Much food for thought here. Thanks for sharing this!

Yeah… the Christmas in October thing… I remeber there was a local department store that started with the Christmas thing in September on year. Thing is, it was a Jewish-owned store, so I really didn’t understand it. They were very strict about being closed on Saturdays for 9 months of the year, but come Christmas time, they suddenly lost their religion…..

I went on a totally unrelated rant, didn’t I ????

With respect to toys and games – we are raising a whole generation of wusses. What happened to lawn darts? How many of us wore helmets when skating or riding our bikes. There was another toy – I can’t remember it’s proper name, but I do remember ever kid in my house owned one. Two large marble-like balls attached to string. The object being to swing them into the air and get the balls to meet at the top and bottom of each arc and make this loud clacking noise. While learning to perfect the motion needed to achieve this, one ended up with a whole series of bumps and bruises along one’s forearm.

clackers.

Now knife is replaced by guns…

Your mall is behind times. Christmas things have been in my store for 3 weeks now. I recall the game, but not spelled as you did.

Hmmm… quite interesting!

I was just reading about that child. I think safety has gone too far these days. You can’t seem to enjoy being a child any more. Haven’t you done your Christmas shopping yet, Ken? LOL. A good post.

Christine

The whole world has gone to hell in a hand basket. Kids do not even know what real games and fun is anymore. They do not even know the true meaning of Christmas. If you pull a kid off the street right now, they would tell you it is all about getting as many presents they can during that 2-week break from school. They do not have a clue that the Lord Jesus was born on that day destined to die for theirs sins so that they can have peace, happiness and eternal life, but none of that matters to them. All they are concerned about is their next score of cocaine, pot or the next new violent video game to come out. Like you said, it is sad.

I think a child carrying a knife is a recipe for disaster if you ask me-but then that’s my opinion. I can see your view point though. I am only 22 and as such I don’t remember a time when a child was able to be trusted with a knife.

Interesting article.

I saw this on the news a couple days a go. Stupid, huh? By having zero tolerance, the school districts developed zero brain function. They fear another Columbine or Virginia Tech, but those were with guns (which is another discussion in itself).

And stop being so cranky, Ken. The stores have been doing that for ages…and what is wrong with Merry Hallo-Thanks-Mas? Were a multitasking nation, so it fits…lol.

Another really interesting article! I absolutely love your dry wit – all of your articles always leave me smiling :OD

The world has indeed changed much. Its hard at times to keep up and accept new norms of behavior..

lol loved the ending,so funny! You grouch you!You made some good points with this article and got me to thinking,it really was when the gaming consoles came out and the violence in them perhaps created a whole lot of unnessary things to happen.I remeber being able to carry a knife even when I was a kid,I had a swiss army knife,was a handy little thing especially when fishing! Superpendous article Ken!A very enjoyable read!! Like my new word,it really means brillaint, I think LOL, but thought I would mix it up a bit hehehe.

You always make me laugh. A christmas tree on Oct. 13th. What, have they gone nuts? That is way too early. Good article. Yes, that goes for aspirin as well. You’re not allowed to bring it to school. One time in highschool I asked the nurse for a tylenol and she refused to give it to me and I felt really sick.

Great story Ken.I can relate, even though I\’m only 42. In North Florida, there were still a lot of \”old school: standards when I was a kid. If you acted up, you got a belt across the butt, and DCF was unheard of. And just about every kid you knew had at least a basic pocket knife. We never considered using it as a weapon. If you wanted to fight, you \”duked it out.\” Then you were best buddies from then on.

probably a more common game in the UK than Canada.
I had a co-worker once get her 9 yr old daughter sent home from school for bringing a knife to school – she did this because she had been threatened by another girl. This was in Vancouver and didnt make the papers – I assume it happens a lot more than we hear. Sad,

no i dont think we done any of these things, in our day- knives were not used as weapons, but for carrying around and being able to use them for whatever they were design for, thanks for sharing country boy.

Well, I’m kind of glad that kids arnt allowed to carry knives to school. A lot of them I don’t really trust. Of course, the kids who are really serious about knifing you would bring a knife to school no matter what the rules were.

Bringing one to church could be good for exorcisms but I’m not so sure about the win by default!

I’m sorry that poor kid was punished, Swiss Army knives are the safest things.

