3 Bad Things About Giving a Kid a Knife

By now you know how we feel about kids and knives -- they belong together. We firmly believe that it's our responsibility as adults to introduce the young people in our lives to the wonderful world of edged tools. That's why we started "Knives for Kids," a program that's exceeded even our wildest expectations.

It's not all a bed of roses, though. There's definitely a darker side to giving a kid a knife.

If you've ever tried to mentor a bambino with a blade, you know what we're talking about. And if you haven't, here are three of the gloomier prospects.

1. The kid becomes even nerdier than you are about knives. You're a certifiable knife knut. You've spent long hours studying knives, both their history and their technical aspects. You pride yourself in knowing more than the typical hobbyist.

And then it happens -- your little darling, the child who's had a knife of their own for just a few weeks, tells you something you didn't know.

It could be anything, really. Maybe the kid describes, suddenly and with uncharacteristic eloquence, the influence of the Dadley on modern tactical knives. Perhaps they quiz you about the relative toughness of powder-metallurgy steels -- and it's obvious, despite their feigned innocence, that they already know the answers.

That's when you realize that you'd better get used to standing on your toes, 'cause that's right where the kid wants you.

2. The kid starts calling dibs on your knives. As long as your personal Mini-Me has been around, they've watched you handle and use your knives. You have more than one blade, of course -- many more -- and you've taken the time to patiently explain to the young'un what makes each one special.

The kid seemed to enjoy that. You did, too.

At some point, however, childlike admiration turned to lust. One night, after tucking them into bed, you spy a scrap of paper on their nightstand -- a hand-scrawled list of your knives, ranked and meticulously rated according to which ones they want when you're no longer around.

And that's not even the worst that could happen. If you have more than one kid in the house, it's entirely possible that behind your back they're actually negotiating about who gets what -- trading toys, video games or household chores for the rights to your collection of blades.

Maybe it's time you started eating healthier. It wouldn't hurt to get some exercise, too.

3. When you give a kid their first knife, you get to do it only once. We may be in the knife business, but we still remember our very first knife. More than that, we remember the exact moment it was placed in our grimy little hands.

We'll bet you do, too. Pretty much everyone does -- it's a rite of passage, one of those special flashes of time that sticks with a person forever.

As adults, we're on the other side of moments like that. And when we hand a kid their first knife, it can be just as special for us.

It happens so very quickly. We don't get a re-do. We don't have another shot at being totally present in that moment.

In the days that follow, more "firsts" happen right in front of us. They're simple things -- the first pointy stick, the first peeled potato, the first successful sharpening job.

Pay attention. Don't let those moments get by you -- you'll regret it if you do.

(Besides, you'll want to have your eyes wide open the day you come home to find the kid batoning the patio furniture.)