[Sca-cooks] A question about knives

[Wanda Pease]

I grit my teeth about "how to keep the kiddy's safe" e-mail.  I'm very glad
to see some of the reasonable answers about letting children have their own
knife and care for it.  Teaching them about knife safety, etc.  I want to
stamp my feet at those who want to wrap knives in plastic, keep them far
from little hands, etc. ad nauseum!

Children are going to be introduced to knives.  If not at your house, then
at someone else's - possibly mine.  I don't have children, and it doesn't
occur to me that the knife that is on the table for opening that package of
books might pose a hazard.  Knives, guns (loaded!  Remember I don't have
children, nor are they a part of my life), books and magazines all live a
cozy little life together here.  If you and your cotton wool wrapped child
happen to come to visit for a moment, there are dangerous things all around
them (the owner of the house most of all!)

I cut my little finger open and cut the tendon at about 5 years old trying
to slice an orange.  The kitchen ceiling still had blood on it 40 years
later when we sold my parents house.  The top joint still doesn't bend. I
still have the knife.  Big deal! It didn't even come close to killing me.
Your kid is going to get hurt.  Fall out of trees (neighbor across the
street cut all hers down for that reason!), trip over their new Nike's.
It's part of growing up and exploring the world.  It's part of the reason
children are supposed to come with parents to teach them, friends to dare
them, and other adults to commiserate with them.

Children have had access to knives since there have been knives.  Many of us
have to learn the hard way, but it's not a life and death situation!

Give your kid a good sharp knife and teach them to keep it sharp.  I was
taught that knives are at their most dangerous when dull.

Have some faith in your children and teach them instead of hiding everything
in the house!

Regina


> -----Original Message-----
> From: sca-cooks-bounces+wandap=hevanet.com at ansteorra.org
> [mailto:sca-cooks-bounces+wandap=hevanet.com at ansteorra.org]On Behalf Of
> UlfR
> Sent: Monday, October 18, 2004 8:24 PM
> To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
> Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] A question about knives
>
>
> Patrick Levesque <pleves1 at po-box.mcgill.ca> [2004.10.19] wrote:
> > Given that if I'm smart enough to find it, a 5-year old can get
> there before
> > I will...
> >
> > Where and How do you guys store your knives to prevent children
> from messing
> > around with them?
>