Q to Kilted with school-aged children

[millar]

I have three kids 15, 9, 7. They are all ok with me being kilted. I bought kilts for the youngest two and they wear them occasionally, usually only when we go to a festival. The 15 yo has asked me not to wear a kilt to his school and as he has to deal with the other kids I respect his wishes. He really doesn't care when we go out anywhere else and has corrected people when they call it a skirt. He won't get a kilt preferring long baggy jeans that hang 1/2 on. The way I look at it as long as I am proud of what I wear and treat myself and them with respect they will too.

[McMurdo]

So far I have not experienced any problems, I have a 14 yr old daughter, at first she asked why I was wearing a skirt, so we sat down and I explained my reasons for it.

My wife is not that pleased, however she is learning to deal with it.

As for my daughters friends so far they all think it's great, and everyone at her school and at my work are very accepting of the kilt.

As Panache so rightly put it though, our kids are lightyears more important than a bit of cloth, no matter how nice the tartan.

[Monkey@Arms]

I've worn my UKs to my kids' (ages 8 & 10) soccer games, and didn't hear of my children experiencing any negative repercussions, though my daughter occasionally likes to put on a big show of embarrassment. When visiting another family, their 10 year old boy said "Whoa, nice man-skirt!" But I'm pretty sure he meant it as a compliment, and I expanded his vocabulary with the proper nomenclature.

I'm not certain whether my children would feel the need to defend my kilt wearing among their peers, or would just agree with them that its kind of odd. In the beginning I was more willing to consider not wearing my kilt when I wanted to based on concerns regarding the opinions of others, but it seems to be more of a non-issue these days.

Best regards,

Jake

P.S. I think this thread belongs in the general forum, as it doesn't seem off topic to me.

[Frog]

I moved into my wife's house about 8 months before we got married last August, she has a 14 year old son. He and I don't talk much - we are both quite shy around new people, and he is much slower to warm up than I am, which doesn't help, nor does being "weird" in ways the other does not participate in/appreciate. Also, he doesn't do well with change he does not have control over. While he has not said anything negative about it, he hasn't said anything positive about my kilt-wearing. His friends have occasionally had comments (the ones I've heard were positive - or condescending/sarcastic?) but nothing has gotten back to me or his mom (or she hasn't shared them with me,which could be a possibility, I think). At any rate, schools put considerable amounts of time in my area into trying to teach more tolerance than the parents might have. Your children should not have to be concerned (but I know it depends on where you live - face it, some places are worse than others) about it. Whether that is effective depends on how far you want to pursue it - that strikes me as a silly comment - we are different, why wouldn't we come to the aid of others who are being persecuted (kin or not) for having to live with us? For whatever it is worth.

Frog