sounds like you have a really dumb friend

9/18/2009 8:12:57 AM

Quote :

"her child probably spends its free time in front of the tv/xbox/computer and has never been outside"

QFT

9/18/2009 8:17:28 AM

i was never really "given" a pocket knife. just always managed to "inherit" them from various places. Obviously i think shes being over protective but aint my kids so fuck it

[Edited on September 18, 2009 at 8:26 AM. Reason : .]

9/18/2009 8:26:13 AM

I don't think that kids spend as much time inside as we are led to believe. In my subdivision, there are kids outside from sun up to sun down. In fact, sometimes I wished that they spent more time INside.

9/18/2009 8:27:41 AM

I always thought of the pocket knife being a gift that is given from a dad to his son....but still I see nothing wrong with a 12 year old having a knife if he is taught how to use it the right way, and given very strong threats on what will happen if he ever tries to use it as a weapon.

I, too, also had aquired a pocket knife at some point of time in my childhood, although it wasn't a gift, I forget how I found it....I probably found it out in the woods behind my house and kept it, I liked to act like I was carving wood all the time.

9/18/2009 8:38:55 AM

i think it was totally inappropriate to give that gift without asking the parent. i mean i think its retarded that she won't let him have a knife, but it was completely inappropriate for you to give him one without asking.

9/18/2009 8:41:27 AM

All the intelligent and mature responses:

Quote :

"i'd say you were out of line buying a weapon (as weak a weapon as it may be it's still a weapon) for a kid who is not your own without first asking the parent maybe she is being over protective, but that's not for anyone but her and her husband to decide."

Quote :

"I wouldn't buy someone else's child of that age a knife unless I asked the parent's permission."

Quote :

"You should have known better than to purchase a pocket knife for a young kid without talking to his parents first. Not all parents have the same set of ideals and values when it comes to how they raise their children."

Quote :

"A parent also knows whether or not their child is mature enough to handle it and you don't."

Quote :

"i think it may be overstepping your bounds to assume that their kid is properly trained on how to use a knife, thats probably something i would have okayed with the parents before i bought."

Quote :

"you're not a bitch. your gift was well-intentioned.... but it was inappropriate, considering you didnt check w/ her first. this is something for a parent to decide, not a friend. even a grandparent would have to check with the parent first."

Quote :

"i think it was totally inappropriate to give that gift without asking the parent. i mean i think its retarded that she won't let him have a knife, but it was completely inappropriate for you to give him one without asking."

[Edited on September 18, 2009 at 8:43 AM. Reason : ]

9/18/2009 8:42:33 AM

^agreed

9/18/2009 8:45:40 AM

You definitely should have asked. That's a gift that dad or grandpa should get him, but yeah the mom is a bit crazy.

9/18/2009 8:47:03 AM

there are plenty of 7th graders these days who i wouldn't trust with a knife

with that said, i don't remember how old i was when i got my first hand-me-down knife. definitely when i was still in elementary school. got my first BB gun around 5th grade i think. got a nicer pellet gun when i was 13. i bought my first shotgun when i was 16. i had to give the money to my dad and let him pay for it since i was too young.

9/18/2009 8:57:42 AM

agreed with all of the quoted posts above.

9/18/2009 9:17:46 AM

like a lot of others here, i had/used knives and guns in elementary school.

the OP mentioned it was a divorced single mom. I feel like if there was steady father figure in the son's life this would be a non-issue.

flame away

9/18/2009 9:22:16 AM

I'm an Eagle Scout and have been using knives since I was probably 7 or 8. The common doctrine in the south is that if you teach a child from an early age that knives, guns, and other tools are to be treated with respect, then they will carry that life lesson with them into adulthood and pass it on.

However, if you act like a paranoid parent who hesitates to even let their child go outside unattended, then you are doing nothing other than contributing to the teeming millions of other parents responsible for raising all the spineless pussies in our country.

9/18/2009 9:27:32 AM

Quote :

"if you act like a paranoid parent who hesitates to even let their child go outside unattended, then you are doing nothing other than contributing to the teeming millions of other parents responsible for raising all the spineless pussies in our country."

