Answering the question when it's asked by children

[porrick]

My son is six, and I have got accustomed to a lot of questions from other kids out and about, as well as taking him to/picking him up from kindergarten.

Young kids are often so much more logical than adults; for me it works great to simply tell them that "it is called a kilt" and "it is like a Scottish "bunad" (Norwegian for "national costume"). The kids here have an understanding of the concept, as some have a bunad/national costume themselves, as goes for a large number of especially mothers. The next time the kids see me they would comment on my kilt - or why I am not wearing it today

Keep it simple, and don't try to give wise-guy comments reserved for adults who should know better

BTW, here is a snap of the local "Nordlandsbunad", which in time and principle is a product of national romanticism and revival in much the same way as the modern kilt.



Check out the "sporran"...

[Jewddha]

Well, this past summer I was down in Pennsylvania as CIT at a kids summer camp. I was working with kids from age 8-15 (the younger and the older ends of the spectrum I spent the most time with). I found with the littler-uns, if they even batted an eye, it would only take one good clear answer as to why I wore it and they were happy for the whole summer (they never asked about what was under). Delaing with the older ones (13-15) was a little more fun, the girls didn't need any reason, only a few of them weren't fans, and the guys, well, once they saw how the girls formed an opinion of it, their questions quickly turned towards inquiring about it's impressive effect on the ladies. Oh, and my usual answer to the older guys about what was under was usually "well, when you get one, then you won't have to ask me" (the girls I simply refused to answer, as it could be taken out of context as an inappropriate discussion according to my position).

[Pour1Malt]

"gae biel yur heid ya wee *****!"

[Kilted KT]

a month or so ago I was in the grocery store, looking for something that would actually taste good, and I noticed a woman with a young boy was trying to follow me without being seen. Not to break the illusion, I simply stopped and started looking at something while they past behind me. I heard the mother whisper "Go ahead, ask him" to her son, loud enough so I could hear. I hear the boy say in a very scared voice "why are you wearing a skirt?"

I turned and as calmly and non-intimidatingly as I could explained that it was a scottish kilt, a type of skirts worn by men in Scotland. I talked for a minute about braveheart ( something he might be able to assosiate the kilt with) and also how many police and fire companies have pipe bands. Once he heard bagpipes, it was over. His eyes about popped out of his head. His mom said he had heard them once at a scottish festival a year or two earlier, and he had always wanted to talk to someone who played them. He looked at me squarely and asked if I played them. I told him the truth. "Well, I can play them, but you don't want to hear it. I'm not very good at all" He thought it was vey cool, thanked me and his mom shuffled him off to finish their shopping.

from what I can see, once the kids have something to associate the kilt with besides a woman's dress, it is one of the "coolest" things they have ever seen.

[Frank]

I have had some pretty wonderful experiences talking with very young ladies (ages 4-7) about kilts. Especially the story of the origin of the kilt pin. If you are talikng to young boys. Use the same explaination as above but throw in "the Scots were fierce warriors and carried many different kinds of swords and axes into battle". Guaranteed the conversation will veer toward a discourse on antique weapons, and the boys (bloodthirsty lads one and all) will be entertained. [/I]
Cheers

With the greatest of respect to Panache I think he's unwittingly hit on the reason why masuclinity is in some ways such an artificial and fragile 'operating system'. Whilst he had "some pretty wonderful times" talking with girls on the subject of kilts, he found it easier to juxtapose kilts with a context of war and death rather than with simple personal choice when discussing the same topic with the boys. Isn't it sad that even the very young have to be divorced from their sense of self to the extent that any justification for kilt wearing is necessary ?

That aside, it's just as as well for the drinks industry that the young aren't taught such paranoia about booze - can you imagine an online community of active whisky drinkers secretly enthusing about their 'utilitimalts' or having a dig about sub-standard Scotch bought from auction websites. On X Marks, postings headed:- "Great night out drinking whisky - and no sniggers !" or "Finanlly did it - just ordered a case of 80 proof" or perhaps - "Drinking Johnny Walker Black Label at work.." or "My Wife doesn't like me drinking Whisky" would compete with arguments about the traditional Scotch versus new Scotch cocktails with fizzy orange and suchlike.

Now wouldn't that be silly ?

[Prester John]

Gentlemen...too much, too much.

If you really want to answer a child, who will promptly forget, you say,

"Go ask your mother."

[Kilted KT]

Gentlemen...too much, too much.

If you really want to answer a child, who will promptly forget, you say,

"Go ask your mother."

ooo....good one. I'm sure that will rosey up her cheeks real fast!

[Valencian Kilted]

Gentlemen...too much, too much.

If you really want to answer a child, who will promptly forget, you say,

"Go ask your mother."

That would be a good answer for "why do u wear a skirt?" or to..."What's under ur kilt?"

:mrgreen:

¡Salud!

T O N O

[Panache]

Frank wrote: With the greatest of respect to Panache I think he's unwittingly hit on the reason why masuclinity is in some ways such an artificial and fragile 'operating system'. Whilst he had "some pretty wonderful times" talking with girls on the subject of kilts, he found it easier to juxtapose kilts with a context of war and death rather than with simple personal choice when discussing the same topic with the boys. Isn't it sad that even the very young have to be divorced from their sense of self to the extent that any justification for kilt wearing is necessary ?


Frank,

I am a stay at home Dad. I work in my 6 year old son's kindergarten class where he is one of 10 boys. In addition, my wonderful son Tristan has a wide group of friends ranging in ages from 3 to 8. With the exception of one classmate (and to be honest he is a bit strange) they are all REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY into guns and swords. I seldom wear a real sgian dubh. In it's place I wear a "sgian don't" (a knife handled bottle cap opener*). When I go to my son's class in a kilt I am always asked "Mr Tanner did you wear a real knife this time? Did you? Did you?" I always say, "No just a bottle cap opener, same as always." They say "why not? A knife would be cooler!". (Sigh) Young boys seem to have a love of weapons programmed into them at an almost genetic level. I have a cousin who has raised her boy without guns, no violent TV or movies, no war toys, and carefully monitored play activities. At age 2 1/2 he started a preschool a couple of times a week and came home making a gun with his fists and saying "this is my Bang Bang".
My cousin was shocked. "How can he play guns when he doesn't even know the word gun!" she said exasperatedly. "Easy, he's a boy", I replied.

Please take this with a sense of humor (it certainly was written with one ). I was being honest in my advice on the response to children. Little girls love the story of Queen Victoria and the kilted soldier at Balmoral Castle. This little bit of lore seems to make kilts seem really interesting to them. Little boys eat up tales of swordsmanship and heroics It makes kilts cool. And making kilts cool to kids is well...cool.

I think I am paraphrasing Dave Barry here but the difference between girls and boys is: Girls are smaller human beings and Boys are pod people from Planet Destructo.

Cheers


* I will be hopefully posting some pictures of these that will be for sale sometime soon.

[BLAZN]

From the mouths of babes come the most entertaining statements.

I never get the "what's under the kilt?" from the kids around here, and there are plenty of kids around here.
I do get the skirt question every now and again, and I merely explain "it's a skirt for men." I never make any sort of connection between the kilt and war. In fact, I rarely even discuss the historical significance of the kilt. Ocassionally I liken the kilt to the sarong which is ever so popular here in Hawaii, thanks to the predominant Polynesian culture.

Now, all that being said, I HAVE had to deal with my own 3 year old daughter's curiosity. She's one for action vice words, so it is her lifting my kilt (most recently at the museum we went to on Sunday) that I have to contend with. A soon to be 4 year old doesn't quite grasp the concept of modesty.