AZ With Sophie

It's been a while since I've gone to a convention with a smaller child -- not an infant or toddler, but not an older kid either. Sophie's birthday is right before AZ (This is why we missed attending in 2012). This year, Sophie was a brand new 5 year old, who was already planning her 6th birthday and telling everyone about it.

She was into everything at the convention. It was a challenge keeping after her, especially in the Dealer's Room and Artist Alley. She's also at a stage in life where rolling on the floor is fun. Another challenge because con floors are pretty nasty, at least in my opinion. She's at a more independent age where she doesn't want to hold my hand and doesn't want to stay with us--she wants to do her own thing, especially when her own thing entails screeching and rolling on the floor...

There were challenges, but also surprising positives. She was much more engaged with the con than I expected. She was thrilled with all the cosplayers, and she didn't just want pictures of them. She wanted her picture with them. She tended to pick out princesses, super heroes, and goth-style cosplayers. Everyone she asked for a picture was super kind to her and very obliging. They made her weekend. She was also absolutely enamored with Artist Alley, much more than she was with the Dealer's Room. She would have bought something from almost every table if she could have. This pleases me, because, as an artist, I love to see her enthusiasm to support other artists. It was also cool, because with very few exceptions (Pokemon, Ladybug, and Sailor Moon), she did not recognize any of the fanart, but she loved what people had created anyways.

It was nice being with someone with her enthusiasm... most of the time. The rest of the time, it was exhausting. I'm feeling the old after Animazement this year. It was tough keeping up with her.