Thursday 16 April 2009

On a knife edge

Yesterday on the morning of the boy's banishment we were chasing around trying to find some wrapping paper for Grandma in Wales' present. For some curious reason that meant I put my hand in his coat pocket (not an obvious place for wrapping paper I'll grant you). And therein lies our next problem.

A knife. No not a butter knife hidden away to avoid the washing up, but a full on 'blade'. Which locks into place to create a fearsome weapon.

Knife culture has become quite a thing in the UK recently, and there's many a teenager that has paid for it with their life. Of course, most youngsters who've been caught carrying claim it's for defence. As indeed it probably is. But simply the act of carrying a knife can lead to terrible, tragic consequences. In this case, I'm not sure the idea was to even carry it...it was simply an object to have and to hold. But for me that was irrelevant, especially as it had been bought surreptitiously on the Sorrento trip where he'd been tasked with keeping a record of everything he'd spent.

Having spent the previous evening doing father-son bonding by hanging new blinds around the house (Boys and men do DIY you know), it all fell to pieces again.

It was a very angry father who put his son on a train to Cardiff

5 comments:

  1. Having seen too many images of the aftermath of knife attacks, I can understand your anger. And you're right, it's the possible consequences that are tragic, even if he does nothing other than admire.

    Hope all works out, if that doesn't sound too lame.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dare I say I had a penknife from the age of about 6? Then again I was growing up in the countryside where they were jolly useful everyday tools for building dens/campfires and I never took it to school (where knives were confiscated).

    What is he worried about that he has taken to carrying one? Is he being bullied? Or is it to show off or look big in front of the girlfriend?

    I hope the stay at Grandma's calms him down anyway. Perhaps he will be able to talk to someone a little more removed from the situation more easily.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I totally support you here. I'd be really angry too. And I'd show it. Much closer supervision/temporary withdrawal of some priveledges might be justified - after all every action has consequences, no matter what age one is. It's going to be a worrying time for you in the immediate future & you have my best wishes.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good luck with this - I'd be angry too. Hope it all works out for you.

    ReplyDelete

There's only one thing worse than being commented on...not commented on