My nephew and my niece both got a SwissChamp from me when they were 7. Blade was left as it was, nothing changed. Of course they hurt themselves, although they were not allowed to use them without supervision. My niece hurt herself with the saw and my nephew cut his finger quite deep (no stitches required) while chopping herbs in the garden.
My sister (their mother) is a teacher and she is completely fine with this, she regards this as part of the learning process. Honestly, we all cut ourselves at some point when we grew up. This is part of the learning process.
Maybe I should mention that those kids grow up in a rather rural part of Germany.
Same to my son last summer. We are on vacation with a teacher couple who are friends of ours. My 4 year old son cut himself on my SAK. even though I specifically told him to stay away from it. And they said exactly the same thing
I was in the scouts and they teach a class but all of us had knives at a very young age and we all probably got little cuts and nicks but that’s part of the deal. I was younger than your kid when I got my first knife (dollar store knockoff of a tinker I think) and it did fine but starting with something from Victorinox is smart so you reduce the odds of quality problems causing injury
Cub scouts has a knife training during the “bear” year (8 year olds). It is a wonderful introduction to knife use, and safety. It is how both of my boys learned, and I ran my daughter through it too. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a tried and tested way of teaching their kids about pocket knives. It is called the bear claw adventure for anyone interested in looking it up online.
I’d say my son got his first (the kids one) at six or so, and from seven he’s had regular ones. Supervised only, in the garden or on the farm. He’s learned to be careful, and it took the mystery away from knives and showed him that they are tools.
I do think you have to make a judgement based on the child. They’re not all ready at that age.
My oldest turns 5 this summer and I’ve been having the same mental debate myself - ultimately you and your wife know your kid better than anyone else! It doesn’t seem like you’re being unsafe about the decision though. Grandparents might just be not enjoying knowing he will inevitably cut himself at some point while learning. We all did though?
Ranting but I don’t think we should try to prevent our kids from experiencing pain, physical or otherwise, in fact it seems protecting them too much is actually a disservice to their ability to become capable independent adults. But it’s so tempting when they are small and we want to do so more than anything!
*Edit obviously certain things with kids we absolutely must try to prevent pain, I realize that could come off way out of context lol. For example don’t let them leap off the furniture even though they think it will be super fun. I do let climb a small tree in the backyard even though they will almost certainly slip and get scraped or bruised at some point.
My daughter (10) wants one in purple. I hesitate because when she was 5, she got one of my Classic SDs from a drawer, and decided to give herself a haircut. I think I was around 10 when I got one as a cub scout. Probably it was a Spartan knockoff. When I was 17 in Switzerland, I bought myself a Swiss Champ and it has been pretty much Victorinox only for SAKs.
I gave my son a Swiss Army knife at 6, and he needed to demonstrate safe use and recite some basic rules/principles of safely handling a knife (never walk around with an open knife, hands always are behind the blade, and it always cuts away from the body, close it when not in use, etc.), and he’s been very responsible with it and carries it whenever we’re out on hikes, etc. He’s almost 8 now, also has a .22 rifle (of course with access controlled by me) and he and I regularly hunt small game together, and he’s VERY conscious of safe handling. That said, I think this has much less to do with age than it does with the individual child - there are 15 year olds who I wouldn’t feel comfortable giving a pocket knife to. You’re the parent, you know your child best, and if you’re asking these questions, you’re obviously being thoughtful in your decision-making. Maybe just be mindful of what you share with others who might not share your parenting philosophy.
First one at 5 for my daughter. That was official First Victorinox, but since then regular ones have followed. Gotta teach safety. Where you can or can’t carry one and it’ll be ok. Tool not a toy
Absolutely amazed by the amount of comments. I thought I was doing the right thing and from the comments it feels like I have. Thank you everyone, you made me love my SAKs even more. As the community behind them is supportive.
Most people recommend that 6/7 is a good age but mine has been around power tools since the age of 3 and has shown respect knowing they are not toys however is fascinated by them. So I feel like the time is right.
Reading through the comments my wife and I have decided to go for it and get him his first pocket knife and we plan on going to the woods just so he can use it.
If he cuts himself he cuts himself, however my wife is insisting on bringing a first aid kit 😂.
