10 year old interested in knives

Is this behavior, putting knives under the pillow, common in boys?

  • Common

    Votes: 47 81.0%

  • Not common

    Votes: 11 19.0%
  • Total voters
    58
V

Victoria1979

Joined
Apr 5, 2021
Messages
1
Hi,

My son, after watching forged in fire, is very interested in knives. As a mom, it scares me...I find kitchen knives under his pillow. He's learned knife safety (boy scouts) but seems to have a hard time resisting the urge to bring them in his room. I read a post where it seems many kids have knife collections. Where and how do you store these?

Many men tell me this is normal but women seemed shocked when I share.
 
That’s great he’s interested, but keeping them under his pillow is dangerous.

Ground rules need to be set, then enforced.

You know your child better than anyone, so how you decide to go about this is up to you.

As far as normal, yeah, these kinds of things are common with kids. I wouldn’t get too alarmed, but would certainly guide him into learning how to use and store them safely.
 
One day when I was 9, I ran into a friend on my block while walking to school. He said he had something to show me, and we stepped into an apartment building vestibule. "This is my dad's" he said, producing a 6" blade automatic stiletto. "Want to try it?" When I pressed the release button, the knife's powerful spring sent it flying through the air. I remember thinking I would need to build some muscles before I played with another switchblade.

One day when I was 13, I ran into a friend from Boy Scouts while walking to school. I was going to the public school where I was in 8th grade, and my friend was going to the Catholic parochial school two blocks away. "Check this out" he said, producing a 9 MM Luger from his gym bag. It was his father's war souvenir. He said his father also had an MP 40 submachine gun which he had recently turned in to the police, and that he (my Boy Scout friend) would never ever forgive him for that! I remember thinking yes, a thing like that would be hard to forgive.

When I was a child, I thought there was a war between children and adults, and that the children would eventually win but at a terrible cost. When my parents said "Piso, this is Mrs. Johnson who teaches at Hayt School," what I heard was "Mrs. Johnson, She Wolf of the SS."

I consider all of this normal childhood behavior. Normal is debatable, I suppose, but it is certainly very common. That is why your job as a parent is to help your children survive childhood!

You should explain to your son that fine kitchen knives stay in the kitchen to preserve their edges, and that knives under pillows is a very bad idea: if someone burst into his room at night, he would cut his own hand and drop the knife on the floor.

My First Victorinox would make a fine present.

SAK_0_2373_T__S1.jpg

You could find a safe place for it near his bed and show him how to sharpen it.

Ask if he's afraid of the dark, children will usually admit this. That's what night lights are for.
 
I was 6 or 7 when my grandfather gave me my first pocketknife. I have been a collector of knives and swords ever since (now 77).
Kitchen knives under pillow is dangerous - no sheath. You need to be sure he is old enough and mature enough to know that
knives are dangerous, that he can be seriously injured or injure someone else. Teach him knives are basically tools not weapons (despite the crazy stuff you may read on this forum). Only you can decide what and if he is mature enough to safely be a knife guy.
Rich
 
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Hiding knives under the pillow is semi normal I would say. Hiding things you are not supposed to have as a kid is normal and under a pillow is a normal and common place. The contradictory statement of knowing knife safety and hiding a knife in such an unsafe manner are concerning. I would say he needs and should earn a knife of his own I would recommend some type of typical folding knife. We got my girlfriend's son a simple liner lock folder about a year ago, he turned 11 in Jan., and he has been good with listening to us about using it and taking care. It also makes me more comfortable about weather or not he has access to my knives or the kitchen knives knowing he has and can be trusted with his own knife.
 
When I was about that age, my knives were folders (2-3), and they were kept on top of the dresser or in the first drawer down. Along with it were strict rules that they could only go out to places were knives were acceptable, and not to school, etc.... After a while, they just became another thing like a watch, etc...., and any sneakiness about them went away.

