First, let's take a look at this picture of this cute little baby

[conuly]

who is wielding a machete. A machete? WTF?

And here is the article I got that link from! Apparently, developmental milestones are flexible.

Comments

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

We let our girlie use tools, handle weapons and play with fire from about the time she could walk. Growing up in the Pagan community and the SCA, she spent a lot of time camping with some very heavily-armed people, including her own blade-wielding, Kung Fu-fighting parents, so these things were a normal part of her environment. We started teaching her the sword as soon as she was big enough to stand and hold a sharpening steel, and she learned to make a fire in the woodstove when she was three.

It's far better to teach children to respect steel and fire at the age when one's watching them like a hawk all the time anyway, and when they're young enough that a little owie makes a lasting impression, than to excite their curiosity by 'protecting' them until they're old enough to run off and experiment with the forbidden on their own.

[captainscorpio.livejournal.com]

It's just a little machete.

[conuly]

In the hands of a little baby.

I never want to hear a comment about letting Evangeline chop potatoes again.

[tungol.livejournal.com]

My mom had us using sharp knives in the kitchen from when we were about 3, if I remember her reports correctly.

ha!

[montessorimatters.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

I should show this picture to a friend who freaked when I gave her 3-yr old a butter knife to cut feta cheese for a salad.

Re: ha!

[conuly]

A butter knife! Sheesh. What's she gonna do, saw at her own hand for an hour?

[queenlyzard.livejournal.com]

Wild! Both the article and the pic.