At what age-pocket knife

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Forum -> Parenting our children

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View latest: 24h 48h 72h

what age do you Allow your child to have a pocket knife

10-11

[ 5 ]

12-13

16%

[ 9 ]

14-15

[ 5 ]

16-18

[ 3 ]

Never

58%

[ 31 ]

Total Votes : 53

amother

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 9:01 am

At what age do you allow your child to have a pocket knife? My son is 13 and would like to have one. My husband is concerned about safety.

amother

Gray

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 9:08 am

When he knows not to fool around with it near his classmates and siblings risking injury.

giftedmom

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 9:09 am

What is the purpose of one? Never had a kid ask me

amother

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 9:09 am

amother Gray wrote:

When he knows not to fool around with it near his classmates and siblings risking injury.

I trust him. He's a very safe kid. I would be more concerned about his classmates accessing it.

amother

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 9:10 am

giftedmom wrote:

What is the purpose of one? Never had a kid ask me

Do you have boys?

amother

Peony

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 9:12 am

My kids are mature and cautious so I had no problem from age ten or so. Why would other kids access it? Please do follow any school rules, but my boys school doesn't have a problem with it. My boys definitely get practical use out of theirs and they really enjoy having them.

Chayalle

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 9:14 am

Just an FYI....a couple of years ago, there was a minor disagreement between the boys in my neighborhood and the girls (all were around age 9-10 or so at the time) about who gets to occupy a certain clubhouse. One of the boys pulled out a pocketknife and waved it in the girls' direction. And yes, they felt threatened and vacated the premises. And yes, his parents took appropriate action when they heard about it.

As such I'm going to say, 9-10 is too young for a pocketknife. 13 might not be. I don't know, I don't have boys.

Ema of 5

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 9:15 am

amother OP wrote:

Do you have boys?

I have boys. One of them likes knives. What is the purpose of having the knife? Will he be using it at home for fun, or will he be taking it with him for protection? Will it be shown off to friends? If he wants it for protection, you need to check your state laws regarding carrying a weapon.

amother

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 9:17 am

Ema of 5 wrote:

Mostly to be cool and also for practical use. At least that's what I think.

chanatron1000

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 9:22 am

13 is old enough in my opinion, but it's not always a matter of age. There are 31 year old men who can't be trusted with a pocket knife either, though their parents can no longer say no.

amother

Stoneblue

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 9:22 am

Maybe he can have it at home.
Not sure it's a good idea to take to school.

amother

Gray

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 9:22 am

amother OP wrote:

I trust him. He's a very safe kid. I would be more concerned about his classmates accessing it.

That happened once in my kids class. I think it was 8th grade. Lots of wild adhd types could grab it.

Not into letting them feel cool if someone might get hurt.

bigsis144

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 9:28 am

My brothers are Boy Scouts and my son went to a similar but frum outdoorsy program.

Knife safety education was a big deal, and if boys showed responsibility using a knife in a supervised environment, they could earn the privilege of getting to use one on their own for whittling, cutting ropes or cardboard, etc.

My son got a multi tool for his 11th birthday.

amother

Mistyrose

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 9:28 am

amother Peony wrote:

I drive a carpool of kids that age and they’re constantly in each others faces touching, grabbing, ‘borrowing’ another kids prize etc. According to my other boys this happens in school as well. So even I trust my son, unless he’s keeping it secret you have to trust the boys around him to act responsibly as well.
I would let around bar mitzvah. I find there’s a natural maturing they lose some of the silliness and take life a bit more seriously.

AlwaysGrateful

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 10:35 am

I think that first of all, it would totally depend on the kid. I have an older teen I would never allow to have a pocket knife. I also have another teen I would have allowed to have a knife at age 10, no problem.

Secondly, even with the kid who I'd allow to have it, I would be having a long conversation with him first and setting down guidelines. Talk to him about how it is okay to use it, and how it is not. When can he leave it open. What materials are safe to use it on. (Maybe research pocket knife safety first.) Talk to him about the dangers of it, including having a friend or younger sibling take it and use it recklessly. Ask him how he thinks he can avoid running into those issues.

I think that as a mom, you know if your child is mature enough for it. And if he's mature enough for it, he's mature enough to understand the risks and plan for them. But he may not realize the risks on his own or proactively think of ways to avoid those risks on his own. That's where parenting comes in.

I would definitely not give it to him for self defense. I don't care what's happening around us. Better to send him to a self defense class than to hand him a knife. It's more likely to get him hurt, even if he was in a dangerous situation, than to hurt an actual dangerous person.

amother

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 12:49 pm

The poll really turned on its head. It went from 25 to 63 percent never.

Can you explain your reasoning pollsters?

amother

Pear

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 1:12 pm

Never. My sons friends have knives. I did not allow my son to have one. The stories that come out of yeshiva about the boys doing stupid things with knives! Just no no no.

He ended up buying a few knives anyway and I confiscated them. He has since grown out of thinking knives are cool. Guns, definitely.

Rappel

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 1:15 pm

My son earned and bought himself a multi-tool, including a knife. He uses it frequently and well.

He's 7.

Raindance

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 1:26 pm

I had one in grade 8, so I was about 12-13.
He should only have it when he is responsible. That includes making sure it's tucked away safely where no one else can access it, and he does not brag about having it.

amother

Clematis

Tue, Nov 14 2023, 2:12 pm

I'm laughing so hard. LOL

In Switzerland, almost every Bar Mitzva gets an engraved (full name) pocketknive.
Sometimes, even a few.
My son has 3, fleishig (grilling), parve & klp.
Never fooled around, and he's not a "Leimeleh"....

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