Ah, kids....

[seamus]

its a real interesting thing....i really dont have any reservations about wearin me kilt in public; i love it, in fact. i've always found it funny, however, that i feel a little more conscious about it around little kids. strange, no? i guess its because, ya know, theres a good chance they wont know what a kilt is, so of course theyre going to see a guy in a skirt and say "why are you wearing a skirt??" (i.e. my little sister's friend at her camp talent show). now you cant just ignore them, or be sarcastic, or flip 'em the v's, or say "piss off you ignorant little blighter"....all of the above would be unacceptable and uncalled for. i just never know what to say. i'm usually like "its a er, uh, scottish, men's...thing. it's for guys, and, uh..." you cant really properly explain it, because in their little heads skirt of any kind = girl (preposterous, i know!). well, thats my rant - any thoughts/similar experiences? thanks lads!

[wolfgang]

My answer to "why are you wearing a skirt?" from a child goes: "Because I like to waer it!" Most children are satisfied with this answer.

Wolfgang

[Blu (Ontario)]

Smaller children are much more apt to speak their mind in public in a way that many adults would find embarrassing to themselves. But I think it's also an interesting litmus test of the mental level of adults who do the same thing. We know that, as we walk the streets and stores in a kilt, behind many of the smiling faces are thoughts like "nice skirt" and "Where's his purse, heh heh". It's the children and slack jawed adults that impulsively say it out loud. They're like Yosemete Sam... "Oooooohhhh"... they just can't help it!

[JazzKiltz]

i actually find I'm more self-concious when out and about if my wife isn't with me. It's strange, but riding the F train into Manhattan alone takes a couple of deep breaths sometimes.

One of the first times I wore my kilt down to my daughter's elementary school to pick her up, one of the smaller kids (kindergarten, I think) looked at me and said, "Oooooh! You're wearin' a SKIRT!" So I smiled and said, "It's called a Kilt and men wear them, too" So he chewed on that for about 15 seconds and said...

"Oooooh! You're wearin' a SKIRT!"

I had to laugh!

mt

[KhensU]

I think I've mentioned this before, but I've had an experience where I was in the hotel lobby on my honeymoon and a little girl came up to me and asked me why I was wearing a skirt. I tried to explain that is was a kilt, Scottish, and men wore them. She just said "well it looks like a skirt to me" and went back to her family. This was early in my kilt-wearing life so I couldn't think of much else to say, but other than maybe making a reference to bagpipers I'm not sure how I could have explained futher in a manner to educate or trigger a memory of something she had seen before.

[Graham]

Seamus, I agree with you, I find kids a challenge too, especially teenagers in a gang on the street. They are more likely to yell out embarrassing things.

I agree with mt also, I'm happier with my wife or a friend. This is common to human nature, even teenagers - when they want to wear something daring or outrageous, will go in twos plus. It's a security thing.

All I can say is that it gets better with time and age (just look at Hamish!)

[Donnie]

People, especially young people, tend to be more bold when they are in groups. I had two young fellas yelling at me across the street in Annapolis, MD. I was alone they were being "funny". I think we all feel more secure if we have someone "at our back" just in case!

[GMan]

I went to my coffee shop after the St. Patrick's Day parade last March when this little girl about three came up and just stared at me, when her Father said something like that was a kilt just like we saw at the parade today. She did say kilt and then started playing with the tassels on my sporran and said that Mommy needs these for her purse. Her Father just rolled his eyes.

[David Woodington]

Small children haven't been too difficult for as I can sometime reffer to Scottland and bagpipers and then give them an explanation.Teenagers and adults (in name only) are a differant animal all together.Those who are open minded and curious,seem to understand and accept my explanation.(I told the dental hygenist "because I like to wear it")and she was ok with that. One woman in the city said" I like the kilt ,you go boy"
.where as some others who should know better, called my masculinity into question ( this of course is putting their statement in a more pleasant tone).
But many of you who have taken Psyc.should understand the group ie them want, conformity and they rather frown upon individuals and free thinkers.If someone does anything different then its out of their grasp ,which is tenitive at best,and they lash out.So I enlighten the tolerant who will listen,convert the free spirited and pray for the rest.



Dave

[Alaskan]

You guys aren't giving children enough credit.

Smart kids are more intelligent than a lot of adults. Also, kids haven't had as much time for ideas to become set for them... their minds are more open. If you tell them "This isn't a skirt, it is a kilt, it is traditional clothing for Scottish men." They will usually understand. Of course there are some that won't be able to grasp the concept, but that isn't due to their age... there are adults that can't grasp the concept either.

I've had countless kids ask me about my kilt both here in Japan, and during the three weeks when I was in Alaska. Only once did the kid not seem to get it. All the other times it was like "Oh WOW, that is something I didn't know. That's cool."

When explaining it to adults it is far more common to get "Well, it still just looks like a skirt to me." or just a blank expression of their lack of comprehension.