9/18/2009 9:28:15 AM

i remember when my dad gave me my first gerber

good knives....he still has his

9/18/2009 9:30:50 AM

breaking news...parents that don't give their kids knives also don't let their kids outside

9/18/2009 9:31:09 AM

Quote :

"However, if you act like a paranoid parent who hesitates to even let their child go outside unattended, then you are doing nothing other than contributing to the teeming millions of other parents responsible for raising all the spineless pussies in our country."

\
I'm trying to teach this to my mother, with respect to alcohol. She genuinely believes my sister will wait til she's 21 to drink, even though my sister already raids mom's rum, is going to be going away to school, and is soooo much more social than I. There are a good number of posters who will attest to the disaster that was me + alcohol when I was younger: me, the not social person, who lived at home when my boozing days were going on.

"Mom, is it okay with you if I get annie some bitch beers for the beach this weekend? I figure since it's a special event--
"PROM IS A SPECIAL EVENT!!"
"...and she'll be around family, that this would be a good time for her to be formally introduced to alcohol."
"This is NOT!!!!!!!! your decision to make!"

...yeah, you'd rather your daughter learn her limits in unknown company than in a known safe, contained environment.

oh, and the point of the post was that your sentiment applies to alcohol and sex, not just the examples you listed.


btw, my mom only started this year (my sister's senior year of high school) letting my sister wait for the bus alone.

[Edited on September 18, 2009 at 9:36 AM. Reason : as]

9/18/2009 9:35:09 AM

when i was 12 i forged my own knife from raw iron and coal ore, carved my own boat, hunted in the Amazon jungle, fought for the Colombian druglords and was fucking broads 10-20 years older than myself

9/18/2009 9:45:46 AM

Def should've asked the Mom if it was ok. I do think it's inappropriate that you gave some other person's kid a knife.

That said, every well-adjusted boy should have a knife by age 12.

9/18/2009 9:46:47 AM

Just get him a Playboy next year, and sneak it to him when is mom isnt watching.

She'll thank you later.

9/18/2009 9:50:24 AM

you should have just asked the mom first

9/18/2009 9:57:46 AM

I got my first knife somewhere around 6th grade. I think as long as the parents were responsible in raising their kid to respect things like that and use not abuse them, knives can be great tools. Knives are also a great "test" to see how responsible a kid is before parents would agree to buying them (or letting them buy) something with more lethal potential (like a gun for the hunters out there). As far as kids without such tools being hindered later, it's probably more that the kids w/ knives around 11-13 yrs old matured (hopefully) faster than the others (likely due to responsible parenting). I will be giving my kid one around that time frame as long as he/she is worthy of it. If they are too immature still...no knife. Since many people are afraid of gun-and-knife-toting kids nowadays, it probably would've been a good idea to ask the father or mother beforehand.

In high school, this guy was a senior and earned his Eagle Scout award (is it a badge or something? don't remember). So, he wanted to wear his full Scout uniform to class the next day to show off. The full uniform includes a pocketknife. Somehow, someone found out and had the kid expelled for bringing a weapon on campus.....

9/18/2009 10:23:13 AM

I don't see what the big deal is about a pocket knife...at least not for a 12 year old. If he was 8, I could see it being questionable.

9/18/2009 10:41:51 AM

plenty of people grow up without ever being allowed to have a knife or use a gun and turn out normal. my kids will all have pocket knives and stuff (i mean you can't go camping without a knife), but it's not required to raise a normal kid. by best friend was never allowed to have a pocket knife or a bb gun or anything and he turned out completely normal, there are lots of cases like this.

9/18/2009 10:50:10 AM

It is a bit strange that you would give a kid a knife without asking the parents how they felt about it first.

9/18/2009 11:34:40 AM

mom got me this when i was the 3rd grade i believe.

but she probably would not have been too happy with some family friend giving me a knife without consultation.

9/18/2009 11:40:39 AM

Quote :

"by 7th grade i was playing with guns, knifes and taking motors apart."

