The John Palm Show

Pocket knives for kids? I’m the father of four young boys, but I’m no expert on this topic. I promise.

However I’m currently a #1 or #2 page rank at Google on the topic of pocket knives for kids. Why? Look at my previous posts on the topic and you’ll see. Anyhoo, here’s a tip for you mom’s and dad’s who are thinking of giving your son his first pocket knife:

Tip: Buy a Trainer Knife (pictured below).

A trainer, also known as a drone, is just like a “live” knife in shape and size but the blade has a dull edge and rounded tip. I suggest you use a trainer to practice; opening and closing, cutting techniques, proper holding, etc. It’s even good for adults to practice opening and closing with one hand.

There are vocal bunch of boy scout leaders out there who may disagree. They insist on kids learning and training with a sharp blade. Some of these guys have commented on my previous posts if your interested in their thoughts. Again, I’m not an expert on this topic. So don’t email me about your sons missing finger.

Good luck. Here’s some links for training knives.

Knife-Depot Trainer Knives — expensive, but less expensive than an ER visit.

Rubber Trainer Knives – much less expensive than metal.

You Tube Video — of a Buck trainer knife.

Boker Jim Wagner Folder Trainer, Red FRN Handle, Dull Blade

Benchmade Griptilian Trainer, Zytel, Satin, Drop Point, Plain

Buck SBT Police Utility Trainer, Blue Taccom Handle, Blunt Tip, Pocket Clip

After careful consideration, I am not going to give my son the nickname “Meanus” because it rhymes with “Mean Bus”. Kids at school can be so cruel. Why take the chance?

I wrote a satirical post about appropriate ages to give your children razor sharp weapons here. It originated from a photo of my oldest son holding a two-handed sword.

That single post has generated more search result hits on my blog than any other post! What? Are there really that many people searching google for the appropriate age to give their son a pocket knife or other sharp weapon?

That’s kinda scary but true.

On a personal note (and not in any way to be construed as advice) I have given my 3 of my boys their very own pocket knife. I’m a dad of 4 boys. I’m gonna let them be boys. Blood and all. I’ve trained them on how to handle a pocket knife and willing to put up with some minor cuts (and so is my wife).

Here are some other tips if your crazy enough to follow my example and give your son a pocket knife at an early age.

My humble and sometimes wrong opinion is that there is enough out there turning our boys into over-emotional, in-touch, feminized, sissy boys. Just make sure you watch the animated cartoon below before you give your son a pocket knife.

Pocket Knife for Kids Animated Cartoon

Good luck!

Would you believe that this is my most popular post? And it was a joke.

Are there that many people googling “pocket knife for kids”? It certainly looks that way.

So here are some real tips.

Is your son ready for a pocket knife?

1. NO, he is not. If you have to ask then, dear lord, please don’t hand that boy a pocket knife.

2. Not too sharp. That’s how other parents will refer to you. And it’s how your kid’s first knife should be. Rub that knife about 30 times on the concrete sidewalk. Dull that baby down so the accidental wound won’t we so deep. (Note: I have changed my mind on this one. See comments and you’ll understand why.)

3. The first cut is the deepest. Most boys only cut themselves with their pocket knife once. That first cut basically teaches everything you need to know about pocket knives.

4. Boys to men. It was a horrible music group, but it is a good description of (part) of our job as parents. Turning boys into men. And coddling and overprotecting will not get you there.

There you go. Some real content on pocket knives. Good luck.

They (being the powers that be) are demanding that we add more hours to the school day. Surley this must be the problem. Not enough of a bad thing.

You can’t get to excellence by simply adding more mediocrity.

It’s hard work to dig in and look for root causes versus external symptoms. For heavens sake… doctors don’t even do that anymore. Don’t get me started on how the medical profession has slipped into the muck of mediocrity. It seems that all doctors do is prescribe treatments (read pills) that will (hopefully) relieve external symptoms without too many nasty side effects (read nausea, rashes, diarrhea, brain hemorrhage, etc, etc). And that, my friends, is exactly what the school system fixer uppers are attempting with their plan to add hours to the school day.

There’s no pill for that!

What will they do with the extra time? Add feel good curriculum targeting spiritual and emotional development. So here we are, the same failed (failing) system is not happy messing up the 3 R’s. Now they want to bring mediocrity to your children’s spiritual and emotional life.

What’s the root cause of the school system failure? Lack of parenting. Not parenting skills, just parenting time.

Time. Time. Time. Time with your kids.

Don’t let them take any more of that away. Step up and reclaim that time with your kids.

There are no second chances.

