My Kids Fight with Rubber Swords

Anti-Soccer Mom

I am a part of that generation where the majority of women with children have become "soccer moms." These women drive their kids to practice and games and sell items to make it possible for their kids to go to more practices and games. They hang out with other moms who are also "soccer moms." While I'm a part of this generation, I am not a "soccer mom." I used to call myself the "anti-soccer mom, " mostly because my kids (a) weren't soccer players and (b) because of that, I could not hang with the soccer moms. It became a point of pride. I'm not like "them." Nope not at all. 

My kids are now teens, and while the other moms are still driving around, watching games, and chatting on fields far and wide, I, instead, watch my kids (or rather kid---my fairy child is at college not far away) drive off for weekends, not to play soccer or football or other such things. 

Instead, my kids LARP;therefore, I am a LARP mom!

What is This LARP you speak of?

LARP means Live Action Role Play. I can already see some of you cringing, crossing yourselves or having flashbacks to that old Tom Hanks tv movie Mazes and Monsters:

LARPing can take lots of forms, and there are several LARPS here in Georgia that present all sorts of scenarios for those who want to take table top role play to a new level. Some LARPs fully immersive (which means that they dress in period dress [medieval in their case] and when they fight, they use unpadded rubber weaponry---people can get hurt), like the one my kids are a part of, and some involve people tapping each other with padded weapons. Some are set in medieval times, or have magic or are even post-apocalyptic. 

Suffice to say this isn't what Tom Hanks was doing in 1982. 

LARP Mom

Geri the Ottlander discovers the Internet

My kids have been doing this about a year. That makes me a LARP mom. I listen to their adventures, root for them not to die each month, and help them with their garb (I've knitted a few things for them to wear while in play). Unlike soccer moms, I cannot sit on the sidelines and scream things like, "Take him out, Geri! Put that sword up his..." or "That's MY girl! She's a lady and a surgeon!" Instead, I hug them as they leave for a weekend and tell them not to get killed or piss off any Lords. I also have a lot of days when I walk into my son's room and see this sort of thing:

Conclusion

Now, I'm not saying that being a LARP mom is any better than being that soccer mom in a minivan driving all over the Metro area (whatever Metro area you are driving in). It's just different. How many moms can say that their son won an archery tournament over a weekend, or that their daughter saved the lives of most of the women in her village while baking pie over an open fire?

What I've seen come out of my kids LARPing is sort of amazing. My bear child, has become more confident and has started learning what he's good at. My daughter has learned more about how much she can endure as well as growing her cooking skills and political skills. Both have learned about being social and taking care of one another (you do not want to face them if one is threatened, trust me on this). In the end, they have found a place where they have fun. That's sort of the point, isn't it?