Kilted Parenting

**Makeitstop** · 7th March 08, 09:14 AM

I don't have any kids, but having grown up with divorced parents, I know quite a bit about that kind of situation.

Like it or not, there will be two different sets of rules for the kid, and he will know it. It's important to respect the other parent's rules, but he must do the same. If the kid wants to wear a kilt, and dad doesn't like it, then a fair compromise is to allow him to wear a kilt at your house, but keep it far away from dad's place. Don't make a big deal out of it, and try to avoid any kind of conflict. Try not to contradict dad, but correct any misinformation the kid might have been given by him. It's a delicate balance, but ultimately your obligation is to your son, and as long as you aren't putting him in the middle of a fight, and just try to be a responsible parent, it shouldn't be too big of a problem.

I would suggest avoiding the sgian dubh. The way I see it, a sgian is a bit too fun for a kid's first knife. Kid's like playing with knives, and it's better to start them off with something along the lines of a swiss army knife, which is a little less dangerous and more functional. It helps to get them thinking about how to use the item as a tool, rather than how cool it is and how they want to play with it. Let's face it, no one has ever tried to juggle swiss army knives. And obviously, even that should only be if the kid is ready for it.

I would make sure the kid knows up front that if he gets a kilt, he won't necessarily be getting the knives too.

A sgian don't is a better idea, but make sure to explain that others use them too (if he's anything like I was as a kid, you may need pictures to prove it) and you aren't just being a lame, overprotective mom who lives to ruin his fun.

**Finn** · 7th March 08, 09:49 AM

My son is fourteen weeks old, but he'll be getting kilted soon enough. Mom & I will disagree about the tartan, but even if we parted, she would still kilt him.
My eldest bio daughter had to learn about kilts when she first saw me in mine. She quickly learned to say, "unbifurcated" and is supportive now.
Good luck, Di!