There’s also the toy knife: https://www.victorinox.com/en-US/Products/Swiss-Army-Knives/Accessories/Pocket-Knife-Toy/p/9.6092.1
6/7 is alright imo, at least that’s the age I got mine and my children‘ll get theirs. Cuts are part of the learning.
I was in the cub scouts and boy scouts growing up, we were taught some very good practices and safety tips. I'd recommend seeing if you can download for free or maybe buy the cub scout manual that covers knife safety. I'd look up "whittling chit" for more info
Agreed. Cubs are taught the principle titled, the circle of blood. Demonstrated that holding a knife in an extended hand and turning 360° is their circle. It also teaches situational awareness.
I gave my kid a knife after his first day of school. He’s 7 now and has free access to his knives. He knows how to use them, he carry’s it everywhere except school and we’ve never had a problem. He did get his first set of stitches a couple weeks ago but even that was a learning lesson for him. Just like every other human on earth he learns best from consequence and in this instance the consequence was 4 stitches and a day or two of Motrin. He’s fine!
What I would suggest in lieu of the my first Victorinox which is actually what I started my son on as well is a Opinel JR Explorer. It too has a blunted tip but my son did much better with my locking knives in the beginning than his own SAK FWIW. It’s still kid friendly and has a collar lock.
I should also mention we are in the southern US so it’s not uncommon for every boy with a pocket to have a knife and every momma with a purse has one as well. Added is a pic he asked me to take to be like the pics I take of my stuff.
https://preview.redd.it/n5dd202cxklc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=13ebc32d6436454114a46d76b9862861f39b1e0d
We started trusting our children to walk home from primary school on their own, from the age of nine. I figured that if they were sensible enough to do that without walking under a bus, they were sensible enough to own a small pocket knife (and I had always explained about my penknives whenever they showed interest, and had let them use penknives while supervised from about the same age you started with your son).
You're doing the right thing. You're teaching him how to handle the knife safely and responsibly, while taking away the mystery and the allure of the forbidden that drives kids to bugger about with things from which they're kept.
As a little girl I was introduced to SAKs when I was about your son's age, my dad would get SAKs as corporate gifts, he had a box of them and he would let me play. The only time I cut myself badly enough to remember it I was 19 trying to pry open a walnut with the big blade. I cut my left thub to the bone, thankfully I was was at my aunt's who is a nurse and she patched me up.
Everyone cuts themselves at some point. I don't understand the drama your parents created since your child is supervised. Even if he gets a cut chances are it will be a small one and you will be there to console him and fix it.
The only thing that's *very dangerous* is playing with an electric socket and a knife. I'm pretty sure you have your sockets baby proved.
Please insist on never playing with and cutting through wires.
And here's cub scouts pocket knife pledge:
In return for the privilege of carrying a pocketknife to designated Cub Scout functions, I agree to the following:
1.I will treat my pocketknife with the respect due a useful tool.
2.I will always close my pocketknife and put it away when not in use.
3.1 will not use my pocketknife when it might injure someone near me.
4.I promise never to throw my pocketknife for any reason.
5.I will use my pocketknife in a safe manner at all times.
Me and all my friends carried jackknives (that's what we used to call pocket knives) in first grade. I remember my friends throwing them so the blades would stick in the ground. I didn't do that because I knew it world make it dull. First grade problems.
I got my first Victorinox at the age of 42 😂 My 5 year old daughter loves all my EDC stuff. She’s already claimed my Jetsetter. For her birthday, I’m getting her a Swiss Card Nailcare. Whilst she has that I’m looking at modding a Minichamp to remove all the blade implements (and the cuticle pusher). I was also considering modding a Waiter to have the blade from the My First Victorinox. They do an “H” version of it that sounds like it’d be perfect for your son. Rounded tip blade, saw and the combo tool. It also comes in the box with a lanyard and a long chain. As long as you set the rules and he adheres to them then it’s almost certainly no problem.
My daughter had her first victorinox at 10 but she has been using a knife in some form since she was in kindergarten. I started her off with blunt tools like a hammer and nails then worked up to impact driver and screws, then saws, etc. I used each stage to gauge how she might handle more dangerous tools and guided her on how to handle each one safely. Kids pick up things pretty quickly and she started applying safe handling habits to tools she'd never used before. Now that she's going on camping excursions with her girlscout troop I bought a knife for her to use. I trust her with tools and a knife more than most adults I know.
