Musings on sharing social hobbies with your kids

    This post is going to be a little philosophical. A recent comment on X inspired me to think about this over the weekend as my son and I participated in another hobby of mine, historical reenacting. This past weekend was Texas Independence Day (the 189^th Anniversary of the Texas Declaration of Independence to be specific). I usually spend my weekend on Independence Day down where the Declaration was signed, dressed in old timey clothes, talking about old timey things, and generally helping the State Historic Site bring those events to life for the public. The past two times I've been out, my son has joined me (although there's been a gap the last couple years as the State has been renovating the site). While he enjoys coming out and spending time with dad, I realized I enjoy it for additional reasons.

    First of all, sharing hobbies with your children not only shares the passion you have for those hobbies, but also allows for good father-child bonding moments that life may not otherwise afford. Secondly, and this is the main reason I'm writing this, sharing social hobbies with your children like reenacting or in-person tabletop gaming help develop social skills (what the BROs call social technology) that we all recognize are severely lacking in the younger generations.

    We arrived Friday night, and went around saying our hellos to the friends we'd be spending the weekend with, he was taught to shake hands and properly introduce himself. Saturday morning some other friends arrived with their kids, so while I was busy doing what he saw as the “boring things” of talking to the public for several hours, he and the other youngins entertained themselves by playing together and watching the Punch & Judy and Magic Shows (which were excellent). Once the sun set and the public left, I let him stay up a little past his bedtime (and the other kids regrettably became distracted with screens they had been forced to neglect all day) while I and my friends spent time on the porch of an 1840s farmhouse. The men entertained ourselves by drinking, talking, singing songs, reciting Shakespeare, and other manner of 1800s entertainments. I wanted him to see something he doesn't get to see much of in 2025, a dozen or so men out and enjoying each others company and holding conversations together (both in group or as quiet sidebars so as not to distract or otherwise interrupt the main discussion being had).

    We spent another night sleeping in the loft of the farmhouse, and awoke the next morning to the event being over, and everyone packing their things and heading their separate ways. Time for another important oft neglected lesson on being sociable, making the rounds of good-byes. Again, as I bid my farewells, let my friends know how good it was to see them, and inquired about when I'd get to see them again; I had my son do the same with a firm handshake (for a 7 year old) and a sincere “it was nice to meet you.” 

    Either he is incredibly unpopular (which from what I've seen at his school activities isn't the case) or there's been a massive shift in how busy we all are and the way it is impacting how we raise our children; there haven't been nearly as many birthday parties in his time at school as I remember attending as a boy (and these concepts of etiquette seem to be quite foreign to him and many of his classmates; simple things like saying “Thanks for having me, I really enjoyed myself, I can't wait for the next one.”). I know my wife and I are guilty of this as well, preferring to do family trips for birthdays as opposed to class parties either at home or a child-friendly venue.  Due to this fact, it's extra important to bring your kids along so they can acquire these vital social skills that will serve them through their lives.

    So if you take anything away from this ramble, please let it be this. Share your hobbies and passions with your kids. Take them places that allow you to put those hobbies on display, if not just for the bonding time, but also for the important social lessons that can be imparted which we all recognize are fading from our ever increasing digitized world. We can fix the anti-socialization we're seeing, but it's going to take effort, and most importantly getting out into the world, seeing friends, and allowing your kids to see you be that good example of a friendly and properly socialized human being.