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Posted by DariaSockey in Just me on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 11:43 AM
Yesterday I described and shared a picture of the lovely silk and pashmina wool shawls my son sent us from Afghanistan. Then there’s the very heavy box that arrived for the male members of the family. Its contents are pictured here.
Although I am not the type of mother who freaks out at the sight of weapons, or the thought of her boys handling them, I did find the sheer quantity a little off-putting.
I asked my adult sons and husband, “Do you really need this many blades? What do you plan on doing with them?”
The response was something like, “What does doing things with them got to do with it, Mom? Don’t you understand that it’s just cool to own stuff like this?”
This was followed up with requests to buy brackets and make a display along the living room wall, so that any and all future guests could be bowled over by the sheer coolness of it all. I demurred on account of our floral print couches not really matching the weaponry.
So during Easter week my daughters and I took turns deciding who would keep which shawls, while the guys threw daggers at an old oak tree in our woods.
One or two of the girls tried their hands at knife throwing, but not a single guy tried on shawls.
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How the heck did that get through customs?
Actually, he had to get it through customs on his end. My husband did mail home one knife, but he already owned it. He had to prove that it wasn’t an “automatic” knife - spring loaded or something. His actually was, but he made it seem like it wasn’t to the clerk. He flew in country with it on his person (mil-flight), but going home was through civilian and they would have confiscated it, so he mailed it. Didn’t want to lose it. He also had to prove that the rifle he bought was an “antique” and incapable of firing. He still regrets not buying the sabre he saw one day when he didn’t have the cash on him.
Oh, cool. My husband did NOT bring any knives home…just an antique rifle that now adorns our living room wall. Lucky me. We already own quite a number of knives, though. I guess you never know when you might want one.
I have six sons…and they have quite a collection of knives between themselves too. The scarves are beautiful. I received one for Mother’s Day, from my son returning from the Austrian Program at Franciscan University, and he brought some for his sisters too! Great minds think alike Ha-ha.
I see William is still into knives. I remember when he and my Sam did a skit involving juggling and threatening to involve knives and other sharp objects. Sam will love to see this collection.
Oh yes! The famous knife and chain saw juggling act from the homeschool Christmas program. Done to the tune of Manheim Steamroller’s Carol of the Bells. Funny, William and I were sorting through old photos when he was here last week, and we came across the picture of him and Sam juggling. A great memory.
I would love to see the picture. I didn’t get one of that particular performance.
Just wondering if anyone else is uncomfortable with this display of weaponry. Having two boys myself I’m all for them expressing their natural boyish interests and having the right tools for the job i.e. hunting, fishing. However I would be uneasy myself with this display as the relationship with function and purpose seems lost. Don’t get me wrong, as a middle aged father I’m fully aware how cool a collection like this is and how facinated my boys would be with it too. I am just unsure of benefits for impressionable minds?
I have two boys and I would never allow weapons in the house, whether they are children or adults, whether it is a member of my family or someone else. That is a house rule. But I completely respect others’ right to have different rules as they see fit.
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Yikes.