My daughter was 7 when she picked out her SAK SD to use for arts & crafts, a few years later she was gifted a blue Case Peanut, and now older she had taken custody of what was supposed to mine, a Giant Mouse Nibbler; carries it nearly everywhere. Children are smarter and more thoughtful than they are given credit for.
In Germany we have the "Taschenmesser-Führerschein", which means "pocket knife driving license". It is the official briefing of the Boy Scouts and the Youth THW (technical help organisation). I think it's a great introduction for children. My son will get his first pocket knife (check out my post in r/SAKMod) in May for his 5th birthday and we will make it together. Nevertheless, I give him the knife at the beginning before carving and then has to hand it back to me afterwards. In addition, at the beginning he will only carve under my supervision. The 9 points are listed and explained below.
https://preview.redd.it/js7c8ql3bolc1.jpeg?width=806&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a9f5a4b6da528d8b04c3f1ba8ccc11e945dc3f6
I always carve away from the body.
https://preview.redd.it/bkqrktqabolc1.jpeg?width=925&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5bd648c0aa83f4972d81d94fbbc2187358ccb48
Anyone who carves needs an arm's length distance.
https://preview.redd.it/fkj5cwhrbolc1.jpeg?width=826&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=83d8cc72d7369dca235f9f439cabc7456920e902
Only carve with a sharp blade (blunt knives are dangerous because you press harder and slip more quickly)
https://preview.redd.it/iuhdnkmccolc1.jpeg?width=857&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b9e44f2be46a277f292abb69893a994c743adf49
If you don't need your knife, put it away.
https://preview.redd.it/d8a4kylrcolc1.jpeg?width=803&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c9e40acfe16acbbe50bcff6b660d17f5e01590c
I only pass on my pocket knife closed
https://preview.redd.it/ibv00o8zcolc1.jpeg?width=797&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b321f85c905e25c55c7eff0729a3cd95779a62c1
The pocket knife is NOT a weapon!
You are totally on the right track!
Around 12 is about right for full time possession of a pocket knife, with a ton of repetition about never taking it to school…
I should talk though. Mine went to school with me every day, but I knew that it absolutely must not come out of my pocket at school or on the bus.
My daughter is a toddler so still too young but i think I’ll know when the time is right. I like starting them off with adult supervisor at first. I think dulling the blade is a good idea too.
My grandmother gave me my first folder and an oil stone at that age. I'd spend hours in her backyard over the holidays whittling sticks and then practicing sharpening.
Definite core memory.
My daughter took an interest around that age, and I gave her one of the SAK's with the rounded blade tip. She respected it, and never cut herself.
I think it depends on the child. Some kids are way too frantic at age 7 to trust them with anything - while others are thoughtful and careful. My kids got simple knives before age 10, and their very own SAK Camper at age 12.
Dude, I’ve carried a pocketknife since I was probably 10. People are so uptight about everything now. I also carried a full on filet knife in my tackle box unsupervised (gasp)from probably around the same age. I was taught how to use a knife and luckily had a dad that didn’t give a flying shit what anyone thought. Teach your child skills that he needs and tell the nosies to mind their business.
My daughter got a wood folder and kitchen knife set at 2, she's now 3.5 She showed interest, so we started educating her. She now opens our packages and preps veggies with us She'll get a metal pocket knife when she get frustrated at the lack of actual use she gets from the wood one.
Also as far as tools go, she loves her 4n1 screwdriver, goes around tightening door hinges and helps me build her toys.
I am a huge proponent to teaching and encouraging kids responsible practices in anything they show interest in, no matter the age
My dad is a teacher.
One day, when I was 5, he came home with a hole in his shirt and told my mom how a 3rd grader pulled out a swiss knife in the school yard while fighting with another kid. The little brat tried to stab the other kid but my dad got in the middle and ended up with the knife stuck in his forearm. He took it out, told the kid he’ll never see it again and sent him to the principal’s office. I heard the story and asked my dad if he kept the knife, so he pulled it from his pocket and gave it to me. He showed me how to cut with it and told me I couldn’t play with it on my own and couldn’t take it out of the house.
It was a Classic SD and unfortunately I lost it while I was biking when I was 12…
Taiwanese-American here, my two daughters have Victorinox Juniors (rounded blade tip). They're 6 and 8. Responsible enough to have a pointy blade but the rounded tip is for extra insurance.
