(Re)Generation Who Hosts Family Fun for Whovians

(Re)Generation Who in Hunt Valley, Maryland was undoubtedly the place to be for Doctor Who fans this weekend. And the good news is, if you had little Whos, the event was very child-friendly. I know the organizers of (Re)Generation Who work very hard to make the event inclusive and welcoming for all.

They went further by including a children’s track of events. There was a room dedicated to kids’ programming, where they could hang out and make sonic screwdrivers, try on a TARDIS costume, learn to write their name in Galifreyan, or play pin the face on Cassandra.

There was also a panel on “Cosplay for Kids (and the Whole Family).” While the panel discussion was only mildly interesting to my kids themselves, it was chock-full of useful information for parents.

There was participation from both parents and children who cosplay, who all imparted many practical lessons. Lessons like “Be prepared for your kids to get tired of their costume,” and “Make sure your kids’ costumes are warm or cool enough for the temperature,” as well as dealing with privacy issues when people inevitably ask (or neglect to ask) to take pictures of your amazing kids.

Don and his son Will (pictured below) were on the panel, which also included Lindsay Bartleson, who has plenty of experience cosplaying with her family.

There were also panels like “Introduction to Who for Parents and Kids” and the “Kids Game Show: Wheel of Androzani.”

I experienced an unexpected bit of GeekDad wonder when I attended the “Classic Doctor Who Immersion Course,” which was moderated by Don Klees and his ten-year-old son, Will. Will was a wunderkind of classic Doctor Who knowledge. He spoke and presented himself extremely well, demonstrating a near encyclopedic knowledge of his topic. Will and his dad each picked a number of classic episodes and demonstrated how they related to an episode of the series in theme or spirit.

Of course, there were vendors offering plenty of Doctor Who and other geeky-themed merchandise, which is always fun. There was also a game room where my family and I spent some pleasant time playing Forbidden Desert and Jedi Unleashed.

However, my favorite thing at cons is always the other attendees, who share their love of fandom and express themselves in all their geeky glory, no matter what their age.

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