Hey lads--here's one for ya'.

My niece and nephew have been bugging me for awhile about wanting to wear a kilt like I do. I talked it over with my brother (thier father) and he said that they were actually serious about it. (My brother is a kilty as well) I let them keep at it a few months just to see if it was a passing fad or not. They didn't let up, so I bought them both SWK youth MacLaren Moderns (our clan association tartan) and outfitted my nephew with a youth sporran. Good youth kilts and Jerry is the best--but you already know that.

Well the man-child (now in that terribly distressful period known as 7th. grade in a Catholic school) decides he's gonna wear his kilt on his "non uniform' day. Talk about courage--to wear your first kilt--for the first time--to school in the 7th grade!!!!

Well, the lad strapped on boots, socks, kilt, sporran and black "Superman" T-shirt and went off to see the Nuns.

He had cleared this ahead of time but got a tepid response. He caught some flack--but stood his ground! Wore his kilt proudly--then called to tell me about it.

When asked "the" question...his response was "I'm not representing an example of the full Scottish experience today" ;-)

When I asked him if he was nervous at first--he said that he was. I asked what if anything helped him to see it through--the lad said that he had told all the girls the previous day that tomoorow he'd be kilted--and he didn't want to let them down!

What can I say? Could an uncle BE any more proud?