no kidding! my dad did the same thing, same age, same gun. Are we related??
He had me hold it a little firmer so it didn't knock me in the gourd and if I remember correctly, he was helping me hold onto it, but loosly. I got the message, that was all it took.
My dad said, "Well, there you go. Now you know not to pick one of those things up like you know how to use it."
Hmmm, we may be separated at birth.
I had a similar experience but it was with an old 16ga shotgun. I grew up on a ranch in south texas. (I'm still living on the ranch too).
Anyway, I had been shooting since I was 4 years old. I was allowed to shoot an single shot .22. It was considered necessary to know how to properly use a firearm. I could only shoot it when my father or my grandfather was present.
Like any kid, I wanted to shoot the "big guns" the older people used. I kept pestering my dad. Finally he let me shoot his 16ga when I was about 6 years. I could hardy hold the thing up to take aim. He told me to rest it on an old stump and fire it. I did. It knocked me back about 10 feet.
Then he told me, "The next time I say a gun is too big for you maybe you'll listen to me. I'll let you use it when you are old enough to handle it".
A few years later I was allowed to shoot that gun and It made me very proud that he finally deemed me old enough to be trusted with it.
As you said. Good Lesson.