Forums > Social Chat > parents

Posted: 15th Aug 2002
It's fire, of course it's not safe. Fire is very beautiful and intrancing, but like guns, even in the hands of professionals accidents happen. Look at Pele, she'd been doing this for years and now she's in ICU. A lot of people get lax and complacent with safety after a time (myself included) when really you need to take as much care with safety as you did the first time when you were scared to death of spinning flaming bits around your head. Fire is something that you should always have the utmost respect for.
Granted poi and staff look much more dangerous than they actually are, but your parents have every right to be concerned. So if you're looking for their permission you are going to have to show them how safe you're being with it and expain to them what the real risks are. Perhaps hanging a dry towel up in your back yard (or where ever) and hit it with a lit poi (burning kero) to show them that your clothes aren't going to burst into flame if you mess up, and things like that. Show them that you are being safe and responsible. Talk to them like rational adults and outline the facts. Show them this website so that they can read about all the precautions that need to be taken and they can read posts from all kinds of people who have done this for years without any real incident.

[ 15 August 2002, 12:19: Message edited by: SickpuPpy ]

Jesus helps me trick people.

Posted: 14th Aug 2002
Exactly right Sick Puppy.

And Drea. Just because your rationally explain how you CAN LIMIT THE RISKS, remember it is never completely risk free.

Most people's experience with fire is something that gets away on epopel and burns down houses, forests, and cities, killing people along the way.

Every time we spin with it, there is the chance that that could be the result of our actions.

Be ready for people not to agree with you that it is safe, and that you may have to accept their attitude.

I'm the same with guns. I don't care if someone takes the magazine out, opens the bolt to show me there is nothing in there, if they point it at me and pull the trigger I will beat them to a pulp. I used guns all the time on the farm and belonged to a gun club for a short while. Those experiences mean i have more respect for the potential of guns to go awry.

Hell, I usually duck in a movie if a gun is pointed out of the screen at me.

It's an irrational fear to gun enthusiasts, but it is a rational fear as far as I'm concerned.

The same attitude is likely to be present in a lot of people about fire.

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Posted: 14th Aug 2002
If you think movie guns are scary, try watching some idiot pick up a pistol, and start asking "how do you make this thing shoot" (it was the simplest kind they make) as he looks at it in his hand while turning in a circle. It wasn't loaded, but what a dumbass...made twenty people hit the dirt, and I heard somebody yell "get that thing away from him!"

Yea, my grandparents freaked out when I told them what I do, I don't think i'll ever twirl for them, it would scare them to much. And my mom bugged me for months about getting a fire extinguisher...

we eat and we drink and we smoke and we try!

Posted: 14th Aug 2002
Charles,
It is not irrational to fear death.
in fact, it's un-rational to fear double negatives.
..or is it rational to eat?
rations can't eat others cus they're too low on the food chain. hey wait they're inanimate.
/checks his snicker bar for signs of life.
I am sorry o' snickers, but i must eat thee for thou art full of caramel goodness!
::spoken with mouth full of fattening confectionary::
fhellow fwDreaph gladph toph hearf phfromph youph.
/spits out walnut.
what the?!? now how did that get there!?!?
heya dreya, how are you doing? i wish the nice people of this board know how much of a kickass person y'are! go in chocolate-caramel peace! (I am pretending to eat meat on less days of the week now )
/showers ya with chocolate-caramel affection before continuting my search for more chocolate dammit more!

Laugh Often, Smile Much, Post lolcats Always

Posted: 14th Aug 2002
well for ages i had nightmares about fire and am still shit scared of it but i think that is good as it keeps me from injuring myself and i am sure if i wasnt scared i would be in a burns unit somewhere now

There are 10 types of people, those who understand binary and those who dont.
Enjoy - A

Posted: 14th Aug 2002
I would totally nderstand that my parents would wig out if i did a fire twirl. but seriously would you actually want to do a twirl of fire without telling them exactly what you are doing.
understand, I have no beef with you or anybody(except for firemen) but honestly....i'm just saying that mabey doing a fire twirl wasn't the best to show your parents what you can do......mabey some glowsticks at night, or something.

Posted: 14th Aug 2002
my parents arn't happy about it, but they can;t do anything about it.

i don't know how to make them happier. they respect it i guess.

Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive

Shalom VeAhavah

New Hampshire has a point....

Posted: 15th Aug 2002
My parents love me twirling, they surported me a hell of alot... buying fuel, kevlar, and beinging the only people watching at times... sigh... what would they do if I was Bender with all his toys... maybe than would they complain...

-------------
Hey??? Where's Goku???

I can't hear you... I have a banana in my ear.

"You mean I'll have to use my brain?... but I use staff!!!" ~ ben-ja-men

Posted: 15th Aug 2002
My mom is my safety. My dad records and takes pictures.

Of course they were skepticle at first. After I practicly read and nit-picked the fire safety sections, practicly memorized (don't quote me on any of this because i've forgotten most of it) it, and brought random safety fire facts up at dinner time and inbetween commutes to school.

I practiced for 4 hours a day, showing them that I didn't hit myself for a while. (Gah. Then the first move I did with fire poi I hit myself. Mind you they weren't lit.).

