Answering the question when it's asked by children

[motorman4life]

One day I was over at a buddy's place (on-duty, in uniform) watching baseball during my lunch break and some read-headed guy with a beard was on the screen. His young daughter (about 8 years old) looked at him and turned and said, "I can tell, that guy right there is Irish!" I laughed and said, "He is?" She replied, "Yeah, I can just tell by looking at him and it's not just the red hair either." I asked, "Okay, then what am I?" She walked around me pausing briefly and chirped, "Scottish!" I asked, "Are you sure?" She said, "Yup! ...well are you?" I said "Yup." She was taken aback and said, "Really, do you ever wear a kilt?" I replied, "Sure I do." She took on a really serious look and said, "Really?" I said, "Yes, I do." She said, "Next time you wear a kilt, I want to see it!" I said, "Okay." She paused and without missing a beat, she asked, "Um, you don't look like a clown in it, do you?" I repled, "Well, you'll have to tell me when you see it."

I had never given it much thought, but after an exchange like that with a 5th grader, I'm pretty confident most 8 year olds can grasp the concept!

[Moosehead]

Same can be said of some adults M4L. My 9 yr old Goddaughter is taking Highland dancing at school. Not a drop of Scots blood. For all intents and purposes, she's a full blooded Mi'kmaq Indian. Her Mom wasn't thrilled when I said I'd make her a kilt, but her Dad understood. He's a Mi'kmaq who grew up in Cape Breton. Guess its all about environment.

[Roan Carter]

I understand the question. It seems that ... even in some branches of my family ... the kids just want to play Yugi-oh! and fit in. They lack the experience of having seen the things that someone just a few years older has seen. This is an opportunity to educate a bit, no?

But I think that to say "I'm Scottish-American" would suffice.

If that is not your case, which is totally cool, I'm sure there are ways to explain that the garment is part of a unique heritage of a strong and proud people. It's like a police uniform, or gladiator gear. ^_^

You could also cite the fundamental differences between a typical skirt and a kilt. The foremost of which is the fact that kilts are wrapped onto you and pleated in a manner that is part of tradition.

[mbhandy]

I posted this before about being in Home Depot and a little girl ask her mom why I was wearing a skirt and he mom looked at me and said to her daughter "That's not a skirt but a Kilt and only real men wear kilts." Then the little girl asked me why was I wearing an artist hat and I said it was a Scotish Diced Balmoral Bonnet and She said "Cool".

MrBill

[Pour1Malt]

"gae biel yur heid ya wee *****!"

[Kilted KT]

a month or so ago I was in the grocery store, looking for something that would actually taste good, and I noticed a woman with a young boy was trying to follow me without being seen. Not to break the illusion, I simply stopped and started looking at something while they past behind me. I heard the mother whisper "Go ahead, ask him" to her son, loud enough so I could hear. I hear the boy say in a very scared voice "why are you wearing a skirt?"

I turned and as calmly and non-intimidatingly as I could explained that it was a scottish kilt, a type of skirts worn by men in Scotland. I talked for a minute about braveheart ( something he might be able to assosiate the kilt with) and also how many police and fire companies have pipe bands. Once he heard bagpipes, it was over. His eyes about popped out of his head. His mom said he had heard them once at a scottish festival a year or two earlier, and he had always wanted to talk to someone who played them. He looked at me squarely and asked if I played them. I told him the truth. "Well, I can play them, but you don't want to hear it. I'm not very good at all" He thought it was vey cool, thanked me and his mom shuffled him off to finish their shopping.

from what I can see, once the kids have something to associate the kilt with besides a woman's dress, it is one of the "coolest" things they have ever seen.

[Hamish]

"gae biel yur heid ya wee *****!"

Not being particularly child friendly (I've had no experience of being in their presence since I was one myself!!), I think that is brilliant!! Perfect!

[switchblade5984]

"gae biel yur heid ya wee *****!"

translation please

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

translation please

Go boil your head, you little s$%t!

[ozmeath]

I've had the question a few times, "why're you wearing a skirt?" and I love it! Kids are so honest. Mostly it's in supermarkets and the like and the parents are like "move along...nothing to see here". My response is generally " It's a Kilt! Men have been wearing them for hundreds of years". Usually they stop for a think and seem to go " cool, I can dig it", or the eight year old equivalent.
It's always the parents that are busting to get to lane three and check out the dog food.
Kids seem pretty hip to the whole deal if you explain what it all about.
E.