At What Age Should a Child be Given a Knife?

    I have often thought about this question and been asked it by others. In my opinion no mater what age the child is they will cut themselves at least once. However, I asked a friend this question and I believe that his answer was very wise.

    He said it's not how old they are in age that matters, but how responsible they act with a knife after being taught how to respect the knife and how to properly use the knife safely. He has two boys, ages 6 years old and 4 years old. He said the boys are not allowed to keep the knives in their possession. When they first took the knives out to work with them he started by showing them how to hold a knife properly, and how to open and close the knife safely. They practiced this under his constant supervision until he saw they could accomplish this safely. Then they moved on to how to cut with a knife, and he showed them how to always cut away from their bodies. Once he felt they understood this principle he had them start by whittling on a bar of soap. This allowed them to learn to control the knife as they learned to cut or whittle with it. After they had practiced this and had demonstrated an ability to do this safely they were ready to move on to more advanced whittling on wood. He said that once they understand when and where they can carry a knife, and how to use it safely and responsibly, then they will let them take full possession of the knives, but they are not at this stage yet.

    I believe the key to this man's wisdom is the constant supervision in both learning and practicing with the knife. The time this man put into this, also enabled him to judge how responsible the boys were becoming. Yes this takes allot of time and effort, but remember, he is not just teaching his children how to use a knife, he is also teaching them so they can teach their children, who will then teach their children, and so on.