I think pocket knives, B-B guns and such are vital to raising a boy or girl up proper-like, maybe more so today than ever.Exposing kids to knives and guns at an early age and carefully supervising them in their safe and appropriate use is a healthy deterrent to misuse of those weapons…
More than that, it teaches responsibility and it teaches consequences.
Was given a boy scout knife when I was 4 1/2 .Learned real quick it was sharp. Carried it though elementary school.I have carried a knife all my life.
ReplyDeleteExposing kids to knives and guns at an early age and carefully supervising them in their safe and appropriate use is a healthy deterrent to misuse of those weapons…
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with this on one and only one point. Knives and guns are not, again NOT weapons, anymore than a bat or a spoon are weapons. nothing is a weapon until it is used as such. And yes this includes sporks and silly putty. It's all in how you use them.
+1
DeleteMy grandfather gave me a 2.75" single blade Old Timer pin knife when I started school. My dad showed me how to sharpen it on his oil stone. I still have it and my dad's oilstone. When I was about 11 or 12 I broke the point off it and my dad gave me a TL-29, the military electricians knife. I still have that one also.
ReplyDeleteYup. I can still find the scars on my winkled hands from when I learned about sharp tools as a young lad. Just as importantly, I also learned to find the first aid box, apply a bandage, and press on.
ReplyDeleteMy 2 sons always had access to all of my firearms. They knew what a bullet did when fired into a living animal. They knew the consequences. I never worried while they were growing up and don't worry now.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! I just bought my sons each a Mora "Rookie" sheath knife for their nephews to learn knife safety. There's an edge on them, but a blunt point that's a bit more forgiving of mistakes. The kids are taught that many people (including adults) handle knives unsafely, and to never trust that others know what they're doing until they've shown they're competent.
ReplyDeleteExcellent advice! I too grew up always carrying a pocketknife, & remember playing "mumbledy-peg" during recess. All the boys carried knives, but no one ever used them in a fight. That was back when we had an American culture, and we all knew better.
ReplyDeleteIn Jr. High, I was flabbergasted when I had a new woodshop teacher: he said that knives should be kept dull, "so you wouldn't cut yourself so easy." I can still remember all us kids doing eyerolls! What a doofus! I told my Dad, who thought it was hilarious; he told all his friends, and word got around. Next day, the shop teacher said that he "may" have misled us, that what he "meant" was that tools should be kept sharp!
These days, there aren't any wood shop classes, or knives, or an American culture. We've lost a lot.