A putdown

[wepollard]

Today I suffered the ultimate putdown. I took my granddaughter to the local childrens park to burn off some excess energy. I noticed a 6 year old boy staring at me. He finally came over and touched my kilt. So I said its called a kilt. He pondered that a bit and then looked at me and said "but it's a skirt." Well, I said, you are absolutely right it is a skirt but it's a mans skirt and that semed to satisfy him. His mother and I and few other parents had a good chuckle over it and he went on to play with the rest of the kids having had his curiosity satisfied.

[Whidbey78]

You took the opportunity to educate him a little and he seems to have accepted it as legitimate and acceptable. That's the way we should always handle that type of thing, be it from a six year old, a sixteen year old or a sixty year old.
Good job!

The exception is when it's not curiosity or ignorance and the comment or question comes from a narrow and preconceived opinion that just won't be changed or lessened. Then, light them up and walk away.

[Highlander31]

When children ask, it's not really a putdown. They're just curious. It sounds like you both came away with a good experience.

I had a similar experience shortly after we moved to this rural area. I had a young man who was probably eleven or twelve come up to my wife and I in the post office and ask about the kilt. He had never seen one before. I gave him a brief history of the highlands and the kilt. He had only one question. He wanted to know if I wore it while working on my property. I said I didn't. He said that was probably a good idea, since it might get caught in the equipment. This area was founded by Scots and Irish in the 1830's, so most people know what the kilt is. I actually had more questions when I lived in San Jose usually from someone whose culture didn't have exposure to kilts.

[Spartan Tartan]

That doesn't really seem a putdown to me at all. In fact, my son is 6 and LOVES his kilt. He even asked me Tuesday night if we could "kilt up" for the hockey game. Of course I said yes. But even though he loves his kilt, loves to see me in my kilt and knows it is a kilt (and generally refers to it as a kilt)....he still calls it our "man skirt" sometimes, because he likes to remind me it is a lot like "mommy's skirts".

I think you handled the situation perfectly. When young children ask, they are just interested. It's best to handle it the way you did and let them go away better informed. Well done.

[Mike in Dayton]

As Art Linkletter said "kids say the darnedest things". A couple of years ago I was in one of the big box stores. I was in a black Utilikilt if I recall. I walked past a little girl and her mother. The girl was maybe 7 years old. The little girl started to follow me. She came up to me and asked "why are you wearing a skirt?". So I tried to explain it was a contemporary kilt, etc, etc. She did not understand what I was saying and kept asking the same question. She was not going to let me get away without an answer she understood. Her mother was at the end of the isle getting a kick out of her little girl running me into the ground. Finally I just said "I wear it because I like them". Well, that was an acceptable answer. As I walked away the little girl said "I don't like to wear skirts. Everyone can see my underwear." If she had been a lot older I would have had an answer to that comment.

That is why kilts are so much fun.

Mike