Next: The Dangers of subcontracting your child’s spriritual discipleship to the Youth Pastor or Christian School system.

Are you home from work yet, Dad?

We work like fools while our children actually want to be with us.

Then, by the time we retire they can hardly stand us!

I’m just thinking out loud here, but maybe we’ve got “retirement” all mixed up. Why not retire right up front when our kids are young and need us around? Then go back to work when we are old, bored and pumped with energy from all that Viagra.

That’s what my “grocery bagger guy” at Publix did.

And he always seems happy to see me!

What are you striving for? Quality of Life or Standard of Living?

What’s the difference?

Quality of life is simply how good your life is at any moment in time. Including how content you are, how peaceful your home feels, how much time you spend with those you love or how often you just sit and enjoy a nice meal or converstation.

Standard of living is the attainment of a standard either defined or undefined. Moving up the house ladder, getting a better car, going to a good school, being with certain people, playing certain sports or in certain leagues, or just basically jumping through hoops that you feel your supposed to jump through.

It’s a tricky question. Most people will automatically say “Well, quality of life, of course”. But actions speak louder than words Mr. Quality of Life Guy. Let’s see what is under the hood of your typical day:

• Get the kids up for school
• Shovel in “breakfast” (in quotes because, well, you know how breakfast can be)
• Dad get to work
• Mom get to work
• Pay those bills
• More bills
• Pay those bills
• Kids get home before parents
• Kids find Dad’s Playboy stash
• Mom gets home from work
• Dad gets home from work
• Everybody texts all the people they don’t really care about
• People they do care about are in the next room
• Sports practice
• Homework
• Eat
• Watch TV
• Bed
• Dream about a better “quality of life”
• Back to “Go” and start over the next day.

Oh yea, that is me. Now who is Mr. I’ve Got Such A Great Quality of Life? Makes me want to unplug from all that STUFF and go back to the basics.

Next: The futility of sports driven families and why your child will never make it past High School Athletics.

If Ellen and the Iggy Army can inspire this kind of passion for little dog… shouldn’t we be able to drum up some for our children? It leads me to ask the following questions to myself:

• What am I passionate about?
• How far would I go to defend my family/children?
• Do I inspire others around me to passion toward their children?
• What have I placed in front of my family that needs removal?
• Why do celebrities always want preferential treatment?

Malachi 4:6
He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Sometimes I think the world would be better if we treated our children like we do our pets.

It is easy for us parents to get overwhelmed with all the text messaging and High School Musical nudie pics to deal with.

So, here is my Parenting for Dummies list:

1. Hug your kid every day. Not a whimpy hug. A big, tight, long lasting hug. Don’t be concerned with being hugged back. That’s not the point here. YOU give the hug. There is no option. Don’t loose that physical connection with your son or daughter. My personal theory is that if I never stop hugging them, it will never be awkward to hug them when they are older.

2. Give your kid at least one verbal blessing per day. Words can tear down, but they can also build up. This can be as simple as placing your hand on their head and saying “bless you”. Don’t let the word “blessing” throw you — this does not have to be some complicated, elequent thing. Here’s some simple examples for us dummies:

• Your going to have an awesome day today.
• I’m so glad I’m your dad.
• Your are my beloved kid.
• I’m so glad your in our family.
• Your special to me.
• More Posts on Blessing Children here.

3. Join the Tickle Club. Talk about a no-brainer. Every one (deep down inside) loves to be tickled. You may not admit it, but a little goochy-goo makes you feel loved like nothing else. Age is NOT a factor here. Some of the best tickles in our club are:

• Bedtime tickle
• On the floor tickle
• Sneak up on you tickle
• I’m gonna get you tickle
• And the make you pee tickle

Join the revolution. Parenting for dummies. We are proud to be dumb. We stand up for the silly little things. And we have faith that the little things will become big deals for our kids.

Dear Fathers:

1. Think more about your family and children
2. Pray for each of your children
3. Teach your children and more specifically disciple them
4. Bless your children every day in words and action (hugs, time and attention)

This blog has gotten a lot of attention from those searching “blessing children” and other similar terms on Google. Please feel free to add your thoughts.

When does a father’s Blessing cease to matter?

It isn’t a new question. It isn’t an original question. But it’s a question that sears its way through generations, that brands every new Esau throughout time.

Books have been structured around it, some of them holy (Genesis).

The cry is ancient, anguished, wounded:

Bless me — me also, Oh my father!

Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that your soul may bless me.”

And his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?”

So he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him — and indeed he shall be blessed.”

When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me — me also, O my father!”

But he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.”

And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!”

And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?”

And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me — me also, O my father!”

And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.