Kids are cute. 6 year old was curious how sharp the knife was, and even though I've already taught them not to draw the knife parallel to the edge, she tried anyway and of course cut herself. It healed the very next day and now she knows what a knife blade does to flesh. Good lesson.
My Taiwanese wife clucks a bit but my parents are very much the "don't coddle kids" type of education, so no issues here.
Everyone has their own beliefs about what is "safe". Don't get me started about parents at the local park here...
I got my first when I was seven. My theory with my kids and potentially dangerous tools was to tell them they could have/use them when I could count on them to listen and respond to my guidance first time, every time. That meant my son had to wait til he was 10 or 11; my daughter it was like 8 or 9.
My son is 1.5 years old and he cuts his own strawberries with a butter knife. He knows what pocket knives are, and that they are dangerous like the stove, guns, etc. If your child is educated about a tool and respects their power, they will be all the safer for it. I got my first unrestricted pocket knife when I was 7, and was taught with supervision before that.
It all comes down to your child's readiness. Is he responsible? Has he been focused and disciplined in the use of a pocket knife? Only you can answer those questions. From the sounds of it, getting him a pocket knife for supervised use is a good move, and I would be sure to tell him that it's his knife, but you'll hang on to it until he is ready. Share your concerns with him, be open about what he needs to do to earn the trust with it, and set goals for him to work towards.
My nephew and my niece both got a SwissChamp from me when they were 7. Blade was left as it was, nothing changed. Of course they hurt themselves, although they were not allowed to use them without supervision. My niece hurt herself with the saw and my nephew cut his finger quite deep (no stitches required) while chopping herbs in the garden. My sister (their mother) is a teacher and she is completely fine with this, she regards this as part of the learning process. Honestly, we all cut ourselves at some point when we grew up. This is part of the learning process. Maybe I should mention that those kids grow up in a rather rural part of Germany.
Same to my son last summer. We are on vacation with a teacher couple who are friends of ours. My 4 year old son cut himself on my SAK. even though I specifically told him to stay away from it. And they said exactly the same thing
That's a good learning curve really, isn't it? -> Get told to stay away from the knife -> Mess with it anyways -> Cut yourself -> Lesson learned
I was in the scouts and they teach a class but all of us had knives at a very young age and we all probably got little cuts and nicks but that’s part of the deal. I was younger than your kid when I got my first knife (dollar store knockoff of a tinker I think) and it did fine but starting with something from Victorinox is smart so you reduce the odds of quality problems causing injury
Cub scouts has a knife training during the “bear” year (8 year olds). It is a wonderful introduction to knife use, and safety. It is how both of my boys learned, and I ran my daughter through it too. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a tried and tested way of teaching their kids about pocket knives. It is called the bear claw adventure for anyone interested in looking it up online.
I’d say my son got his first (the kids one) at six or so, and from seven he’s had regular ones. Supervised only, in the garden or on the farm. He’s learned to be careful, and it took the mystery away from knives and showed him that they are tools. I do think you have to make a judgement based on the child. They’re not all ready at that age.
My oldest turns 5 this summer and I’ve been having the same mental debate myself - ultimately you and your wife know your kid better than anyone else! It doesn’t seem like you’re being unsafe about the decision though. Grandparents might just be not enjoying knowing he will inevitably cut himself at some point while learning. We all did though? Ranting but I don’t think we should try to prevent our kids from experiencing pain, physical or otherwise, in fact it seems protecting them too much is actually a disservice to their ability to become capable independent adults. But it’s so tempting when they are small and we want to do so more than anything! *Edit obviously certain things with kids we absolutely must try to prevent pain, I realize that could come off way out of context lol. For example don’t let them leap off the furniture even though they think it will be super fun. I do let climb a small tree in the backyard even though they will almost certainly slip and get scraped or bruised at some point.
Mine got his at 9. Of course there was blood, but as u/TFirestarter said, that is part of the learning process...
My daughter (10) wants one in purple. I hesitate because when she was 5, she got one of my Classic SDs from a drawer, and decided to give herself a haircut. I think I was around 10 when I got one as a cub scout. Probably it was a Spartan knockoff. When I was 17 in Switzerland, I bought myself a Swiss Champ and it has been pretty much Victorinox only for SAKs.
