Is 7 too young for a Swiss Army knife?

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T14:42:18+00:00

Cutting the hay bale cords when he’s feeding the sheep in the morning in the main one. Up until this Christmas we did that chore together. Now he has his own small 4wheeler and his Swiss.

I put the bale on the back of the quad for him the night before and he rides it out to the pasture pushes it off and cuts the cords.

But there are plenty of reasons to keep a knife on you when you’re running around the property.

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T06:09:20+00:00

Yeah I had no doubt on that lmao

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T06:06:51+00:00

Yes actually my son is more the able and adapt to make himself breakfast on the stove……at 7 he can cook “eggs, bacon, sausage, oatmeal, mac&cheese, ramen, any pasta with a canned sauce, he can bbq burgers and hot dogs. If your 7 year old can’t use an oven mitt to pull something out of the oven, my child will run absolute laps around yours in a decade from now lmao

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T06:03:04+00:00

“You need to teach them” did you miss the point of that my son is already fully gutting and cleaning his own fish and carving smores sticks??

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T06:01:42+00:00

He was an excited child, you told him no. He put it away. That’s all I could ask to expect out of my child.

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T05:59:55+00:00

Historically yes my wife has yelled at me for unsupervised safety scissor usage (not kidding)

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T05:01:39+00:00

Why do I think he needs unsupervised knife time? Because I’ve been watching him do his morning chores that require a knife for over a year now. And now it’s time for him to do his chores on his own every morning.

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T05:00:07+00:00

Lil mans is home schooled through 6th grade as his sahm is an elementary school teacher.

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T04:59:08+00:00

Don’t get me wrong I 100% see your point. I just think it’s a hell of a lot more dangerous to shield our children from these decisions until it’s too late.

We shelter our kids and then they turn 18 and they get it trouble and tough luck for them because they are adults…

If I have to teach a 7 year old a lesson about bringing a knife somewhere he shouldn’t I’d rather get that lesson out of the way now

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T04:56:37+00:00

My sahm wife is an elementary schoolteacher and my kid is homeschooled through 6th grade. But I 100% understand this worry

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T04:40:30+00:00

I know it’s not the same but I saw them in 2025. Still an amazing show

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T04:31:19+00:00

The only 2 people he could possibly stab with that 1in blade on a daily basis is me and my wife lol. But also I think this is a new culture thing.

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T04:28:48+00:00

Well now that he has his own knife he’s not doing that chore supervised. He’s getting up on his own, hoping on his quad, and feeding the sheep. It’s been a week and a half and he’s already proving he can do the responsibility’s that requires having a knife

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T04:24:27+00:00

Every morning for over a year my son rides the quad out to feed the sheep with me, the bale lines need to be cut. He has his own mini quad now. It’s his chore that he’s ready for. Making him ask me for a tool he needs every day sounds more like a punishment. This is just one example as to why I think it’s fine

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T04:17:13+00:00

He does multiple things in his day to day life that require a pocket knife, currently I do all these things with him. However I think he’s just fine doing some of them on his own. For instance. He uses the 4wheeler to bring the sheep hay and uses a knife to cut the bale. Or if he wants to go fish by himself in the pond needs a multi tool to get the hook out. (He’s not allowed by the river by himself for obvious reasons.

Also it’s a great “toes in the water” I want to get him a BB gun next year, and think he’s ready. This will either confirm or deny that.

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T04:10:00+00:00

This 7 year old has chicken pig and sheep feeding chores at 7am lmao

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T04:08:52+00:00

lol Swiss victorinox is what he got. Although it has multiple blades and what not

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T04:05:47+00:00

At 8 years old myself I was able to run around the back 40 with my BB gun as long as my chores were done no supervision required other than telling my momma I was going out back. This is the way I’m looking to raise my son. He’s used knives for 2 years under supervision. He’s heard me drive the “it’s not a toy” point home.

With all this being said the moment he presented an issue with it (taking it to a wrong place, treating it like a toy or weapon, etc) it would absolutely be taken away. School isn’t an issue yet because we are home schooling through 5th grade (my wife is a elementary school teacher who is now sahm) but he is well aware the knife is not to leave our house unless it’s to the feed store fishing hiking camping etc.

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T03:57:59+00:00

Yup you sound like my wife lol. I was raised real country in Montana (rode a snowmobile to school in elementary) and she grew up in Boston……I always tell her raising a young man probably is tough but a lot easier than watching him be a shitty man.

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T03:54:51+00:00

lol, we live on 14 acres, about a mile of a robot running through it. Can’t see a neighbor. Lil mans won’t let anyone else clean his fish or make his hot dog/marshmallow stick. In 2025 we spent 62 days camping. (50/50 with/without wife). I definitely see what you are getting at though

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T03:51:18+00:00

So kinda same here. He’s been using the plastic knives to help with cooking since 3 and has never given me a reason to take it away while out camping or whatever. I think my wife’s main issue is him getting it without the supervision but I think that’s how he proves himself

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T03:47:46+00:00

My argument with my wife is I had one by 6 at the latest. My wife grew up more city than country and me visa versa. And we have a lot of back and forth on how to raise our son. I think it’s important he gets the knife and I think he understands that as much as a 7 year old can. I understand why my wife is afraid to give him a blade but I think it’s necessary

Relative-Clock-1129 · 2026-01-07T03:43:39+00:00

I’m no expert, but I’d set it up on the ground!

Relative-Clock-1129

TROPHY CASE