I am considering buying my son his first pocket knife for Christmas. As I have talked to friends, responses are mixed. So my simple question is this - What is the appropriate age for a boy's first pocket knife.

The discussion will likely lead to the fact that maturity levels are vastly different from kid to kid and that chronological age is a poor indicator of readiness. If you are in the mood for a more complex question, what would you look for in deciding when a boy is ready for his first knife?

Initially, the knife will only be used under direct supervision during Y-Tribe (formerly Indian Guides) campouts and outdoor activites.

Please see my other post for the most fun part of this problem.

This is a good question...

I have twins coming and at least one of the kids is a boy (the other one did not want to get their picture taken!). Me being me is already planning out stuff to do in a very estrogen environment that's call home. Nice to have someone on my side (at least in theory anyways), so really excited to do the camping/hiking/cubs/scouts/hunting/etc thing.

Just hope the little guy is into this stuff!!!!!

It is a subjective question. Watch how he cares for his other personal items. If he abuses them, if he doesn't take care of his stuff now, then a knife would be inappropriate I would think. If he treats other toys like play weapons, then he's probably going to want to do the same with a knife. I got my first pocket knife at 9. Grandad gave it to me, and he showed me how to care for it, what I could use it for, and told me what I couldn't do with it. I did what he said, and I kept it till mom took it away from me as punishment for some other transgression, then promptly lost it (I suspect purposefully).

My point is, you don't just give a kid a knife, anymore than you would give them a gun, or a power tool, or your car keys. You will take the time, as Grandad did with me, to demonstrate to them the proper use, care, and respect it deserves, and reinforce those values often, until there is little question the kid understands and accepts the responsibility. It is not so much dependent on the kid as it will be on you, for if the kid abuses it, that mistake will rest on your shoulders, not his. If done the way it is supposed to be done, then it's possible a 6 year old could have a pocket knife. Recall that many a pre-teen boy would go out with a 33 caliber squirrel gun and fetch up dinner as little as 50 years ago in some places. They were taught respect along with how to use and care for the tool, and so it was never abused.

You make the call when you feel you are ready for the responsibility, not when you think the kid is. That's what I did with mine, and never had a problem.

the other kid/knife question was fun..this one is tough..
i could say that a kid who is moody and stays in his room playing computer games is not ready--BUT the gift of a knife may show him that he is now seen as a trusted and ready for real "grow-up" sort of things and help him move along to adulthood--OR on the other hand the "good kid" may get his hands on a knife and turn into a hacker and stabber..whatever you do make it a real knife and not a "survival" "military" weapon and watch him like a hawk to see how he handles this new responsibilty...

Thanks for the input so far.

Izzy, for any question related to knives that ends in "he'll end up cutting himself," the answer will be an easy yes. If you use knives, you will get cut. If I give my son a knife, he will cut himself with it, just like he scraped up his knees riding his bike.

I guess if you're looking for an underlying question, it would be "How old do you have to be to learn to use a knife responsibly as a tool?"

Does he know right from wrong in most situations? Yes
Does he understand the difference between reality and TV/Fantasy? Yes
Does he understand that a knife can cut you and that cuts hurt? Yes
Does he show an interest in the outdoors and in using a knife as a tool? Yes
At six, is he too young to "own" a knife? I don't know

What Benjammin said. Those were excellent points.

I don't have kids of my own yet but I can relate my chidlhood experience. Even though I grew up in the city, my dad (who was raised on a farm) introduced me to the outdoors at a pretty young age. He gave me my first knife, his old Mora, when I was 6 or 7. A few years later I also got to learn how to use an axe and billhook. Of course, I already had the chance of observing my dad at work much earlier so it was very much a natural progress. I believe that's how it used to be done in the past, at least in the countryside. It is a pretty good method IMHO.

I guess I was more responsible at my age than most other kids and I never abused my knives. Somehow my dad made me understand that a knife is foremost a tool, nothing mystical or awesome about it. And as any other tool, you need to master it gradually. Even before he let me keep that Mora he would often whittle a stick and show me how to do some simple carving, then I could give it a try myself. After a while I was simply allowed to keep the knife, take care of it (I was also taught how to sharpen it) and that was that. All very natural and probably the reason I never felt the need to show off in class, bring a knife to school or do anything stupid with it.

Not sure if that helps but I suppose you can only answer the question yourself as a parent. Hopefully you know your son well enough. If you already spend a lot of time outdoors with your family and if he is mature and responsible he might already be entrusted with a sharp blade. Or better yet, just allow him to handle a knife occasionally, teach him how to use it properly and look at whether he tries to abuse it in any way. If he does, he is obviously not ready yet.

5

Next question?

When they've shown they can use a knife properly under supervision and when they've shown they can demonstrate the proper respect for it. Being he's your son you probably know the answer better than anyone here as to whether or not he is ready.

I guess when I was young my first introduction to knives started with: "Dad/Grandpa can you cut/open this?"

Then went to, "Dad/Grandpa can I borrow your knife to cut/open something?"

Then finally to, "Dad, can I have my own knife?"

To which, by that point, Dad was so tired of me borrowing his knife he agreed to get me my own at the hardware store....as long as I didn't tell mom.

All good points, and I, like all of you, still bear the faint scars of early experimentation, and can still remember the fear of the little nick or gash being discovered and the resulting confiscation by mom.

It taught me to be more careful as much (if not more) than the safe handling lectures and demonstrations that I endured.

Of course, our dads didn't have the wealth of information at their fingertips that we do, so as others mentioned, make it an event, be a part of it, have your own knife out and describe what it means to you, etc.

Kids will be kids, he'll be pulling it out and staring out it at every opportunity until he's had it long enough that the allure wears off. I suppose you need to talk about carrying to school, opening it in public (at his age), etc.