Children, knife-training and weapons

**Chili Pepper** · Posted On: 10/09/2007 1:02pm

Originally Posted by Tonuzaba

She believes the kids (4 and 6 yrs old) are too young to understand the difference between a rubber and a real blade and are at risk of using a blade against somebody out of anger or even playfully, with possibly tragic consequences.

I have two boys, and I teach out of my home. When they were very little, the rule was that they weren't allowed to handle any metal weapon - worked pretty well as a rule, and they wouldn't even touch the aluminum training blades. Rattan canes, padded sticks, wooden knives, they used 'em all, and no fatalities.

Give them sensible limits, and supervised access to remove the mystery.

**Phoenix** · Posted On: 10/09/2007 1:38pm

Originally Posted by Tonuzaba

Maybe even kids that ARE taught about the danger of blades and/or weapons can react in a stressful situation according to what they've seen so many times done so easily and succesfully... "He made me angry, I gotta punish him. With the weapon..."

There's no maybe about it. If a kid is taught to RESPECT a blade or weapon in a proper manner, there is a far less likelihood of anything going awry. I'm not saying that it COULDN'T happen, but it's far less likely.

Still think I'm wrong? Maybe you might wanna read some stuff by Lt. Col. (ret) Dave Grossman. You might find some of his work, particularly his books 'On Combat', 'On Killing', and 'Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill', very enlightening.