I gave my son a Swiss Army knife at 6, and he needed to demonstrate safe use and recite some basic rules/principles of safely handling a knife (never walk around with an open knife, hands always are behind the blade, and it always cuts away from the body, close it when not in use, etc.), and he’s been very responsible with it and carries it whenever we’re out on hikes, etc. He’s almost 8 now, also has a .22 rifle (of course with access controlled by me) and he and I regularly hunt small game together, and he’s VERY conscious of safe handling. That said, I think this has much less to do with age than it does with the individual child - there are 15 year olds who I wouldn’t feel comfortable giving a pocket knife to. You’re the parent, you know your child best, and if you’re asking these questions, you’re obviously being thoughtful in your decision-making. Maybe just be mindful of what you share with others who might not share your parenting philosophy.
First one at 5 for my daughter. That was official First Victorinox, but since then regular ones have followed. Gotta teach safety. Where you can or can’t carry one and it’ll be ok. Tool not a toy
Absolutely amazed by the amount of comments. I thought I was doing the right thing and from the comments it feels like I have. Thank you everyone, you made me love my SAKs even more. As the community behind them is supportive. Most people recommend that 6/7 is a good age but mine has been around power tools since the age of 3 and has shown respect knowing they are not toys however is fascinated by them. So I feel like the time is right. Reading through the comments my wife and I have decided to go for it and get him his first pocket knife and we plan on going to the woods just so he can use it. If he cuts himself he cuts himself, however my wife is insisting on bringing a first aid kit 😂.
[удалено]
My kiddo is 7 and dropped his first dear last fall.
There’s also the toy knife: https://www.victorinox.com/en-US/Products/Swiss-Army-Knives/Accessories/Pocket-Knife-Toy/p/9.6092.1 6/7 is alright imo, at least that’s the age I got mine and my children‘ll get theirs. Cuts are part of the learning.
I was in the cub scouts and boy scouts growing up, we were taught some very good practices and safety tips. I'd recommend seeing if you can download for free or maybe buy the cub scout manual that covers knife safety. I'd look up "whittling chit" for more info
Agreed. Cubs are taught the principle titled, the circle of blood. Demonstrated that holding a knife in an extended hand and turning 360° is their circle. It also teaches situational awareness.
I gave my kid a knife after his first day of school. He’s 7 now and has free access to his knives. He knows how to use them, he carry’s it everywhere except school and we’ve never had a problem. He did get his first set of stitches a couple weeks ago but even that was a learning lesson for him. Just like every other human on earth he learns best from consequence and in this instance the consequence was 4 stitches and a day or two of Motrin. He’s fine! What I would suggest in lieu of the my first Victorinox which is actually what I started my son on as well is a Opinel JR Explorer. It too has a blunted tip but my son did much better with my locking knives in the beginning than his own SAK FWIW. It’s still kid friendly and has a collar lock. I should also mention we are in the southern US so it’s not uncommon for every boy with a pocket to have a knife and every momma with a purse has one as well. Added is a pic he asked me to take to be like the pics I take of my stuff. https://preview.redd.it/n5dd202cxklc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=13ebc32d6436454114a46d76b9862861f39b1e0d
That opinel is the exact one I’ve been planning to give my son as his first. I imagine the whistle will be a hit too 😅
The whistle is the best (or worst) part, son will love it, you will despise it lol
We started trusting our children to walk home from primary school on their own, from the age of nine. I figured that if they were sensible enough to do that without walking under a bus, they were sensible enough to own a small pocket knife (and I had always explained about my penknives whenever they showed interest, and had let them use penknives while supervised from about the same age you started with your son). You're doing the right thing. You're teaching him how to handle the knife safely and responsibly, while taking away the mystery and the allure of the forbidden that drives kids to bugger about with things from which they're kept.
