Small Steps

[chrisinkilt]

I'm wearing my kilt with increasing frequency around the house. Wearing it today in fact. It helps that the pants are in the laundry. Last night, the only comment was, "oh, you're kilted!" from my wife. I wore with black opaque hose last night, today I switched to suntan. I wear hose every day to help with leg circulation and pain management. Suntan is a little more subtle than black, and the kids will see me today wearing the kilt.

[straightfairy]

THat's great. Don't forget that even small steps are still actual steps.

[Tassierob]

We all take time to gain confidence and the acceptance from those closest to us is the most important to our progress I believe.
I think most of us started this way but be warned...once tasted it is very hard to go back.
Well done

[chrisinkilt]

Wearing my kilt again today. I had an excuse of "the pants are in the laundry" since we just returned from 6 days away. This time when the wife came home nothing was said of the kilt. The only mention was from my 3 year old who wanted to know why it was like a skirt.

[crfriend]

The only mention was from my 3 year old who wanted to know why it was like a skirt.

Ah ha! You have the perfect opportunity to teach the little one the difference, for the difference, to the untrained eye, is rather subtle. Encouraging the little ones to look deeper into the "obvious" big picture is seldom wasted.

[couyalair]

Skirt or kilt?
The difference, according to a Scot who came into the shop yesterday, resided entirely in the presence or absence of a sporran.
In other words, for him, I was skirted, so he suggested I tie a bottle of whisky to a piece of string and hang that round my hips. Doing so, I would be kilted !!!

Martin

[STEVIE]

Every kilt is a skirt, every skirt is not a kilt. My countryman was wrong to define "The Kilt" as simply a skirt if worn without a sporran.
"The Kilt" is a male garment, fastened at the waist, with pleats at the rear, working left to right for the wearer. Right to left denotes a "Kilt" for a female, not necessarily a "kilted skirt". It remains a "Kilt" no matter how, or with what it's worn. Man, how confusing can it get?
I have even heard that "The Kilt", if worn with underwear is just a skirt, absolute nonsense.
There are a few hundred years of myths, legends and disparate traditions at work here, the simple advice is if it feels right, wear it.
Finally, if you think this doesn't answer the question try looking up: The Great Kilt and The Small Kilt, that's another can of worms.
Happy hunting.
Steve.

[Kirbstone]

This one is rather old, but a perennial.

Scene: A city park bench, early morning New Year's Day. Seated: an upright figure, hands clasped on top of vertical walking stick in front of him, staring straight out at the ducks, or whatever. On his left a youth leaning into him showing disinterest in everything.

Enter stage left our seriously drunk & hung-over kilted Scot straight from a Hogmanay party. He sits down a little way from the other two and proceeds to fish out of his sporran a hip flask of whisky. Before partaking of same he notices the upright figure and offers:

'Willyeh take a wee dhrraam wuth me?' .... Cut glass Sandhurst accent: 'No thanks, I tried it once and didn't like it' ! 'Och!...suit yersel', says our Scotsman and he proceeds to drain the hip flask.
After another few minutes of silence he gropes into the sporran again and produces a packet of fags, which he extends towards the erect figure and says: 'Caerr furra dhraag?'....'No thanks, I tried it once & didn't like it'.....So our Scot now lights up, smokes a little and looks round at the youth...

'Es thaat yerr Son yeh got wuth ye?'.....'It is, as a matter of fact'.......'Well, presumably He's yerr oanleh Son!!'

Tom K.

[chrisinkilt]

I guess I found out how much the wife likes the kilt. In the house is ok, think tolerated, but outside is forbidden. She wanted to go for a walk last night with the screaming wind, because it was still warm, but not with me in my kilt. A little later about midnight she wanted to check our tree for damage, but didn't want me to go outside. I told her not to worry, nobody will see anything. It's late, no body is around and its dark. We both went outside for a brief moment and checked the tree, I stayed in the lee of the house and the cars, while she walked down the street past the fence line. No wind lifted the kilt and nobody saw me. Eccentricity is ok in the house, but not outside. is what she said at one point. This I think is a drop back and punt.

[Since1982]

While he's young, (the 3 year old) you could tell him that pants are like 2 skirts, one for each leg. I find children can be immensely acceptive of simple explanations, For instance, if you family is a religious family that accepts the story of Jesus Christ's birth and """never""" shows him in anything but a skirted garment...If the family and child is a little older you can point out that all the Priests and Monks, (even the Pope) wear trousers/pants under their cassock, a cassock is a modern name for the robe worn in the beginning by ALL men that weren't Romans or other types of soldiers. Soldiers in those days wore short skirts called tunics etc... Anyway, skirts for men isn't in any way, any kind of new.. Show them drawings in any illustrated religious books. To show men wearing skirted garments, the "DRESS" section of "any" library is a great place to see many men in 99% skirted garments, 1% trousered garments, and only then for the wearing of leather tubes to protect the legs from the rough back of a horse. A child is a sponge for new information and the best age for teaching before bigoted people get hold of the "new" mind of a child.

[chrisinkilt]

Progress.

Wife asked last night why I was putting on the kilt in the evening. I told her its the only garment that doesn't need a belt, since all my pants are now too big after losing a couple inches and the belt with the loose pants is very uncomfortable. With any luck in another month the kilt might get to the point where its a little loose and I'll need a new belt.

Overall she is getting more accepting. I've even dashed outside a few times after dark in it.

[GerdG]

I'm wearing my kilt with increasing frequency around the house. Wearing it today in fact. It helps that the pants are in the laundry. Last night, the only comment was, "oh, you're kilted!" from my wife. I wore with black opaque hose last night, today I switched to suntan. I wear hose every day to help with leg circulation and pain management.

My advice with a wife not that positive: Wear your kilt the right way, with kilt hose, sporrran etc. Chances are, she should accept this solution better. The kilt hose might help leg circulation sufficiently, I guess.

[JohnH]

I'm wearing my kilt with increasing frequency around the house. Wearing it today in fact. It helps that the pants are in the laundry. Last night, the only comment was, "oh, you're kilted!" from my wife. I wore with black opaque hose last night, today I switched to suntan. I wear hose every day to help with leg circulation and pain management. Suntan is a little more subtle than black, and the kids will see me today wearing the kilt.

Chris,

You are wearing a thoroughly masculine garment so it's a little hard for me to understand why you would be shy about wearing it publicly. And your wife is really being unreasonable in keeping you from wearing the kilt publicly.

The title and the tone of the message reminds me of a crossdresser who is taking small steps toward wearing his (oops, her) dress along with heels and makeup publicly. But society in its insidious way has conditioned men to wear only pants. But I'm glad you have the courage to overcome that conditioning.

I guess my wife is a real gem - we have even gone for walks while she wears her pants and flat shoes while I am wearing a halter dress along with wedge sandals. And we go out to stores and restaurants with my wearing a denim skirt along with men's sandals and painted toenails.

Now about your wife - give her a choice of your wearing the kilt or a dress with heels and makeup. I'm sure she will take the kilt and heave a sigh of relief you went with the kilt.

Several days ago I had to go to a drug store to pick up medication from my wife. I was wearing a dress but to respect her wishes I changed to a denim skirt and a T-shirt before going out so I would be dressed a little more like a man.

John

[Since1982]

Coulyair....Was that guy drunk?? Looks like it. Stevie, right on Brother, A KILT is a KILT is a KILT. No matter what's worn with it. There's a rather INfamous picture of the Queen Of England and her Officer Corps of Scottish Officers all kilted, none wearing knickers OR anything else under their kilts. But they are wearing their kilts with various accoutrements attached. Not the same from officer to officer.