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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2007 20:51:58 GMT
I am now facing a major problem...
I have now finally saved up enough money to buy my first real sword after about 9 months of saving.
Heres the problem: my dad wont let me buy it. since we live in an apartment, we dont have a backyard for me to do "backyardcutting" in. my dad thinks i will try to cut things indoors and be unresponsible with the sword... (of course i will not do anything like that!) my mom does not agree either, she says something like: its a lethal razorsharp weapon, i'm not gonna let you buy that... my dad says that i may buy it when i'm adult, which is 18 years old where i live (as in most countries), but i can't wait for like 2,5 years more, just to buy a friggin sword!!!
so please give me some advice on how i can convince my parents to trust me enough to let me buy one. or give me some advice on what to tell them!
i've already waited for around 9 month, i cant wait much more!!
any and all replies will be VERY appreciated!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2007 21:35:16 GMT
Take a martial discipline that teaches swordsmanship. If they're reputable, then they will, as in any other reputable martial discipline teach you just that. Discipline. From that comes respect for your weapon and responsibility for it.
Proving to your parents that you can be competent and safe with your 'lethal razorsharp weapon' is the best way to go.
Or, as a counter to your mom, ask her if she'll let you buy an aluminum baseball bat. In the hands of someone that wants to maim, kill, or hurt, such a weapon is just as deadly as a sword, if not more so because the bat won't break on a brick wall if you hit one. If she lets you have a bat, then there's no reason why she shouldn't let you have a sword.
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Post by rammstein on Mar 30, 2007 21:46:02 GMT
Hey skalman! I'm about your age nd have had similar problems, though on a smaller scale. I had to go through this same thing (convincing parents) during my purchasing of my albion ritter. It helps greatly to exude responsibility and maturity. You may want to show them websites like this and myarmoury (especially the latter) to show her that we, as sword collectors, are avid students of history and arne't crazies with weapons as I've heard we are made out to be. Tell them your intentions - you aren't planning on killing anyone. You're planning on garnering a greater appreciation for history. My parents bought me my first sword for Channukah when I was around 11 and the fever has yet to stop . Since then, every sword I on has been bought with my own money PLUS doubling the cost of the sword for my college fund (the only way for my parents to approve sword buying is for me to make an equal deposite into college. that means the albion ritter costs me $1460 - 730 x 2!) assuming you are going to college, I'd recommend for you to set up a similar process that shows a willingness to succeed acedemically and therefore showing more responsibility. Now, the would mean having to save up that money all over again but it should provide a sfoothold when you buy your second sword without having to go trhough this stress and unsureness about whether or not your parents will let you. And TRUST me: you'll buy a second one
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Post by rammstein on Mar 30, 2007 21:55:23 GMT
another thing:
tell it's its blatant stupidity to buy a $100+ sword to kill someone, when, as adam said, the same job could be accomplished by bad people with much cheaper weapons. If someone wants to kill someone, buying an expensive sword is not a good way to go about it. That should show that you have no intent to harm. Obviously, say it more elquently than I am and make it sound good ;D
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2007 22:10:50 GMT
my parents is more concerned that i'll accidentally hurt myself or someone near me, than to intentionally hurt someone else... also my dad thinks im going to do tameshigiri indoors and that buying a $250 sword is a waste of money since if i cant cut anywhere with it is completely useless... but i might consider taking iaido lessions, but the "iaido club" closest to me takes like 2 hrs to get to, which is not so ideal when i have school homework and other things to think about, iaido is not a very big sport in sweden, around 300 - 500 people in total that are practicing iaido in sweden...
i'll se if i can solve this iaido problem somehow...
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2007 22:27:03 GMT
i just found a "martial-arts club" that is about 15-20 minutes bike ride away, this is new and did not exist when i last where looking for an iaido club. they only teach iaido on sundays so that solves my homevork problem. sounds good, i'll check it out as soon as possible. maybe there is hope for me afterall! ;D
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Post by rammstein on Mar 30, 2007 22:29:28 GMT
any wma places?
I'm sure you parents won't notice if you do western sword activities while owning a katana...
owning a sword isn't only about cutting things. In fact, I don't think thats even 10% of owning a sword. Sure its fun if you can do it (and I'm sure you can find somewhere to do it, even if it's only a few times a year) but many sword collectors appreciate the beauty and elegance of a sword without ever having used it. Tell them that the sword is just as useless as buying a painting.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2007 22:44:01 GMT
i did tell them that exact thing with the painting, they then said that, you cant chop things into tiny bits with a painting. i then said i cant do that with "my" katana either since we have no backyard or anywhere else to cut with it. he then said but you'll want to, and then you'll try to do it indoors, and probably break something...
he just isnt reasonable! (arrrgh!!)
im not exactly sure what wma means, please enlighten me so i dont mistake it for something else.
