Traveling from con to con, Kevin and I run into a lot of parents. There are the parents decked out in cosplay (or not), running around taking pictures and attending panels. But there are also the parents that we meeting hanging out in the hotel lobby or restaurant. The ones that don’t really know what’s going on, but want to be there with their kids (ooorrr…they are the ride). We usually chat them up and get to know them. A trend we often find is that they are a little uncomfortable with their kid/s cosplaying. We typically reply with something along the lines of, “There are worse things out there..”
Don’t get us wrong, we understand where some parents are coming from. Cosplaying is something they don’t understand. “Sooo..you want to dress up like a cartoon character who is possibly not the same gender as you?” We get it. Not everyone is just going to be so accepting. But think about the creativity that goes into cosplay! The planning, the sewing, the prop making, the wig styling! Unless your kid is letting cosplay take over school or work, why get in the way of something they have passion about. If it makes them happy, it should make you happy. If you have reservations about them going to a convention, go along. Walk around, explore. Don’t just hang around the parents lounge or the lobby. SEE what your kids are doing! Then you can trust and understand where they are going and what they are doing.