A year or two later I got my first fixed blade, and after a few days that was just a thing too. Thinking back on my friends, they had similar cycles too, once the forbiddenness of something was gone, it wasn't a problem anymore.

That would be my advice, make sure he knows knife safety, lay down some ground rules about what you think is appropriate, and then just let it be.
 
Hi, in some cultures (Central Asia) parents still put knife to the children’s bed, under the mattress :) to protect them from the “evil”...
Anyway putting kitchen knife under the pillow is dangerous, you need to by folding knife for him.
 
Piso Mojado said:
One day when I was 9, I ran into a friend on my block while walking to school. He said he had something to show me, and we stepped into an apartment building vestibule. "This is my dad's" he said, producing a 6" blade automatic stiletto. "Want to try it?" When I pressed the release button, the knife's powerful spring sent it flying through the air. I remember thinking I would need to build some muscles before I played with another switchblade.

One day when I was 13, I ran into a friend from Boy Scouts while walking to school. I was going to the public school where I was in 8th grade, and my friend was going to the Catholic parochial school two blocks away. "Check this out" he said, producing a 9 MM Luger from his gym bag. It was his father's war souvenir. He said his father also had an MP 40 submachine gun which he had recently turned in to the police, and that he (my Boy Scout friend) would never ever forgive him for that! I remember thinking yes, a thing like that would be hard to forgive.

When I was a child, I thought there was a war between children and adults, and that the children would eventually win but at a terrible cost. When my parents said "Piso, this is Mrs. Johnson who teaches at Hayt School," what I heard was "Mrs. Johnson, She Wolf of the SS."

I consider all of this normal childhood behavior. Normal is debatable, I suppose, but it is certainly very common. That is why your job as a parent is to help your children survive childhood!

You should explain to your son that fine kitchen knives stay in the kitchen to preserve their edges, and that knives under pillows is a very bad idea: if someone burst into his room at night, he would cut his own hand and drop the knife on the floor.

My First Victorinox would make a fine present.

SAK_0_2373_T__S1.jpg

You could find a safe place for it near his bed and show him how to sharpen it.

Ask if he's afraid of the dark, children will usually admit this. That's what night lights are for.
Click to expand...

PirateSeulb said:
Hiding knives under the pillow is semi normal I would say. Hiding things you are not supposed to have as a kid is normal and under a pillow is a normal and common place. The contradictory statement of knowing knife safety and hiding a knife in such an unsafe manner are concerning. I would say he needs and should earn a knife of his own I would recommend some type of typical folding knife. We got my girlfriend's son a simple liner lock folder about a year ago, he turned 11 in Jan., and he has been good with listening to us about using it and taking care. It also makes me more comfortable about weather or not he has access to my knives or the kitchen knives knowing he has and can be trusted with his own knife.
Click to expand...

Given the type of knife he's hiding under his pillow, I'd definitely ask him about why he's got it there. It's one thing to keep a prized possession close, but taking a knife out of the kitchen to keep under his pillow makes me think he's scared of something. Ten years old is a little old to randomly become afraid of the dark, but a scary story or movie could trigger it. You definitely want to know whether he's scared of someone hurting him, which would be a significant red flag. Also, gently him that an unsheathed knife under his pillow is not safe, and work with him to find another arrangement that will keep him safe.
 
I'd say common, though less so as time goes on. My father gave me a Desert Eagle .357 at 8 years old, however, so I'm not sure I can accurately judge this subject haha!
 
Its a normal thing for a boy. As long as you take the time to learn a little bit about knives yourself, its just another way you can have a close connection with him. Don't make it the forbidden fruit kind of thing because it generally pushes a kid towards whatever your warning against.
You might even enjoy the hobby beyond his interests too!! Good luck and please keep us apprised of your progress and don't hesitate to come back and ask any questions!!! The only dumb question is the one not asked!!!
Best,

James
 
If you can afford it, I'd suggest you buy him a knife (maybe a Victorinox chef knife). Let him know that it's HIS, but that he needs to store it safely in the kitchen block. Only he gets to use it.... First, with You, under Your supervision....

