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mary_mac
2007-01-17 02:01 pm UTC (link)

To me, its the bit where he can't adequately fight back. Let him do it when he's 15 and big enough to hold his own, fine. Letting him do it when he's way to young to argue his case in school or to carry a fight in the playground, not so much.

Of course, I'm also sitting here going 'so why don't you just buy the child a kilt?' but I think thats just the exposure to Scots talking.

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	seiberwing 2007-01-17 02:24 pm UTC (link)
	Kilts: They're like training skirts. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	mary_mac 2007-01-17 05:16 pm UTC (link)
	Yup. Of course, I'm evil, so I'd buy him a kilt and then send him to Irish dancing, since he'd have the kilt anyway, and as a bonus, would be able to kick anyone who tried taking the piss in the top of the head. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	seiberwing 2007-01-17 05:29 pm UTC (link)
	I have two friends who went to the prom in kilts. Both did SCA-like swordfighting and one of them brought a metal-headed cane the likes of which could plant your brains in your belly if applied properly. And then we all did the can-can on the dance floor and no one laughed. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

suzycat
2007-01-18 10:08 am UTC (link)

Luckily in NZ kilts are acceptable if you are a bit Scots, which many of us are. There are men who get terribly excited about wearing them, especially for weddings, where it can be quite common. One of my local posh schools has a kilt as part of its dress uniform (worn only on formal occasions and also by anyone in the pipe band). Manly men running round in skirts all over the place.

And then of course there are Maori and Samoans. Tragically, Maori piupius look a bit lame when mixed with formal wear, but the Samoans have totally got the smart wool lavalava down to a fine art.

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spiderflower
2007-01-18 01:51 pm UTC (link)

I just want to say Kiwi powers unite!, and that my nephew does go to one of the posh schools that does have a kilt as part of its dress uniform, has worn the kilt when he was in the choir, and is one of the most masculine rugby-playing teenage blokes I know.

My uncle wore a kilt to his wedding, my brother wore a kilt to my sister's wedding, blah, blah... and yes, why is it that most Samoan men look better in a skirt than I do? This has grieved me for such a long time.

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	telophase 2007-01-19 04:59 pm UTC (link)
	My very first night in Scotland ever, I was in Glasgow and had gone to a phone booth to call my parents. As I'm talking to them, the church next to the phone booth opened its doors and a veritable sea of young, be-kilted men swirled around me. Ah, memories. sinks into pleasant reverie (Reply to this)(Parent)

	cookie_love 2007-01-17 07:33 pm UTC (link)
	What about bag pipes? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	mary_mac 2007-01-17 11:45 pm UTC (link)
	No child of mine learning bagpipes while they're living in my house. After they move out they can do what they like. I don't intend to live with anyone beginning on a wind instrument ever again. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	indis_earfalas 2007-01-18 04:06 am UTC (link)
	Hahaha. I hear you. In a fit of insanity, I bought my 9 year old a recorder for Christmas. WTF was I thinking? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	mary_mac 2007-01-18 11:59 am UTC (link)
	Yeah. My sister learnig the bassoon was the first time my parents' unwavering support for the Music Service as A Good Thing was shaken. By the end of the first six weeks of dying cow noises my dad was figuring out gruesome deaths for her tutor. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	fionnabhair 2007-01-18 10:31 pm UTC (link)
	It's not a musical instrument if you have to be a minimm of five hundrer yards away from it at all times for it to sound attractive. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	(Anonymous) 2007-01-17 10:12 pm UTC (link)
	Irish dancers don't wear kilts. But its still quite fun, and Irish dancing boys are awesome. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	mary_mac 2007-01-17 11:43 pm UTC (link)
	The boys do. God help them, but it was so funny when it was windy and the Feis was on. They had to go between venues, and the poor things didn't know how to handle the kilts in it at all. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	(Anonymous) 2007-01-18 03:28 am UTC (link)
	They must be small then. I've never seen a boy older than about 8 or 9 in a kilt....they all wear pants. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	mary_mac 2007-01-18 11:53 am UTC (link)
	Probably depends on the school. And they might have changed it recently, but out our way it was always kilts. Although I suspect some of the local teachers were just a bit evil, also. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	stella_polaris 2007-01-17 02:25 pm UTC (link)
	That's a very good point. Also, it would be interesting to know why the kid wants to wear skirts. The OP says the boy is mature for his age, so hearing his idea would be intriguing. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	shallow_kid 2007-01-17 05:42 pm UTC (link)
	Eh, I think all parents think their kids are mature for their age if they display any sort of unusual line of thought/action. That said, my newphew used to love to dress up in my clothes when we were little (he's my age) complete with play make-up just because he thought it was pretty. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	(Anonymous) 2007-01-17 06:08 pm UTC (link)
	If he can't fight back against other ten year olds why would he be able to fight back against the other 15 year olds when he's that age? There's always going to be a bigger, meaner kid around--until he becomes the heavyweight champ of UFC I suppose. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	mary_mac 2007-01-17 11:48 pm UTC (link)
	By 15 they should, hopefully, know when to walk away from an incipient fight, and by 15, they're capable of stating their point to a teacher... (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	(Anonymous) 2007-01-17 11:53 pm UTC (link)
	If you haven't taught your kid to walk away from fights when he's 10 he's not going to know when he's 15. Children aren't stupid, just unexperienced. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	shaysdays 2007-01-17 10:29 pm UTC (link)
	I was thinking that too, then I reread the question and the kid (assuming he's not hypothetical) specifically mentioned girl's clothes. I think a kilt's not going to cut it. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	mary_mac 2007-01-17 11:45 pm UTC (link)
	Girl's clothes at home, kilt for school? (Reply to this)(Parent)

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