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A knife is a dumb weapon for self defense. Even an umprella is more effective. All that will happen with a knife is that someone may cut her up with it after they take it from her. On the other hand, I did buy pepper spray/tear gas for all of my girls at 16. They are safe where we live, but once they can drive to other communities. not so much.
I bought them each two cans. One for practicing with and one to carry. They have to experiment with it and know how to use it. They also have to learn to carry it with their finger on the button when walking alone.
They do nto always do what I teach them, but hopefully if they ever need it, it will be a time when they remember.
It is the best I can do, there is nto way to take away all risk and still let them live.
On the other hand when I was 17 I chased away a woudl be assailant by waiving around a 22" indian sword and screaming like a madman while I ran at them. they dropped their 2x4 and ran away evne though there were two of them both significantly bigger than me.
I do nto know what I would have done if they ahd not run. Probably run in the other direciton.
A little knife is a tool. A sword, now that may be worth carrying for self defense.
I would let my kids carry knives. Except at school and until they're 14 or 15. Imagine this. Your walking around maybe idk... around 4. Then someone comes up to you and tries to take you away. If you call out for help, no one will help you until it's over because they might think the person who's kidnapping you has a weapon. They would only call the police until it's all over. You can't call the police because the kidnapper won't let you. And if you do manage to call... they will probably get there in the fastest time like, 5 minutes. In around 10-20 seconds your gone. A weapon of some sort is important. Self-defense classes don't work. You will be to scared. Most likely you'll run and find out you have a weapon. In this case a knife. You can use it to scare the kidnapper and if he isn't and still goes for you... you can cut them and they will be traumatized by the blood coming out. Pepper spray works but... they can still see shapes and already know what you look like. A stun gun works to but, you'll be up after they stop using it. Actually... I carry a gun with me everywhere just in case the assassilant has a gun. And a knife just in case you get close where a gun doesn't work. 'If your rifle is out of ammo, go to your pistol, if that runs out of ammo, go to the blade, if you lose your blade, run away.'
In the county where I live, there have been 30 stabbings so far this year. Evidently people like to stab each other. I have never understood this. I would never allow a child or a teen to carry a knife for "protection" because people do stab each other . . .that's what a "knife for protection" means . . . stabbing . . .are you pro-stabbing? Apparently a lot of people are . . .
A knife is not going to help you if you are attacked by someone. It's more likely to work against you by either escalating things (you have a knife? I can use mine too!) or becoming a weapon of your attacker.
I am fully in support of carrying a knife as a tool. I spent a lot of time on boats as a teen and was required to have a knife for safety purposes, and I frequently carry one for work now. If you teach your teen to use it properly as a tool then it is fine in some circumstances.
I did put my children in a self-defense course - for 6 years. It became a habit with them, so that when they were attacked (as my daughter was) her response was instinctive and automatic. She was not "too scared to use it", she not only used it but beat up the three boys who were attacking her. The training also stood my oldest in good stead when he had to do hand-to-hand in the military. My children were also trained in the use of knives and guns, not only how to disarm but how to use them properly and defensively.
Knives and guns and baseball bats and even hands and body weight are tools. In the hands of someone who doesn't know what they are doing, they can be used against the owner in ways s/he might never dream. "Carrying a knife" like "carrying a gun" or "carrying pepper spray" is useless if you are not trained how to use them. Weapons do not automatically give someone knowledge, confidence, superiority, or strength - training and practicing how to use them as well as defend against them, does.
Yeah if you want to teach kids something useful, put them in Krav Maga classes, not karate or tae kwon do.
Agree 110%!
I have taken all 3 phases (military/police application; not civilian) of KM; and I loved it.
As for the OP's original question, yes in a heartbeat, and if she got hurt and didn't have it on her I would be disapointed.
She's had her own pocket knife since she was 6, her own bow at 7 and first "real" rifle at 8 (the Daisy Red Ryder was at 5). She is successful with all, and dresses her own meat with her knife.
Not for self-defense. As long as it's my minor age child and the child is at risk of being seriously harmed, I would remove my child from such an environment.
My kids carry knives but they carry them to cut the string on the hay, or to open packages, or whatever you do with knives that don't involve sticking them in to people or other living beings.
I don't understand the question. From about second grade, I never went anywhere without my jack-knife in my jeans pocket, certainly never to school. The last thing that would have ever crossed my mind was self-defense. IF my dad ever thought I might have gotten it out with the intent of harming another human being, even a bully, he would have killed me (figuratively).
Does anyone think that a school child would ever face the kind of a threat that is serious enough that stabbing the perp is the only recourse? Does anyone think a school child can handle a knife well enough to use it in hand-to-hand combat?
It is mind-boggling how many parents live in such a fantasy world.
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