Nostalgia in a Swiss Army Knife

My son Jeremy still keeps a picture of himself in his first Boy Scout uniform, he's standing by his dad and they both have huge smiles of happiness and pride. This picture is a memory of the day that his dad gave him the prize of his life, his first Swiss Army knife. I remember those days as if they were yesterday.

Let's roll back to about ten or so years ago when Jeremy asked for his first Swiss army knife. I didn't want my son to be old enough to start carrying knives and doing older boy things. I wanted my little boy to always be my baby, climbing onto my lap for cuddles and story time.

It started when Jeremy graduated Cub Scouts and started Boy Scouts. "All the older scouts have swiss army knives. Dart's dad got a knife for him last year and he's my age!" Jeremy informed us as we were driving home from his Boy Scout meeting.

"They use their knives for everything, and I NEED it, Mom! "Those Swiss Army Knives have everything, some even have forks", Jeremy continued with his excited pitch. "Can I PLEASE get one Mom?"

Well I promised Jeremy that his father and I would discuss it and get back with him. Jeremy's father remembered how special it was when he was handed his first swiss army knife. It was a Victorinox Swiss Army knife, nothing fancy, but the red handle with the white cross became a symbol for him of his cross over from child to "young man".

My husband still has that old Victorinox Swiss Army knife tucked away is his workroom. Not for use, but just to look at from time to time for the excellent memories it gives him. He insisted that Jeremy should be allowed to work towards having a knife just like it for his own first knife.

Jeremy's father and I created a list of tasks, which seemed impossible for him to live up to. We wanted to make sure Jeremy was ready to assume responsibility for items like knives. As much as I want my son to succeed in everything he does, I secretly hoped he wouldn't be ready yet either.

Jeremy's tasks included keeping his grades up and doing all of his chores, without being reminded. This seemed monumental, as Jeremy was a child that needed lots of reminders and structure to stay ahead of the game in school, and especially with chores.

We thought we would give him until Christmas and decide then if he had lived up to these tasks in a way that would show us he could handle having his first swiss army knife. As we explained our bargain to Jeremy, his eyes got firm and he squared his shoulders resolutely. "I'll do it", was all he said.

Those months went by quickly and Jeremy amazed everyone. His teachers were sending notices of achievements home and his chores were always done ahead of schedule. One night, I found him cleaning the turtle's cage at midnight, as he'd forgot to do it earlier. He wanted to make sure it was done before the next day to make sure he got that knife.

I don't think any kid ever worked so hard as Jeremy did for those months. Jeremy's father and I knew he deserved that swiss army knife. The look on my Jeremy's face was priceless when his father handed him his My First Victorinox Red knife before going to his grandparents for Christmas dinner. It's all he talked about for the rest of Christmas vacation. I think I even saw him grow two more inches that day. My little boy was becoming a young man.

This time meant so much for my husband, and for Jeremy. Now, every year, right before Christmas, Jeremy's father presents him with a new Victorinox swiss army knife. They moved past the Boy Scout knives and now Jeremy has quite a collection. This past Christmas he was given a Swiss Champ XLT Ruby Translucent, it has everything but the kitchen sink.

Jeremy normally carries his Victorinox Swiss Memory 2 GB and his Victorinox Multi-Tool S Beat MP3 player, as he loves his knives, computers, games, and music just the same. So if you're ever in Athens, OH, and you see a handsome young man with big brown eyes and a ready smile, that's my son. He'll be the one with earplugs in his ears and a white cross attached to his belt.