9/18/2009 1:00:59 PM

Quote :

"No, this mom is crazy."

shit i had a pocket knife at age 6-7....

12 is 6th grade... that or the kids really really really young for his 7th grade class

9/18/2009 1:04:00 PM

I'm not reading this gay shit

but did she at least give it back to you?

that's retarded if not - wtf would she be doing with it


and 12 is definitely 7th grade

9/18/2009 1:05:22 PM

dont be such a schmuck. 12 encompasses 6th and 7th grades.

most kids turn 12 while they are in 6th grade. then start 7th grade already at 12, turning 13 at various times throughout the year.

since this kid just recently turned 12, he's likely to be in 6th -- unless his mom pushed him in school so early that he'd be one of the very youngest kids in his class.

(Hey, maybe that's why he needs a knife?)







[Edited on September 18, 2009 at 2:33 PM. Reason : ]

9/18/2009 2:25:59 PM

haha, i just can't believe all the uproar about a little pocket knife. I was using every powertool in the shop by that age or before. Shit, I welded together my 7th grade science project.

...and not to mention guns. I wasn't shooting handguns or high power rifles by that age, but certainly BB guns and .22 rifles.

9/18/2009 8:18:43 PM

yo, i'm real happy for you, and i'm gonna let you finish, but the duggars have one of the best families of all time. OF ALL TIME.

9/18/2009 8:21:58 PM

k, not going to read all of the comments. reply to original post.

unfortunately it doesn't really matter what age you had a knife yourself. there are certain types of gifts for kids that you should consult parents ahead of time on just to make sure. anyting that is "dangerous" (knives, bb guns, real guns), gifts of high value, even certain video games can fall into this category. you have to respect the parents' views on raising kids, not just assume that what you think is what they also think.

personally, i don't see an issue with it; people can give my kids all the knives they want. my dad and i started my knife collection before i went to kindergarten. and i was given my first shotgun when i was in 3rd grade.



[Edited on September 18, 2009 at 8:50 PM. Reason : when i actually have kids]

9/18/2009 8:49:20 PM

I got a pellet gun when I was 8

9/18/2009 8:52:02 PM

^^ i agree on guns, even BB guns, but a pocket knife just doesn't seem to cross the threshold at which I'd deem it necessary. Not for a 12 year old, at least.

9/18/2009 9:02:19 PM

like i said, i have no issue myself. but that is also because i was raised around such things. my dad showed me how to properly use them, take care of, in other words how to NOT hack my fingers off. but i have seen what a 12 yr old can do to themselves with a pocket knife - my cousin nearly took his index finger off.

it could be the parents dont know or don't want to show the kid how to use properly. or the kid is a hellion and they are afraid of what he'd do to the family pet.

[Edited on September 18, 2009 at 9:06 PM. Reason : cousin was being stupid too... an immature 12 yr old]

9/18/2009 9:06:16 PM

When I was in 5th grade, my grandmother gave me a pocketknife for the first time. I just thought that was the coolest thing ever. I thought with a pocket knife, I was going to be equipped for any situation (somewhat like MacGyver).

My dad was scared at first for me to have it, but then he had one at a much earlier age. So I took it to school with me in my pocket, took it to the woods and did the same thing you mentioned (which was set up booby traps) and little treehouse devices. It just seemed like the possibilities were endless in having a pocket knife.

No you're not a bitch for giving him a pocket knife, but I do notice that different parents are fickle and quirky about different things with each of their kids. It's not a bad idea provided he doesn't get into fights too often. To this day, I always have a pocket knife with me to handle whatever situations I can fix with the right tools.

9/18/2009 9:09:45 PM

I never had a gun or shot a real one, but I did get a pocketknife when I was in 3rd or 4th grade. The first thing I did with it was carve another knife out of wood. I ended up cutting my finger like 3 times that first day.

9/18/2009 10:51:46 PM

Mom wasn't in the wrong, but she shouldn't have made a big fuss over it. Should have just taken it away and not said anything.

9/18/2009 10:56:44 PM