And that he now has the new job of helping you with preparing dinner.
You are teaching responsibility and making memories.... life skills.


*Also...You are an Awesome Mom for looking into this.
Good Job!
 
Victoria1979 said:
Hi,

My son, after watching forged in fire, is very interested in knives. As a mom, it scares me...I find kitchen knives under his pillow. He's learned knife safety (boy scouts) but seems to have a hard time resisting the urge to bring them in his room. I read a post where it seems many kids have knife collections. Where and how do you store these?

Many men tell me this is normal but women seemed shocked when I share.
Click to expand...
Your his parent,do you think it's normal?
 
My 11 year old was just in pigeon forge,took him to this place where you forge your own knife,with help from a blacksmith he loved it. he hammered the hot steel after the smith took it out of the oven red glowing hot.Has a great fixed blade now he made himself.He even helped me clear some of a trail he was using my kobun like a samerai ...
 
I don't know if it is normal, but likely not something to get too alarmed about. Likely needs to be discussed with him to get a better idea of where this is going. In the end the answer may be to get him his own knife along with the guidance for modern day knife ownership. At least you will get your kitchen knives back, before he destroys them:).
Just a thought
For a boy to be interested in knives is normal-had my 1st around 5 or 6, but I don't remember hiding any knives under the pillow-at least that were no mine.
I see no problem with knife ownership and use at that age
I do see some problem with taking items that are not his IMO
 
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Make it an interest that he doesn't have to hide (and thus, get into trouble). Get, or make, a display case. Even a nice Plano box where he can keep his collection, and keep in your plain view where you can randomly check, will make it less tantalizing for him to take from the house while letting him expand freely on his hobby.
 
My maternal grandpa gave me my first pocketknives at around age seven. Seems quite normal to me, (if rare these days).


Here's a quote many of you will appreciate from the book "On Your Own In The Wilderness" by Colonel Townsend Whelen and Bradford Angier (1958):


"The most indispensable tool for a hunter or fisherman or camper, and in fact for any outdoor man and boy anywhere, is the knife-a businesslike knife, sharp and keen. Mrs. Whelen's aunt, who taught high school Latin for thirty years in Nebraska, had the right idea. She asked every class, "Which boys have a jackknife in their pocket?" The ones who had none did not rate very high with her.

Her philosophy was that if a boy did not have a knife and know how to use it, he was not likely to grow up able to do many things for himself...I have had a knife like this in my back pants pocket ever since I was knee-high to a chopping block."

Common sense from the days when common sense actually seemed to be relatively common. It's a true indication of just how far we've fallen.

I had plenty of my favorite items, knives, baseball cards etc along with a transistor radio under my pillow at the same age.
 
Since you say your sons fascination with knives comes from the show "Forged in Fire", it's not surprising that he would take a kitchen knife. The kitchen knives he's taking are probably the closet knives you have to the ones in the show (fixed-blade knives). If you had a drawer of Bowie knives he likely would have taken one of those instead.

I don't know the psychology behind it, but I think there is something inherent in the male of our species that causes us to be fascinated with tools and weapons.

I was allowed to have and carry knives as young as eight years old (around 1978). I did not grow up in an outdoors/hunting/fishing/camping-type family, nor in a rural area (urban San Diego). And my mother was a very strict (overbearing) parent. Surprisingly, she was ok with me having knives, but only if she didn't regard the type of knives as weapons. When I was 12 she and my father bought me a Buck knife 110 for Christmas. The Buck 110 was a rather large folding knife back then.

I was raised with privileges and consequences. Like I said, I was allowed to have knives (folding knives) but ONLY as long as I followed the knife rules laid down by my parents. I had to constantly EARN my RIGHT to have knives by behaving responsibly with them. The knife rules I had to follow taught me to associate knives with discipline and personal responsibility.
 
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