I carried a knife to school every day. And once took an M-1 to school when I was in the 1st grade. They were a lot more understanding in those days.
And in deer season, most boys brought their 30-30s for hunting after class.
I carried a penknife in my pocket from the time I was about five until after I graduated from college. Then I stopped carrying one regularly because I found it was wearing holes in my pockets.
I got my first penknife by sending away for it with an offer from a box of cereal. My parents tried to divert it when it arrived in the mail, but I soon discovered that it had arrived and insisted on having it. I still have a small scar on my hand from where I cut myself with it the first time I tried it out, but I'm glad to say my parents let me keep it.