My dad got me a Linux laptop as a kid (I was 10 I think?), and I am so grateful that he did.
To be fair, I already had a huge passion for computing, and it meant that I would constantly toy around with Linux, breaking things and learning how to fix them.
I have been a Linux user ever since, and I feel have learnt so much about computing because of it.
(I started on Ubuntu 12.04, with the glorious Unity desktop)