Thread: Kids and straight razors

First, Congratulations

For real little kids, just keeping things up and out of reach, dresser drawer type of thing, works well and then as they grow and see you use your razor, its just a part of life. They'll ask questions, may want to hold it and you're there to teach them.

I think one of the best safety measures you can implement is education. Just educate them about the dangers, as you would do with a hot stove or running out in the street.

Spring boarding off what Dave said, the art of parenting is knowing your child's maturity level and when some things are appropriate. For some it might be 4 or 5 for some it might be 10. Each child is different.

Originally Posted by Tobico4

How did kids survive back in the day when everybody had axes and guns and straight razors?


I think it was easier not harder. My two sons, now 21 and 23, grew up in a home heated by firewood they helped to cut, eating meat they helped to butcher and vegetables they helped to grow. The "real" understanding they had of cause and effect was all that was needed to protect them. Kids that grow up with "pretend" reality (video, TV, Movie) have a false sense of cause and effect and it gets them in trouble.

There is a time to put the little plastic thingy in the electric outlet to protect them in their ignorance, but there is also a time that their understanding is what needs to protect them. Knowing when that time is for each child in each situation is the "art" of parenting.

Just one "old fashioned" point of view

Dave

The thing that goes along with cause and effect for little kids is simple rules and known punishments. The only cause and effect I needed to keep out of my parents stuff was a good whaloping. The rule was stay out of our room period. It didn't matter what I did or why, without permission I would get it if I went in there. even through the teen years when my parents allowed my sister and I to lock our bedroom doors (my parents had a key) my parents remained unlocked and inviolate.

I don't think you should be any more paranoid about straights than about kitchen utensils. The thing I agree on is early exposure to reality. I've been present when my dad slaughtered piglets/lambs for family functions and when the whole family got together to slaughter a larger hog for winter storage. Everybody helped according to their ability. Since the age of 10, I also helped cut the fat into cubes for lard extraction. My uncle would always keep the knives nice and sharp with the waterstone he carried in a leather water-filled holster, several times during the day and that allowed me to develop a healthy respect for blades.

try it now and your own kids call child services and they'll chastise you.

sadly, that's not entirely a fallacy.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I knew most of it was common sense, but I thought it would get neat to get some ideas.

And I probably wouldn't make a fake razor for my child unless they were old enough to understand why they shouldn't be playing with the real thing.

And I was the same way about my parent's room. Us kids weren't allowed to go in there without facing the consequences (an ass whooping, naturally). But, when I was in my early teens, I found my dad's stash of Playboys from 1976. I think that is when I started honing my skills of risk assesment.

Slightly on the topic, do any of you have young boys starting to shave? Have you passed down the art of shaving with a straight to any of your kids?

that's a good question. I guess it depends on your kid's age(younger kids still tend to have less hand-control IMO) and general maturity. I think at around 16 they should have enough hand-prowess and general maturity to be trusted with a sharp blade for shaving.

I started shaving when I was 15. You might as well get'em started the right way.

well i do not have any children at the moment, but my mum is a child minder the only thing i do to keep them out the way is by A) letting them know they only come in the room if invited B) razors are locked in a small cupboard, the other reason why there not allowed in the room is because children for some reason love getting strange lizards out of vivariums and treating them like dogs

Nice thread - Remember Safety First

that means your lizards don't spit enough venom, better work on that!

Congratulations. I use some simple rules based on common sense.

Never leave a razor out. Always put it away immediately after use. Have a spot that is out of site and reach of little ones. Use a lock if you have a kid that's a climber or into everything. I think a top shelf is safer than a low drawer with a lock, though, unless the draw is self locking. You only have to forget to lock it once.

With kids that are old enough to watch you and are curious I make sure they have a health respect for the razor. They are not allowed to ever touch it and they have to stay out to the bathroom or sit on the tub when I am shaving. Same routine as when we're backing a car out of the driveway, everyone has to be on the grass so no one gets hurt.

Again, razors are like kitchen knives. Don't leave them out where kids that don't know any better can get them and the kids old enough to know learn early on that they are not allowed to touch them.