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First solo event with each child...
Daughter in 2013 and son in 2015 (ironically, same age at the time of the event).
Bentonville 150 was a great event for me, personally, experiencing the hobby through my son's eyes. As a parent, you have to make memories with your kids every chance you get!
Since returning home, I have had a number of dads comment to me things like, "You know, Little Jimmy has asked to go to an event with me...". I thought it might be useful to start a thread to discuss issues around bringing kids to events.
I am no expert on children's clothing of the 1860's and I'm not a child development expert. However, this has been my experience...
My daughter asked first (she's older and would be happy to sit with me to watch paint dry). My son was soon asking, too. Finding good events was somewhat of a challenge. For my daughter, we found a great event near Knoxville and spent the day with Terre Lawson and company. Since then, I've taken both kids to a local mainstream event for the last couple years and last weekend, my son and I attended Bentonville with the 10th Iowa.
Mainstream events are a mixed bag. If you can go with someone else "of a like mindset", it is better. You can create better "sphere of believability" than if you go on your own by incorporating things like camp cooking, etc. However, I have found that my kids are more interested in "feeling" like they have gone back in time is more important than seeing a "battle". At Bentonville, my son was bored during the battle and compared it to "watching golf on TV" (he cracks me up!). He was more interested in the march, toting a chicken, campfire time, and running messages around the battalion for the adjutant. In Knoxville, my daughter was included on activities like spinning, etc. She was so excited just to be there that she would have had a great time if she never "did" anything.
Some of the challenges include:
So, from the other parents of reenacting children... how has it worked for you? What advice do you have?
Daughter in 2013 and son in 2015 (ironically, same age at the time of the event).
Bentonville 150 was a great event for me, personally, experiencing the hobby through my son's eyes. As a parent, you have to make memories with your kids every chance you get!
Since returning home, I have had a number of dads comment to me things like, "You know, Little Jimmy has asked to go to an event with me...". I thought it might be useful to start a thread to discuss issues around bringing kids to events.
I am no expert on children's clothing of the 1860's and I'm not a child development expert. However, this has been my experience...
My daughter asked first (she's older and would be happy to sit with me to watch paint dry). My son was soon asking, too. Finding good events was somewhat of a challenge. For my daughter, we found a great event near Knoxville and spent the day with Terre Lawson and company. Since then, I've taken both kids to a local mainstream event for the last couple years and last weekend, my son and I attended Bentonville with the 10th Iowa.
Mainstream events are a mixed bag. If you can go with someone else "of a like mindset", it is better. You can create better "sphere of believability" than if you go on your own by incorporating things like camp cooking, etc. However, I have found that my kids are more interested in "feeling" like they have gone back in time is more important than seeing a "battle". At Bentonville, my son was bored during the battle and compared it to "watching golf on TV" (he cracks me up!). He was more interested in the march, toting a chicken, campfire time, and running messages around the battalion for the adjutant. In Knoxville, my daughter was included on activities like spinning, etc. She was so excited just to be there that she would have had a great time if she never "did" anything.
Some of the challenges include:
- Check yourself! If you are looking for a way to get some daycare for the kid while you go have fun - STOP! Leave the kids at home. Stop reading this post. You don't get it!
- Good first experience! If they're bored, they'll check out quickly. Face facts... your kids will get bored if you spend two hours chatting buttonholes with your pard Si. Focus on the kids, give them your attention and be sure they have a good time.
- Getting them dressed and keeping them that way. Once you find clothes, kids have a bad habit of growing.
- Making sure the scenario is right - Kids have little/no place at military-only events like a picket post. Civilian events, larger events that support a civilian component, or larger military events that can have a role for a child in-camp may be more appropriate.
- Checking yourself: It can be tough to break of engaging conversations with old pards to pay attention to your young one, so you have to be prepared to shift your focus for a weekend from "event and pards" to your kid.
- Ground rules - I told my kids at their first event that my #1 rule was "Have fun". If we are doing something "boring", their job is to tell me because I want them to have fun. I want my kids to have only positive associations with the hobby. Their interest may fade as they get older, but I want nothing but fond memories of their times with Dad (aka me).
So, from the other parents of reenacting children... how has it worked for you? What advice do you have?
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