Just something I'm fairly passionate about, learning by doing.
I think it's sad that my kids are growing up in a world where govts. Schools and employers are trying to remove danger from everything.
I love showing my kids how to do "dangerous things" safely, like using power tools, riding motorcycles and cooking for yourself on an open fire.
I'm a middle aged man and my big multi-national oil company employer has told me that none of us employees can be trusted with sharp knives and if we are found with one, we will be found in breech of the company's "Life Saving Rules", which will incur disciplinary action up to and including dismissal .

http://www.ted.com/talks/gever_tulley_o ... axJ.mailto

I'd come to the conclusion Oz had become quite the nanny state from my last visit, which was separated by a decade to the prior one.

Its a shame ... US is no less fascist these days. At least we can still buy and privately possess small arms.

How did we all get to this state? Well, let me tell ya ... (SDNerd rants for 35 pages, and a bottle of good 14 y.o. whiskey - which solves nothing).

Then end.

Good on ya for teaching the kidlets how to "play with matches".

Done most of the so called dangerous things with my kids at a early age including firing a few shots from a gun and playing with fireworks.
The way I saw it was that most of this stuff I remember to this day and the so called risk far outway the learning experience and most importantly the FUN.
It is a changing world though as there are things my parents let me and my siblings do that I would not let my kids do, although we survived it

just out of curiosity, I wonder what the crime rate is like in AZ in comparison to other states and countries with far stricter firearms laws.
I live in Australia and my father was in the armed forces. I was one of the last generation of Aussies that had any real interaction with guns. We were taught that guns were tools not toys. And when used with respect were great fun. I was also in the cubs and scouts where one of the most prized merit badges was the safe use of a pocket knife and being able to proudly wear one on your belt. Mention knives in modern scouting and they freak out.
I truly worry about the future generation. So wrapped in cotton wool. I say bravo to parents to teach their kids the reponsible use of dangerous (read: fun) things. Hell even private fireworks are now banned Australia wide cause too many dumb shits blew their fingers off. The sad part about Australia these days are laws are dumbed down to the lowest denominator. It has been said that if motorcycles were invented today there is NO FUCKEN WAY they would be legal in Australia.

For the sake of humanity please teach your kids how to light fires, shoot guns, ride bikes, use knives, hunt, fish and anything else the soft cocks of this world want to ban

For the sake of humanity please teach your kids how to light fires, shoot guns, ride bikes, use knives, hunt, fish and anything else the soft cocks of this world want to ban[/quote]



+1

Good works Dads!

When I was a kid I got my first pocket knife at 5 years old, played with fire, caught snakes by hand, and remember steering my grandfathers car while he took me to the bars to show off his grandson. As kids we played cowboys and Indians with air-rifles and homemade bows and arrows, had apple fights that would span the whole town. Don't remember much of anyone saying anything about these things except for the crazy old lady who would come out screaming at us firing a shotgun over our heads, threatening that the next one would be in our asses. Can you imagine these things happening now
My boys are coming along, maybe not as fast as I did but they're coming along. That video reminded me that the oldest is ready for a knife.

My little`un cleaning his first bike at 2 1/2, first ride before he was 3, no fear

my daughter fences - does that count?

I grew up on a farm and shot, poked stabbed and burned everything I could...
My kids will do the same.
I still think that hand guns are only for killing humans though.
Australia's kneejerk reaction has gone a little too far in my opinion and needs to be calmed a little as we now have destroyed almost all of them.
Now only hardcore criminals and specialised forces dare carry sidearms in Oz, and the beauty of that is, on the most part (except for victorian police) nobody does any killing.
Hardcore crims know that they only need to shoot other crims... Nobody else has a gun

Sweet para-phrasing...