[Ansteorra] Child ID Tags

[Jennifer Smith]

On Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 6:23 AM, Chris Zakes <dontivar at gmail.com> wrote:

> On the other hand, by the time our kids were around six or seven, they
> thought the wristbands were a waste of time--they knew who they were, who
> their parents were and where our campsite and listfield pavillion was
> located. They also had sense enough not to wander off and get lost.
>

That's the thing. In schools, children are taught -- and quizzed! -- to
remember their parents' names, their phone number, and sometimes even their
house address, in kindergarten. (Okay, so my oldest kid confused her
teacher to no end when she reported that her parents were "...and Emma"...)
We parents should add SCA information to that list for events. Younger than
that, or unable to report useful info when questioned by an adult, and they
probably do need a tag of some sort. But not necessarily *always*:

Kid #1, when she was very young, would completely freak out when a
wristband was attached. I'm not talking the usual toddler "I don't like
that" fits, I'm talking giant panicing wailing fits. Which would you rather
have near you at an event: an all-smiles toddler who won't travel further
than her 10' invisible leash from mom (without freaking out), or a
shrieking and crying upset child? Yeah.

Kid #2, when she was very young, was much more mellow, but also wouldn't
wander off. Even now that she's 7, she still won't, even if I want her to.
:)  Kid #1 when she got to be about 7-8, wanted to wander off (to
children's activities, to play, etc), and I made sure she had a tag then --
usually sewn to the back of her belt, which she much preferred to a plastic
wristtag. Now that she's 12, I don't bother tagging her at all.

This sounds like I'm fairly anti-tag, but I'm not, really: I just want
people to recognize that we need some flexibility. Some kids like to
wander, some don't.

-Emma