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Whelp!

Viewing 8 posts - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)
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  • #59156 Quote
    I’ll get it started. My 11yo is currently obsessed with furridom and really wants to be in community. He is a superbright autistic boy who can’t do school and has too few IRL friends. He needs a place to belong and connect.

    He spends much of his days with YouTube, Roblox, Legos, and Pokémon. He has been thinking about this for quite some time.

    Any help is appreciated!!

    Jeremy

    #59157 Quote
    Welcome and hello! I am sure he will be able to fit in..the group offers meet ups and then there is furry migration that is in the late fall.

     

    I believe I heard a meetup is coming up in July for the younger members? It is typically on the boards. Welcome again and good luck for your son. My son who is 17 is new to the community too (along with me).

    Have a good one and take care

    MamaDragon

    #59158 Quote
    To follow up with some more information,  furry migration was mentioned above. If your unfamiliar with what that is It is a convention for furries much like other fandom conventions like comic con for example. https://www.furrymigration.org

    Also, if your interested in learning more about the history of the fandom, what its about and some of the struggles the community has been though. I would recommend this documentary. https://youtu.be/iv0QaTW3kEY

    #59189 Quote
    Hey Jeremy! I am Rico and I am on the board of directors for our nonprofit, Minnesota Furs. I thank you for coming to us for some additional information as some other parents usually don’t do this degree of research, I respect that!

    I already touched base and said quite a bit in another forum thread where you asked some questions. I recommend chaperoning with your child at our next picnic or oval meet. I would be happy to talk to you about what the furry fandom is all about, including local resources like our youth program, events, convention and more can do to help you as a parent with your child that is interested in the Furry Fandom.

    11 years old may be a bit young to start them out at meetups (our meets are generally heavily attended and could easily be overwhelming!), but I’d be happy to offer whatever I can to help. As I stated before, my direct email is [email protected]. Keep an eye on our community calendar (found at the bottom of our website under “Upcoming Events”) and let me know if you plan on attending one.

    Furry Migration Staff (Video Head & Digital Signage) & MNFurs President.

    Come say hi on the MNFurs Discord!

    Posts on the MNFurs forums are of my own opinion and do not reflect that of MNFurs or chartered events unless otherwise stated.

    #59194 Quote
    Welcome to the fandom!

    I am sure your son will fit in with us, there is quite a decent sized group of younger furries (although, the majority of the attendants are usually adults), that attend our meets and convention, and I’m sure he could make some friends in that group. The younger furs typically range from 13 and up! So your son may be a bit young compared to the others attending, but we’re all kind here and we’re super welcoming of all!

    I recommend that if you go to any meets to always come as a chaperone, since he’s younger it’s best to be accompanied by a parent. It’d be good to attend at least one meet just to see whether your son is interested in what we do or not, I will most likely be at the fursuit romp in July so I’d love to say hello if you do attend.

     

    Just a heads up that meets and conventions can have large amounts of people attending, and especially at conventions there can be a lot of stimulation such as bright lights, lots of sound, etc.  I know that with autism sometimes those things can be overwhelming, so just wanted to make sure you are aware and have a back up plan in case of sensory overload 🙂

     

    Once again, welcome to the fandom and feel free to contact me with any questions or anything else, I’m always happy to help!

    -Ace

    • This reply was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by Ace.
    #59210 Quote
    Hi there! We are in the same boat somewhat. My daughter is 12 and loves crafting fur suits and wearing them, she has taught herself how to make all her creations simply by watching YouTube videos. The problem is the kids at her school have found out and they pick on her constantly. The girls she thought were her friends have since pushed her away. How do I go about finding other furry youth that maybe close enough to us for her to strike up a friendship. She feels very alone and I would love nothing more than her to find someone that is like her.
    #59211 Quote
    Hi there, I am so sorry about what your daughter has faced. Unfortunately not everyone is as welcoming as furries as we wish they were.

    As for your daughter making friends like her, I would suggest for you to come to one of our local fur meets with her, as she can meet some furries her age, and you can meet some younger furs’ parents as well. The “in person/irl” furry fandom is a great way to meet people with similar interests and make new friends.

    Another way for her to make friends is through forums or group chats online for younger furries. Although I would be wary of this as she’s only 12 years old, and most group chats and forums are for 13+ And as always, I would suggest if you do let her chat with people online to monitor who she’s talking with and make sure she practices online safety.

     

    The downside of making friends online is that if you don’t live in the same state/area, you won’t get to see friends often and it can be harder at times to form connections. That’s why I first suggest coming to one of our local MNFurs meetups with your child as it’s a lot easier to make connections, and that way at least you know most of the people you are meeting are local.

    #60344 Quote
    Hi Jeremy and Rico

    My 11yo is also very interested in furry community, and we are here to learn more about making this a safe activity for such a young kid.  He loves crafting and designing fur suits.  I appreciate the suggestion to chaperone at a picnic or a meet.  I see that some events are clearly labeled 18+, and I also appreciate that delineation.

    I would like to hear more from parents on how their kids are expressing their furry nature.  My kid is super interested in modeling videos he has seen on youtube about furrys moving around in public spaces; I am concerned about people’s reaction to this activity in real life, and would like more information on boundaries for safe furry expression.

    Thanks all

    Patty

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