Ooh! Snickers. *ruffles through his bag n' takes a bite then shuffles off*
mmm.
Kinudin

Posted: 15th Aug 2002
As far as I know, my parents are fine with me spinning fire - I think that's probably because they never saw me when I couldn't do at least 3 moves (I learnt to spin while they were on holiday and had my first burn when they got back, with them watching)

It probably also has something to do with never actually burning myself - I've singed arm hair and thinned out an eyebrow a bit. I'm sure if I came home after a spin with a burn they'd be a bit more worried.

They still think I'm mad becasue I spin fire though. Having said that, I'm pretty sure they're just using that as an excuse to call me mad

But there's no sense crying over every mistake. You just keep on trying till you run out of cake.

Posted: 15th Aug 2002
I seem to have the exact opposite experience at the mo....I AM the PARENT he he!!!!!

I have two boys Jack who is 8 and Tom who is 6...really rerally cool kids and I love them too bits...they are my best mates.
Jack loves me spinning and wants to learn himself(he spins my fluro poi....but nothing lit!!!)
Tom on the other hand is very concerned that mum spins fire and often shows his concern...which is good as he knows and respects the danger of fire (Jack does too but I think he is more of an extremist) Last year I did a parachute jump and the kids came to watch...the same thing happened Tom was quite concerned and I could see him thinking my mum is really crazy but Jack was very excited about it all and wanted to do go up too. He was quite sad when he realised that kids couldnt jump out of aeroplanes!!!
Maybe I am going through a midlife crisis early (im 29) :S
Saying that when the kids climb up trees and get stuck (which they often do)....I am total chicken sh*t when it comes to having to climb up after them to get them down!

"You've got red on you!" Shaun of the Dead

Posted: 15th Aug 2002
Hi, I'm also a parent.My son is 13 and is just starting to learn a few staff moves.
I would be happy for him to use fire, in a couple of years, if I knew he was competant with his moves and took all the safety issues very seriously.he is my child and is very precious to me, so I can understand parents 'freaking out'...it's our job

Posted: 15th Aug 2002
Well..
I thought my parents'd be cool with it..
And they were definitely impressed... but my mom was super nervous and asked (erm.. begged) me not to do it again.

I'm not living in the same city as her, so she won't know.. but it feels bad when parents are so concerned..

And I am usually pretty safe. I think I will keep to spinning when there are other twirlers around, because I just feel better that way =)

heyas troy. ::stuffs fried mars bar in bill's mouth:: haha

Drea

hmm.. am in a hippy mood:Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Posted: 15th Aug 2002
Ah, and here I was thinking you were younger. In that case showning them all the facts on the subject would still be a good idea. And Hanging up a dry towel and hitting it with lit poi as I suggested earlier may be a good way to show them that your clothes won't catch fire as easy as they would tend to think. You could have them post on this website so they can talk to people who've been doing it for years and have all of their concerns adressed may be a good way to calm their fears. But aside from that I just wouldn't bring it up anymore

Jesus helps me trick people.

Posted: 16th Aug 2002
/yanks evil deep fried confectionary from out of mouth and takes a cold listerine shower.
my dad was real proud to see the COL footage, and was surprised that i could have a sword set (australian customs are like totally tight.) Mum's just accepted the fact that i'm into dangerous shenanigans. :/
talking about dangrous, Drea, scarfing a deep fried, battered mars bar is the leading cause of elvis impersonation.
a huh-huh
/continues wiping out mouth..

Laugh Often, Smile Much, Post lolcats Always

Posted: 16th Aug 2002
sometimes it seems like my family is practically begging me to give a fire show. I think they just want to see me go up in flames though.

you can't have a war against terrorism because war IS terrorism.it's not about worshipping fire. its about making the fire want to worship you.

Posted: 16th Aug 2002
That's a strange, twisted evil way of looking at it master.

Posted: 17th Aug 2002
My mother thinks its cool and likes to watch.

Dad definitely would have too, but he died mountain climbing 9 years ago. He was far more of a nut than I'll ever be, so I imagine he'd just look on with his arms folded and nod.

No big suprise really. They let me mix photo developer chemicals alone when I was 5 and sail our boat unsupervised by the time I was 7. Some people would say they were negligent I suppose, but they just trusted that I could handle these things once they watched me do it a few times. So I've never had a problem with them being over protective - except with motorcycles (my older brother busted himself up pretty bad a few times doing motorcross).

My sister is letting me teach her kids poi and occasionally asks the oldest one (who is 13) when she is going to use fire.

-v-

Wiederstand ist Zwecklos!

Posted: 17th Aug 2002
we got a lot of young spinners around here, so we all gotta ask if it's ok to mention spinning with their parents, who otherwise wonder what kind of friends we all are, anyway!

i like the thread somewhere here a week and a half ago where someone said their mom totally outshined them in a virgin, untrained spin in a few minutes of instinctively picking up moves (tho she was too bored after that to bother picking up more! imagine! too easy for her!)
someone know that thread, post us a link for this thread, it's a kick, please!

molten cheers,

~ FireMike

FireMikeZ@yahoo.com (personal messages welcome, no promo spam, please!)
Laguna, California, US

Posted: 17th Aug 2002
That was me - I just couldn't believe she picked up a couple of moves so damn easily.
The thread's here for anyone interested.

But there's no sense crying over every mistake. You just keep on trying till you run out of cake.