Forums > Social Chat > anti-fire parents

Posted: 25th Jan 2001
Hey SpiffSpiff,Show them this site, and all of the useful information here, and that this is where you are getting info from. Present them with information about fuels, research your safety protocols..devise one and present this to them as well. Show them you can do an entire routine without smacking yourself.Approach them as if it were a job. Present your case and all of the positives behind it. Try to think of the negatives and come up with a reasonable positive for each negative. Go to your local fire magistrate or marshall and find out the fire codes (though don't listen to them about fuels and such....they are accustomed to putting out fires..not starting them). This will display a real responsibility for what you intend to do.I have to tell you, I am a parent and if my kid came up to me with that kind of thoughtfulness put into anything it would a) make me damn proud and b) make me think he is mature enough to possibly handle something of this magnitude. (Though now he is five and knows he can't spin fire until I deem him mature enough...I told him 16 but left out that it is subject to change! )This is no garauntee however that they will approve. Parents will always see the more dangerous side to whatever thier child does. It's part of loving concern, and they will decide according to that. In the end if they decide against it then I suggest you respect that and resign yourself to glowsticks or some thing of the non-flame like method until a time when you can ignite them around the parents comfortably.Best of luck.------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

Posted: 25th Jan 2001
Thanks for the ideas. Seeing this from your point of view (as a parent) really helps. And if they still say no, glowsticks are pretty cool anyway.

Posted: 25th Jan 2001
Have you ever been seriously burned? I have this feeling that the fire wouldn't hurt me(like sticking your hand through candle flame), but the searing hot screws embedded in the wick would.

Posted: 26th Jan 2001
spiff,thought i'd toss in my two cents....i've hit myself with fire poi probably four or five times now. all could have been avoided with better planning, which seems to be what you're doing now. so, good on ya. anyway, not only have my various flaming poi contacts not hurt me, they haven't even burned me in the slightest. i'm sure others have horror stories of scars and burns, but i'd say 95% of the time, if you do hit yourself, the poi and your skin are actually only in contact for a fraction of a second. not long enough to do much damage at all. yeah, the screws are something to consider. But one of the times i hit myself, i'm sure it was with the screw side of my poi(it left a cool little charcoal mark on my back), but the hot metal didn't cause any burn whatsoever on my skin, im assuming from the lack of significant contact time. so no major worries. but if you're into supersafety, check out Malcolm's Pure Flame Poi in the shop. the wicks are sewn, not screwed. so, no hot metal. and they're not too expensive, considering the price of kevlar. thats all i got. good luck. if you're parents give you any trouble, just tell them Hephaestos said it was okay. that usually works. p.s. talk with a buddy, get him to be your spotter. most of my friends even enjoy the job, since it means they're kind of a part of the show. practice safety stuff with him, and tell your parents that there is ALWAYS someone standing by with blanket, water bucket, etc. should help. word booty.

Posted: 26th Jan 2001
Thankfully nope...never been burnt or singed.Tapped and nicke but never torched, knock on wood.I agree that it has to do with the slight duration that a "love tap" has in contact with your skin. I also wear denim (to practice) or leather (for shows), neither of which burns easily.Knock on wood that none of us get to experience a burn. In the end I agree with all of what Heph said as well, not that it really matters, but I do.Best to you.------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

Posted: 26th Jan 2001
Hiya, well the best thing is to simply convince them that you are good enough to handle it. The way to get around all parents is to simply ask them to supervise and watch you once and whe they see that you can do it and how good it looks they usually back off (speaking from experiance)hope this helpspeace out garbo P.S if you think thats bad try persuading your parents that you want to start fire breathing and watch them hit the roof. ha ha

be excellent to each other: safe:

Posted: 26th Jan 2001
all i can say is best of luck mate. i guess i was lucky, my parents bough me my stick, but didnt realise about how big the flames realy are. My advice is to just explain it to them, as said above, it works for other things so why not about fire?

Posted: 26th Jan 2001
spiffspiff,On the down side, you may never be able to convince your parents that it's okay. I haven't lived with my parents in 6 years now. I work responsibly at a corporate job. I own my own house. I am now old enough an financially stable enough to support children of my own. (Though I prefer my dog. Children at this point would cramp my style a bit.) And my parents still won't watch me perform. They can't legally stop me, considering my age and all, but they refuse to come see me, no matter how hard I beg and discuss my safety precautions with them. It's taken me nearly a year now to even get them to consent to watch a **video** of me performing. Some parents get very nervous around things they don't understand, and while some parents are open minded enough to react like our dear Pele, there are still many that won't. I don't know your parents, or how they will react, but no matter how this issue turns out, don't let them discourage you. In two years, you will be able to do what you want, and then you can prove (as I am, though progress is much, much slower than I'd like...) that you are responsible, and that you won't die if you make choices in life that are different from the ones they would have made...Just remember that though it may not seem to make much sense, they're probably doing it because they love you. If you ever need any moral support, email me at epickens@freemarkets.com, and I'll share some anecdotes about my extreme family that will make your life seem like a cakewalk. Jesse

Posted: 31st Jan 2001
jesse hit the nail on the head "they don't understand. i'm 26 with my own farm and still ironing out a damaged relationship with my parents, but i find that making them a part of things they're skeptical about really helps. my mom hasn't seen me spin yet (i've only been at it for 4 months or so, only twice with fire) but i've invited her up for next weekend to watch a group of us practice and light up. she gets a little hesitant when i talk about it, but i try to keep cheerful and let her know how much fun it is for me, and of course everything we do for safety. but i don't stop talking about it, cause if i clam up she'll never get it. i've also sent her this site, which i think helped her get a better idea in her head what was going on. anyway, the key pretty much is to get them involved and get them to think it's cool for themselves, not just cause you think so. let them try it! if they're cool enough, you might even try to teach them to spin - then they can see how much practice you've put in that you can do it so well.good luck!

Posted: 31st Jan 2001
I'm 16 too, Don't worry I started with fire with less then 2 weeks of practice, it hits and comes off it leaves a wee lil black mark but doesnt burn unless you keep it on.

NY FirebatsA shirt that is soaked in fuel burns very nicely. - Not By Me

Posted: 31st Jan 2001
damn its good that it doesnt burn, when u get hit. that was my number one fear with trying fire------------------bring light into the night

Its all in good, clean, light producing fun.