My exhusband gave our son a swiss army knife when he was 5 1/2 years old. He has since turned 6 (in June) however this is still an issue between he and I. He allows our son acces to the knife when he does not have adult supervision. He sleeps with it under his pillow and takes it outside with him to play. His father justifies this by saying that he tells our son not to open it when he's outside. I've explained that kids at this age do not always listen to what their parent's say. I know for a fact that our son doesn't. I feel that giving a child a knife at this age is not acceptable parenting especially when he lets him "play" with it unsupervised. I feel I must also add that our son is not very mature for his age. If I had to guess, I'd say he is somewhere around the level of a 4 year old in many aspects. Please give me your opinions. At what age should a child be allowed to have a knife with or without adult supervision?
I just recently bought my 13 year old his first one as he was going to work and I debated on getting my 10 year old one and decided to go ahead. I made sure they were given proper instruction on how to open and close it and how to use it and they were warned where it could and could not go and the concequences of not following my instructions or using it in an improper manner. I personally think 6 is young but then again I think a lot of things are as I was a 'city' kid and my husband reminds me that 'country' kids are learning to shoot guns for hunting and use a knife at earlier ages. I would just go with YOUR instinct.
The Cub Scouts will not allow a child to carry a pocket knife until they have become a Bear Cub Scout (A child who has completed the 2nd grade (typically around 8) or has turned 9 years old) and have earned their Whittling Chip. To earn a Whittling Chip the child must demonstrate proper handling of the knife, be able to recite a pledge on knife safety, and I believe take a written quiz. After they receive their chip, they are to follow all the safety rules. At that age, I also believe the scouts are told only to carry their knives on camping trips and to scout functions. If they mess up enough, scouts lose their knives for 3 months and have to earn their chip again. I imagine the Cub Scouts have a pretty good grasp on what boys are capable of at certain ages, so 8-9 years old with proper training and rules should be about right. Also keep in mind that at any age, if a child is caught sneaking a knife into school, they will most likely be expelled.
i feel that going by a certain age may not work for all children, maturity is the key here, if you feel comfortable with your child having a knife, and feel they have the maturity it takes to handle one then thats when your child should have one.
and as far a the exhusband goes, this should be a joint decision, not one sided.
and if you are uncomfortable with this then listen to your gut, better safe than sorry.