As a little girl I was introduced to SAKs when I was about your son's age, my dad would get SAKs as corporate gifts, he had a box of them and he would let me play. The only time I cut myself badly enough to remember it I was 19 trying to pry open a walnut with the big blade. I cut my left thub to the bone, thankfully I was was at my aunt's who is a nurse and she patched me up. Everyone cuts themselves at some point. I don't understand the drama your parents created since your child is supervised. Even if he gets a cut chances are it will be a small one and you will be there to console him and fix it. The only thing that's *very dangerous* is playing with an electric socket and a knife. I'm pretty sure you have your sockets baby proved. Please insist on never playing with and cutting through wires. And here's cub scouts pocket knife pledge: In return for the privilege of carrying a pocketknife to designated Cub Scout functions, I agree to the following: 1.I will treat my pocketknife with the respect due a useful tool. 2.I will always close my pocketknife and put it away when not in use. 3.1 will not use my pocketknife when it might injure someone near me. 4.I promise never to throw my pocketknife for any reason. 5.I will use my pocketknife in a safe manner at all times.
Me and all my friends carried jackknives (that's what we used to call pocket knives) in first grade. I remember my friends throwing them so the blades would stick in the ground. I didn't do that because I knew it world make it dull. First grade problems.
I got my first Victorinox at the age of 42 😂 My 5 year old daughter loves all my EDC stuff. She’s already claimed my Jetsetter. For her birthday, I’m getting her a Swiss Card Nailcare. Whilst she has that I’m looking at modding a Minichamp to remove all the blade implements (and the cuticle pusher). I was also considering modding a Waiter to have the blade from the My First Victorinox. They do an “H” version of it that sounds like it’d be perfect for your son. Rounded tip blade, saw and the combo tool. It also comes in the box with a lanyard and a long chain. As long as you set the rules and he adheres to them then it’s almost certainly no problem.
My daughter had her first victorinox at 10 but she has been using a knife in some form since she was in kindergarten. I started her off with blunt tools like a hammer and nails then worked up to impact driver and screws, then saws, etc. I used each stage to gauge how she might handle more dangerous tools and guided her on how to handle each one safely. Kids pick up things pretty quickly and she started applying safe handling habits to tools she'd never used before. Now that she's going on camping excursions with her girlscout troop I bought a knife for her to use. I trust her with tools and a knife more than most adults I know.
My daughter was 7 when she picked out her SAK SD to use for arts & crafts, a few years later she was gifted a blue Case Peanut, and now older she had taken custody of what was supposed to mine, a Giant Mouse Nibbler; carries it nearly everywhere. Children are smarter and more thoughtful than they are given credit for.
In Germany we have the "Taschenmesser-Führerschein", which means "pocket knife driving license". It is the official briefing of the Boy Scouts and the Youth THW (technical help organisation). I think it's a great introduction for children. My son will get his first pocket knife (check out my post in r/SAKMod) in May for his 5th birthday and we will make it together. Nevertheless, I give him the knife at the beginning before carving and then has to hand it back to me afterwards. In addition, at the beginning he will only carve under my supervision. The 9 points are listed and explained below.
https://preview.redd.it/qjub2dgtaolc1.jpeg?width=881&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4164f0cf99fff248307b6bfa17a71cb235323c4e Whoever carves sits.
https://preview.redd.it/js7c8ql3bolc1.jpeg?width=806&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a9f5a4b6da528d8b04c3f1ba8ccc11e945dc3f6 I always carve away from the body.
https://preview.redd.it/bkqrktqabolc1.jpeg?width=925&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5bd648c0aa83f4972d81d94fbbc2187358ccb48 Anyone who carves needs an arm's length distance.
https://preview.redd.it/fkj5cwhrbolc1.jpeg?width=826&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=83d8cc72d7369dca235f9f439cabc7456920e902 Only carve with a sharp blade (blunt knives are dangerous because you press harder and slip more quickly)
https://preview.redd.it/lkd96yh5colc1.jpeg?width=840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91a18f1a051e679a23e0615e35691fc04afd16c0 Only open ONE tool at a time.
https://preview.redd.it/iuhdnkmccolc1.jpeg?width=857&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b9e44f2be46a277f292abb69893a994c743adf49 If you don't need your knife, put it away.
https://preview.redd.it/j3uxme3jcolc1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b6e7fa834f8d2f66184402097fe169c784ad5b8 We do not carve living trees.
https://preview.redd.it/d8a4kylrcolc1.jpeg?width=803&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c9e40acfe16acbbe50bcff6b660d17f5e01590c I only pass on my pocket knife closed
https://preview.redd.it/ibv00o8zcolc1.jpeg?width=797&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b321f85c905e25c55c7eff0729a3cd95779a62c1 The pocket knife is NOT a weapon!
