Saturday, April 27, 2013

The Many Uses of a Pocket Knife

Micah was so excited, he could hardly stand it.  Daddy brought home a pocket knife for him.

"Look Mom!! It's a pocket knife, and it can be a file, and a bottle opener and scissors!!"

Now, the idea of a five year old with a pocket knife terrifies me.  I tend though, to be overly cautious and I generally try to rely on Joseph to train the boys to be boys.  After all, I grew up with my mom and sisters.  I know very little about how to turn a boy into a man. I asked Micah if he had been told the rules about how to handle it.  He said yes, but I gave him my own set, just to be sure.  Then at breakfast, he started filing the table. Nope. That is a tool, it is not meant to be used like that.  Not cool.

"Ok Mom.  Sorry.  I won't do it again."

Alright, I'm down with an apology.  What's a little property damage in a house with four kids? I'm used to it, and he seemed sincere.  Then they started playing outside.  They know that they are supposed to stay in the backyard, but Claire had wandered around to the side.  I called out to them and told them to move around to the back deck for lunch.  Emma and Micah were excited to eat.  Claire was not.  She tried to run from them, in the opposite direction of where she was supposed to go.  Micah yelled out,

"Don't worry! I'll get her!"

He promptly pulled out his pocket knife, opened the blade and started trying to herd her with it. She ran and screamed and giggled, and started moving in the right direction.  Mind you, he was never going to poke her with it.  He wasn't even close to her, and he doesn't have it in him to hurt anybody, especially his little sister.  (She is aware of this and bullies him relentlessly).  He was playing with it like he does his light sabers.  But STILL.  My klutzy five year old was running with a knife, toward another human being.  A pocket knife is a tool indeed, but not that kind. Not a sister-herding tool, and apparently not a tool for a five year old boy.  Maybe we'll try again another time in the distant future.

6 comments :

  1. Haha. Now he can defend himself, right? :)

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  2. He's just being a boy, Mom. We will never truly understand why this gender is so drawn to weapons. At least he doesn't go to public school with his pocket knife and test out the "zero tolerance" policy, like Logan did. I'll have to tell you about that sometime.

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  3. Mrs Tarzan. Logan does not need a weapon to intimidate. Just his size is enough.

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