Thanks for the laugh . j

When I was a Scout mom, kids were at least allowed knives for scouting events. However, we met at my home, not at the school. The children learned knife safety, and I kept a good supply of band-aids on hand. As I recall, I was the only one who got cut–and that was when I was trying to do an intricate bit of wood carving while talking. It is a shame; and I wonder sometimes if we are really gaining anything.

Really nice to read personal accounts. They tell you much more than a news story. Those days knife could be a toy. They don’t want to take chance any more. You can’t blame the symptom, can you?

Great article!

When punishment exceeds the cause, children misinterpret.They are tempted towards the forbidden zone and become more knife savvy in the process.

Amazing and sad how our world has changed…
Great post, tho!

Spot on Ken!! We all had pen-knives as kids too and no-one batted an eye. It just shows the state of the modern world as it is now. Very depressing it is too.

All boys used to carry their knives. I never heard of anybody getting cut with it. it’s a shame about the little 6 year old boy being suspended from school. What are we coming to.

Time will come ballpens will be disbanded, or pencils. Children would be better educated at home via internet on a distant learning school where computer monitors uses touchscreen. Should children’s hands be better cuffed?

If this is the same story I wrote about, the child simply wanted to eat with the silverware, he did not even think of the tool as a weapon.

I come from farm country, in school every boy carried a pocket knife in his jeans and not one of them would have ever thought of it as weapon. How times have changed.

thats a really good one Ken, I agree with you. I used to carry a penknife round on a lace round my neck. It has my gate keys on it too. This was a few years ago when I kept horses. My penknife was part of me, used for cutting bale twine around hay bales or splitting the plastic on heylage, I have even taken a stone out of a horses hoof. But now days everyone is guilty before they have even done anything bad.

nice article.

Great thoughts. I totally agree with you that there is no longer a school system in the country that allows a knife or weapon of any sort to be brought to school so punishment is in order..Very well presented! well done!

Now I know there’s such a game but it seems dangerous.

Wasn’t the kid in boy scouts too? They really do have them carry their pocket knives everywhere. Haven’t they ever seen Man vs. Wild?! Its an essential tool if you want to survive……but in reallity, you’re right….todays world just isn’t the same

That’s because paranoia has taken over. One child in ten (for sake of argument only) would use the pocket knife on either the teacher or fellow student.

Why they are not taught the difference of good use and bad, or why they feel the need to bully people is beyond comprehension maybe, and it’s only speculation, it’s because they are told that A. they are descendants of apes, B. told it’s the survival of the fittest or C. The best way is to “force” your way”

Parents who would teach their children and properly discipline them (not abuse) are accused of abuse and now none of the children are being taught “polite”, “civil” behavior because someone has a “panic attack”.

I wonder if a lot of the ADD is simply because a child is no longer allowed to be a child and burn off that excessive energy.

I’m sure the ‘hyper active” child back in the 1700’s was told” with all that energy, make yourself useful and pick the crops be it cotton, corn or other veggies. or perhaps told to go get the horses and plow the fields.

Good work…

Well, I read your article with a very open mind, and I am glad I did, as it provoked much thought from other readers. Over the pond, in the UK, city kids were never encouraged to carry knives. Although from a country perspective I fully understand how different things would be. The sad fact though is, that rarely a week passes without some knife crime being reported, and figures are increasing rapidly. You can\’t just blame computer games, sex and violence on the TV, or poor controls over school children by the teachers of today. You have to look at society as a whole. Darwins Survival of the fittest is true to a point, but crudely at the end of the day, it is down to every man, jack of us to take responsibility for our own actions. We need to live our own lives right, before we can think of dictating to others.

CHRISTMAS TREES, they have been in the larger stores here, since mid September!

God Bless,

Nadine

Great article. Being 25, there were no pocket knives allowed when I was in school. But as you said, it’s the whole computer game thing. Kids don’t make up games to play, they go out and buy them, or they have them on their phones.. Kids with phones?! I just don’t get it!
I’m not from a good part of England, and I can pretty much guarantee that if you were to give a teenage boy a knife, the last thing he would do is carve a bear out of anything.. It makes me sad how children in today’s society are growing up.
And the knife between the feet game – if kids did that today, those health and safety nuts would be all over it!!!!
I really love this article!!!

I think the schools should look at each situation, which they don’t they lump them all into one type. As for the heat, we were in Orlando at his time and you\’re not kidding it was hot. Hard to think about a Merry Christmas in a heat wave.