A putdown

[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.