To think it is irresponsible to give an eight-year-old a pen knife

[OlgaRhythm]

Need views on whether I am being too precious here. Family member has gifted DC a pen knife for Xmas. On no planet would I trust them with it until they were much older. I'm just in disbelief that someone could be so daft. AIBU?

My dc had Swiss Army Knives and Opinel knives at 8.

They used them for whittling sticks (for hours!) to toast marshmallows and sausages when camping, went on some bushcraft courses etc.

Given lots of safety instructions (I.e engage common sense) Actually they had quite a big bushcraft knife at 10 I think.

Plus they were expert at building and lighting fires by 8 or 9.

Gave them a serious sense of responsibility.

Perfect age for a pocketknife, particularly if he is a cub. Calm down.

Perfectly normal. My 10 year old has been using his for years, 6 year old will get a child’s one for his 7th birthday. They are learning knife etiquette from day one (including to never, ever take it out of the house without checking if it’s ok, how ta carry a knife safely etc).
They have also been using proper kitchen knifes from reception age. The number of adults who can’t handle a knife safely is shocking. these skills need to be taught, they don’t just appear magically!

@Soontobe60 because we are on a farm.

Hay for horses, straw for horses beds.

Lambing shed, hay, straw, plastic sawdust wraps.

Silage wrap for cows.

They can lamb a sheep as well.

Just different skills taught at a young age. Safely and supervised.

Mine had Swiss army knives around that age that were used under supervision. You know your own child. If you don't think they're old enough then just keep it until you feel comfortable with them using it.

Bought my niece a nice pocket knife at about that age. She was only allowed it supervised, as expected and I asked my sister if it was okay. Once she was old enough she was allowed to keep it in her desk. She's 32 now and still not stabbed anyone. I was a similar age when I got my first knife as well

DH has a huge traditional pen knife, that had a huge rather blunt blade, a little blade, a thing for getting a stone out of a horse's hoof (yes that old) that his grandpa gave him when he was 9. He lived in Catford in South London. But kids didn't run around stabbing each other in those days. Or not so much.

My parents let me use an outdoor survival knife un-supervised at eight.

Come to think of it, I was a little surprised, even back then...

My son’s best friend moved here from Germany and it seems the norm there for children to be given a knife and how to whittle etc from younger than 8. I think it’s a great way to teach children knife safety etc.

My son has had a whole host of tools since he was much younger than 8, and at 10 is currently helping DH to measure and cut lengths of wood to replace the slats on a bed (wearing correct safety gear of course). I’m a firm believer of allowing children to learn how to do dangerous things carefully as opposed to just not letting them do it at all.

DH tells me that the knife his grandpa gave him when he was 9 is called a 'jack knife' and was issued to the armed forces in the past. You can buy replicas these days but they are age restricted (over 16) Here is a pic of a 1946 model exactly the same as DH's, except that the blade is blunt as hell. Still you could do someone, or yourself, quite a lot of harm with it. This one was on sale for £31.35 reduced from £49.99.

Totally off the topic but that must be where the term 'jack-knifed lorry' comes from, like when big trucks slide on ice or snow and they jack-knife and need help to get straightened up.

My DC were using knives from 3 at Forest Kindergarten. DD1 is using a fixed blade knife now at 11. DD2 is still using a rounded blade at 9.

I think I might get my ten year old girl one of those round bladed Swiss Army knives. I had a penknife at 7 and was peeling spuds at 6. She's happy with kitchen knives and will use a peeler for a carrot.

They won't cut their fingers off twice.
They need to learn how to handle a knife safely and you need to teach them.

I got mine for my 7th birthday.

We'd already been shown how to whittle, cut bale strings etc, to cut away from ourselves, not to be idiots, not to take them to school or wave them around, that they were a tool for various purposes not a weapon etc.

It was clearly understood that misuse would result in removal and depending on the misuse, punishment on top.

I cut myself from time to time, I learned well from that - keep blades sharp, it reduces the risk of cutting yourself, use blades properly! I can carve really well to this day and sharpen almost any blade with a steel or a stone.

Obviously, your kid, your rules but I think kids learn fine motorskills better when young.

I was around that age when I got my Swiss army knife and it was my most prized possession. Also bought my first knife around that age, a tiny souvenir one that couldn't cut anything but was still very excited to buy it from the hunting knife shop and get my name engraved on it.

DD got this knife when she was 7, required for Scouts.

That said, the decision to give a child a knife or not should be the parents' decision, not another family member, so YANBU to be unhappy about a family member getting it for your DC for Christmas, but its not generally irresponsible.