Sunday, January 8, 2017

What would be your reaction if you discovered that your child slept with a knife under their pillow?

My first step would be to ask my child why there is a knife under the pillow.

The most obvious reasons that come to mind are:

  • attachment to the knife
  • tendency to violence
  • a need for protection
  • a desire to self-harm

My 13-year-old son has a couple of knives which he takes camping and regularly uses outside for things like cutting sticks. He loves them, so I suppose it’s possible that he would sleep with one under his pillow just because he likes it. It’s unlikely, though, because he is aware of the necessary safety precautions and wouldn’t want to run the risk of having the knife taken away from him.

The other three options—violence, protection, or self-harm—would be much more serious. If my child had a knife under his pillow I would ask him about it in a calm way, just in case the answer is one of the less palatable alternatives and needs to be handled gently.

If there was an unsettling reason behind the behaviour, I would speak to a counsellor who is practiced in dealing with those sorts of issues, and go from there. With something so important, I would want the advice of an expert.



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