And, as I said... (probably on your journal already!) ...if you are a parent of little fen, teach them "ask before hugging, ask before touching, and only hug or touch the costume or pick up the whatsit on the vendor table if the person says that's okay."
And if your kid is on the spectrum? Double-down on making sure they know the rule is "ASK FIRST AND ACCEPT A NO." Explain that sometimes people have sunburns, so hugging them would hurt, or they have a back problem, or something else that's an "invisible disability." Explain that costumes can be delicate and yes, even if YOU know that you aren't going to break the costume, the person in it doesn't know that -- and besides, it might be more fragile than it looks.
If your kid is old enough, you can add that sometimes people have been touched without their consent enough that they just don't want to be touched, or have people in their personal space. (Right. Explain personal space.)
Explain that if people are picking up stuff on the vendors' tables, it makes the vendors a little concerned -- a vendor can't tell an honest person from someone who doesn't have much money but who feels entitled to a bit of jewelry anyway. Some things are too fragile to be picked up. Respect the vendor, and help the vendor have a great convention too!
If your kid is really little and tends to do hug attacks? Yeah, that's cute and all, but it's also dangerous if they trip someone. (Who may be the person they're hug-attacking, or may be someone who was walking along and had a small hug-attacking missile intersect their knees.) It's especially dangerous if it's someone who might be wearing spiky armor, carrying hot beverages, or just have stompy boots on; not only could that person be hurt, but the kid they land on could also be injured, perhaps seriously. This is not the kid's fault, nor the tripped person's fault; it is the adult caregiver's responsibility to keep track of their kid!
And there's this great invention, called leading strings in the UK. It is invaluable. • It lets you keep track of your kid when you take your eyes off them for a moment (do you want your kid running off in a crowded con, vanishing from sight among the legs?) • It provides you a way of yanking them to safety without wrenching their little shoulders • And it provides a connection that doesn't give your back and shoulders and hip conniption fits (like carrying a kid around all day can do).
How do I know all this? I have a hug-attack kid on the spectrum, who has been going to a local con since before she was born. (Literally. *pregnant beth meanders around the con*) And it's my job to equip her with the rules she needs to keep from harming other people, keep from getting herself accidentally hurt, and make sure that she doesn't grow up with habits that are cute in a 4-year-old, but kind of annoying in a 14-year-old, and downright creepy in a 20-year-old.
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And if your kid is on the spectrum? Double-down on making sure they know the rule is "ASK FIRST AND ACCEPT A NO." Explain that sometimes people have sunburns, so hugging them would hurt, or they have a back problem, or something else that's an "invisible disability." Explain that costumes can be delicate and yes, even if YOU know that you aren't going to break the costume, the person in it doesn't know that -- and besides, it might be more fragile than it looks.
If your kid is old enough, you can add that sometimes people have been touched without their consent enough that they just don't want to be touched, or have people in their personal space. (Right. Explain personal space.)
Explain that if people are picking up stuff on the vendors' tables, it makes the vendors a little concerned -- a vendor can't tell an honest person from someone who doesn't have much money but who feels entitled to a bit of jewelry anyway. Some things are too fragile to be picked up. Respect the vendor, and help the vendor have a great convention too!
If your kid is really little and tends to do hug attacks? Yeah, that's cute and all, but it's also dangerous if they trip someone. (Who may be the person they're hug-attacking, or may be someone who was walking along and had a small hug-attacking missile intersect their knees.) It's especially dangerous if it's someone who might be wearing spiky armor, carrying hot beverages, or just have stompy boots on; not only could that person be hurt, but the kid they land on could also be injured, perhaps seriously. This is not the kid's fault, nor the tripped person's fault; it is the adult caregiver's responsibility to keep track of their kid!
And there's this great invention, called leading strings in the UK. It is invaluable.
• It lets you keep track of your kid when you take your eyes off them for a moment (do you want your kid running off in a crowded con, vanishing from sight among the legs?)
• It provides you a way of yanking them to safety without wrenching their little shoulders
• And it provides a connection that doesn't give your back and shoulders and hip conniption fits (like carrying a kid around all day can do).
How do I know all this? I have a hug-attack kid on the spectrum, who has been going to a local con since before she was born. (Literally. *pregnant beth meanders around the con*) And it's my job to equip her with the rules she needs to keep from harming other people, keep from getting herself accidentally hurt, and make sure that she doesn't grow up with habits that are cute in a 4-year-old, but kind of annoying in a 14-year-old, and downright creepy in a 20-year-old.