[Ansteorra] speaking of children...

[Chris Zakes]

At 04:19 PM 1/19/2008, you wrote:

(snip)

>So a couple things to think about in answering: what are your attitudes
>toward children (especially those of other people)? What is there - in the
>SCA or at any given event - for children to be involved in? What do we do to
>not just make room for them in our dream, but make them a /part/ of it, and
>make ourselves a part of their dream?

Well-behaved kids are fine at events. The ones whose parents seem to 
expect everybody else to be the babysitter while the parents are off 
playing can be a real nuisance.

Things kids in the SCA can do:

Official children's activities.
Play with their friends--kids are endlessly inventive; even at a site 
with nothing but a pile of rocks and sticks, they'll still find 
*something* to do.
Boffer fighting, if they're at least 6.
Youth Rapier, if they're at least 12.
Water bearing, if they're big enough to carry the bottle and 
responsible enough to do it properly.
Running cards between the heralds and the list mistress.
A&S-type stuff. Older kids can certainly learn to do embroidery or 
calligraphy or somesuch. At many events there's a scribes' table 
where they're working on current or future scrolls--a good place for 
a kid with an artistic turn of mind.
Helping in the kitchen or with serving--again, presuming they're big 
enough and responsible enough. (Our oldest daughter started serving 
feasts when she was about 4 years old. By the time she was 8 or so, 
she was capable of serving just like the grown-ups--even though few 
cooks or head servers would believe it. I would frequently volunteer 
to serve aong woth her, then I'd carry the platter of food and she'd 
do the actual serving.)

As a generalization, if a kid is above the age of ten or so, acts 
like an adult and interacts with other adults like an adult, most SCA 
adults will *treat* the kid like an adult.

         -Tivar Mondragon