She is 9 and very sceptical about Santa but still seems to want to believe. She told me she had put a secret on her list to see if Santa brought it (and so to test if he was real).
I said he would not bring anything that I didnt know about. So she told me she wanted a penknife....
Apparently she had seen one recently at a friend's party. I had no idea about this but friend is generally quite sensible.
The thing is DD was very serious about wanting it and promising not to be dangerous and to stick to "any rules" I make and never to take it to school etc. But of course these days for a child to have a knife of any sort is not so acceptable is it? I am undecided what to do as I dont even really know how dangerous a penknife is to be honest as I have never held one I dont think? Where do you get them from?
I would really appreciate advice from people who may have them for their DC. Or any negative experiences. Would it be okay to let her have one on condition that she cant take it out of the house/garden?
Also advice as to if I do say no to having one (am not yet decided but suspect DH will say NO) then how can I explain it to DD so she understands that I do trust her, but....
Sorry to ramble on - just looking for a few more points of view before I let her know. I am tending to saying no, but I know how disappointed she will be. She loves using scissors, digging in the garden and making a mess outdoors generally so I can see how the knife appeals to her. She got hold of our garden shears this summer and before I knew it she had "helped" by cutting the roots of a beautiful flowering vine that had grown for many many years....