don't think I'd allow a 6 year old to have a knife of any sort for leisure purposes. At 10 or 11, if they were sensible, I might allow them to have one under supervision but no way would it be leaving the house with them unless they were with a parent.

DS had one at 13 when he joined cadets, but he only used it when on camp. It was kept in his camping gear between events, it was one of those Swiss Army knives. I wouldn't have given him one if there was no purpose for it.

There’s nothing age appropriate about a six year old having a knife. I can’t believe anyone would think this was ok.

What's a big deal about having a little pocket knife? It's not an actual weapon. And I'm sure you have plenty of knives in the kitchen.

@EleanorOlephantisjustfine I guess you've led a particularly sheltered life then.

@FATEdestiny

He could use one, supervised, with his Dad

Kicking myself for the casual sexism in that sentence.

.... He could use one, supervised, with a grown up ....

his dad wants him to have one. Thats why

Opinel do a round ended one which would be suitable. I would probably say 7 or 8 rather than 6 though. My dad has always had a pen knife (mostly used to open parcels and slice apples). I have one but it's at the back of a drawer somewhere. My older kids have them and use for stuff like whittling. We're not talking about a flick blade to take to school!!

I remember my two boys wanting one when they were young, I eventually bought them Swiss Army Knives as part of their 18th birthday presents.

What's a big deal about having a little pocket knife? It's not an actual weapon. And I'm sure you have plenty of knives in the kitchen.
Any kind of knife can be used as a weapon. Six year olds should not be allowed to handle them. Not ever.
If an older teenager/ young adult is found with one, they can be prosecuted.

Any kind of knife can be used as a weapon. Six year olds should not be allowed to handle them. Not ever.

Fuck me. Better stop teaching my child skills such as cutting his fruit, making a sandwich.

If he's only allowed to have and use it under direct supervision for things such as cooking, crafting, fishing, hunting, forest schools type stuff, and is shown how to use and store it safely, then I don't see a problem with it.

Fuck me. Better stop teaching my child skills such as cutting his fruit, making a sandwich.
You might think that's ok, but I wouldn't be giving a six year old a knife sharp enough to cut fruit with. Buttering bread with a cutlery knife, perhaps, when supervised.

My grandma used to have a little penknife (shaped like a fish) and an eentsy decorative samurai sworn (really tiny - in a sheath the size of a pen lengthier piece of bamboo) in her handbag. She would chop fruit with it.

She also had a pair of knuckledusters (not in her handbag) that were something to do with ‘sleeping in the underground and blackout during WW2’.

If you have knives in the kitchen you can use them to cut fruit and make sandwiches. You don't need a pocket knife at six years old.

@Lilypansy

At what age do you think they should learn then? Is there a special certificate they get on their birthday where a knife is suddenly safe?

My grandma used to have a little penknife

My mum has a pocket knife in her handbag at all times. Once she remembered she had it at an airport. She then went outside and burried it in a flower bed so the security didn't confiscate it. Then she retrieved it upon return a week later

Thanks everyone for your views, it's really good to see the variety. I work in a field where I see the bad side if knives, which is why my gut said no. But I get everyone saying yes under supervision etc.

@babynameneeded

Carry one around in his pocket all day, no.

Learn how to use one safely and supervised, absolutely yes.

This kind of sums it up for me. Getting a pen knife does not equate to knife crime

@Lilypansy

Fuck me. Better stop teaching my child skills such as cutting his fruit, making a sandwich. You might think that's ok, but I wouldn't be giving a six year old a knife sharp enough to cut fruit with. Buttering bread with a cutlery knife, perhaps, when supervised.

Children in a variety of cultures around the world use huge knives to help prepare and cook food for themselves and their families and they do so without injury because they've learned from a very young age to use them safely. Why must we wrap them up in cotton wool?

"Buttering bread with a cutlery knife, perhaps, when supervised"

You feel the need to supervise your 6yo when they are buttering bread? How sharp are your cutlery knives?!!

I’ve got a little Victorinox on my key ring. Our 7yo loves using it. I’ve promised him a child’s version for his 8th birthday if he’s sensible enough.

He knows it will be mainly kept at home and only used under supervision for at least the first year.

On Germany you can buy knives in toy shops- for whittling etc.

Our DDs both have knives that are nominally theres. They live in the tool box and come out if we are doing something that requires them. Same with other similar tools.

Unless you seriously make your dinner with a pen knife, then it's not the same at all, us it?

If you have them in the same "box" then you're going to give yourself a Brazilian everytime you slip your kitchen knife into your pocket.

Knives stay in kitchens. Unless you're specifically on a camp and even then they don't need their own.

We had them as kids from about that age and mine (plus all cousins etc) too.

Used under supervision for specified tasks (mostly whittling) but a great way to show trust in a child and a belief in their ability to be safe and responsible.

Plus great fun!

I had a proper swiss army at 7 (the one with a big blade and all the whistles and bells) and always make this face when i think about it

When i asked them about as an adult my parents just said they were surprised too as i had no interest in the outdoors and was a polly pocket obsessive but i seemed to REALLY want one... so they gave in and santa got it for me (This was christmas 1990!!!)

I used to take it to school!??!! to "fix things" like some unpaid child janitor and also ostensibly to "whittle wood" (What? Why?)

As an adult, I am surprisingly well adjusted (with no criminal record)

No way would i do the same for my kids....

There’s nothing age appropriate about a six year old having a knife. I can’t believe anyone would think this was ok.

Why wouldn't it be okay?

How are children supposed to learn how to use things safely if adults keep banning everything?