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Post by rammstein on Mar 30, 2007 22:54:55 GMT
I'm sorry it stands for western martial arts . You have some pretty famous people in sweden, you know? I'd love to meet peter johnsson!
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Post by rammstein on Mar 31, 2007 0:09:24 GMT
Maybe trying to convince him that you don't WANT to chop things up in the house? What purpose could that serve ANYONE? Seems illogical that you would want to detroy the house for the sake of slicing things open
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2007 3:46:13 GMT
Hey Skalman, I have been away from my computer the entire weekend have you had any luck yet? Also, were you able to make it to that martial arts club this sunday? If so how did things go? Rammstein had a very good point (no pun intended) about the college fund. Also, you could try and ask your father if there was something you could do to show that you are responsible enough to get a sword or you could ask if there was something you have done (recently) that showed irresponsibility. If you have been responsible in other areas, why would you be not be responsible with your sword. Especially since you have saved 9 months for one. Hope this helps.
Heath
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2007 19:38:52 GMT
i talked to my dad and he agreed that if i start practicing iaido it would be a valid reason for purchasing a sword, as with the iaido club, they are currently closed for about a week since easter is coming up, and will re-open right after the easter holiday. i will be sure to check it out as soon as possible...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2007 20:21:37 GMT
i talked to my dad and he agreed that if i start practicing iaido it would be a valid reason for purchasing a sword, as with the iaido club, they are currently closed for about a week since easter is coming up, and will re-open right after the easter holiday. i will be sure to check it out as soon as possible... That is the best place to start. Under supervised instructor training. Plus the discipline, honor and respect that goes with training. Once you parents see how much, and how disciplined you become, you should have no problems. Way to go!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2007 9:53:20 GMT
well that's great you've found a way to get that. I wish I'd seen this sooner cause with your parents saying that that's a lot for a sword since they're concerned about your personal saftey they should help you buy a sword. cause you could buy a lot cheaper stainless steel one, but that would almost garentee you'd get hurt. Any way congrats on finding a way to fufill your desires hope everything works out keep us up dated on the lessons and what not
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Post by Brendan Olszowy on Apr 5, 2007 18:36:27 GMT
Sounds like you've learned a bit from this and will grow through it. Moreso than if you just got what you wanted.
It's funny, but our parents seem to know us better than we will admit to ourselves. Their resistance has helped you take this more seriously and with more responsibility than you might have otherwise. You have certainly shown the passion for this art and we'll see alot more of you. Have you got a wall free for all the swords on their way to you?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2007 22:00:53 GMT
As a parent myself, and a sword entusiast, I think it is a parental duty to ensure my kids are guided appropriately as they seem fit.
My dad was a football-maniac, and everything I wanted to do that was not football related , he would shun. I would of liked encouragement in my kenjutsu, but I was highly afraid of his rage as a child. This led to me doing it in secret against his wishes, but as we all know, kids will do what kids will do. Now 20 years later, I am still learning kenjutsu, Iaido and Jodo and he , is dead from a 40 cig.s a day habit. He smoked all his life and got the result, I have trained hard and am still learning but get all the encouragement I need from my Sempai and fellow students.
In life , more than often it takes a while, but we always get what we put into it and if you are serious it will pay off.
Just be patient, you have many years left to encompass such skills. Maybe as a first sword purchase , you may consider a Iaito, a steel unsharpened one. When you are more proficient and convince your parents of your will, you can get it sharpened for tameshigiri ?!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2007 5:57:29 GMT
Very interesting thread. In my case I built up a sword collection first and then concluded that I should learn to use them. I started with classical sabber because that was easily available. Then I found my way into the SCA from there. Had I not bought the swords I would have never sought out the training. I agree the training should come first but sometimes life does not work out that way.
Chop Chop, interesting what you said about your football dad. I don't have kids, but when I do, I do not plan on forcing my weightlifting, SCA fighting, history lecters etc... down their throats. Instead I plan to keep doing what I do, demonstrating how happy I am with life and hope they will follow my example.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2007 14:26:26 GMT
great news guys, i have convinced my dad to let me buy a khukuri, it's not a sword, but it's a good start... i'll hopefully be recieving it sometime next week. this is the one i have ordered: www.nepalesekhukuri.com/user/ItemDetails.php?prodId=137&catid=8its not a himalayan imports, but it's still pretty good from what i've heard. if everything goes as planned you can expect a review from me sometime next week. cost $98 including shipping, i dont know if theres gonna be any customs fee to get it into the country but if there is id expect it to be somwhere around $25
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