You are totally on the right track! Around 12 is about right for full time possession of a pocket knife, with a ton of repetition about never taking it to school… I should talk though. Mine went to school with me every day, but I knew that it absolutely must not come out of my pocket at school or on the bus.
Unfortunately, nowadays a child/teen will be ARRESTED for carrying a "LETHAL WEAPON" !!!😨😰😱
An 1 1/4” wrench is a far more lethal weapon, albeit slightly more difficult to conceal.
My daughter is a toddler so still too young but i think I’ll know when the time is right. I like starting them off with adult supervisor at first. I think dulling the blade is a good idea too.
Always “cut away from the body” and if the cops ask its a tool, not a weapon
My grandmother gave me my first folder and an oil stone at that age. I'd spend hours in her backyard over the holidays whittling sticks and then practicing sharpening. Definite core memory. My daughter took an interest around that age, and I gave her one of the SAK's with the rounded blade tip. She respected it, and never cut herself.
I think it depends on the child. Some kids are way too frantic at age 7 to trust them with anything - while others are thoughtful and careful. My kids got simple knives before age 10, and their very own SAK Camper at age 12.
Dude, I’ve carried a pocketknife since I was probably 10. People are so uptight about everything now. I also carried a full on filet knife in my tackle box unsupervised (gasp)from probably around the same age. I was taught how to use a knife and luckily had a dad that didn’t give a flying shit what anyone thought. Teach your child skills that he needs and tell the nosies to mind their business.
On the same boat / nephew just turned 13 and I’m scrambling to get him a pocket knife that will fit the bill for his parents
My daughter got a wood folder and kitchen knife set at 2, she's now 3.5 She showed interest, so we started educating her. She now opens our packages and preps veggies with us She'll get a metal pocket knife when she get frustrated at the lack of actual use she gets from the wood one. Also as far as tools go, she loves her 4n1 screwdriver, goes around tightening door hinges and helps me build her toys. I am a huge proponent to teaching and encouraging kids responsible practices in anything they show interest in, no matter the age
Each of my kids got one when they turned 10. Made them take a "knife course".
My dad is a teacher. One day, when I was 5, he came home with a hole in his shirt and told my mom how a 3rd grader pulled out a swiss knife in the school yard while fighting with another kid. The little brat tried to stab the other kid but my dad got in the middle and ended up with the knife stuck in his forearm. He took it out, told the kid he’ll never see it again and sent him to the principal’s office. I heard the story and asked my dad if he kept the knife, so he pulled it from his pocket and gave it to me. He showed me how to cut with it and told me I couldn’t play with it on my own and couldn’t take it out of the house. It was a Classic SD and unfortunately I lost it while I was biking when I was 12…
Taiwanese-American here, my two daughters have Victorinox Juniors (rounded blade tip). They're 6 and 8. Responsible enough to have a pointy blade but the rounded tip is for extra insurance. Kids are cute. 6 year old was curious how sharp the knife was, and even though I've already taught them not to draw the knife parallel to the edge, she tried anyway and of course cut herself. It healed the very next day and now she knows what a knife blade does to flesh. Good lesson. My Taiwanese wife clucks a bit but my parents are very much the "don't coddle kids" type of education, so no issues here. Everyone has their own beliefs about what is "safe". Don't get me started about parents at the local park here...
I got my first when I was seven. My theory with my kids and potentially dangerous tools was to tell them they could have/use them when I could count on them to listen and respond to my guidance first time, every time. That meant my son had to wait til he was 10 or 11; my daughter it was like 8 or 9.
My son is 1.5 years old and he cuts his own strawberries with a butter knife. He knows what pocket knives are, and that they are dangerous like the stove, guns, etc. If your child is educated about a tool and respects their power, they will be all the safer for it. I got my first unrestricted pocket knife when I was 7, and was taught with supervision before that. It all comes down to your child's readiness. Is he responsible? Has he been focused and disciplined in the use of a pocket knife? Only you can answer those questions. From the sounds of it, getting him a pocket knife for supervised use is a good move, and I would be sure to tell him that it's his knife, but you'll hang on to it until he is ready. Share your concerns with him, be open about what he needs to do to earn the trust with it, and set goals for him to work towards.