I recently had the pleasure of attending the inaugural PyColorado with my oldest daughter. She's twelve and enjoys coding, so it seemed like a good fit. Plus it was a good chance to get some one-on-one time with her.
I'll admit I was a little tentative going into the weekend, but I needn't have been. She absolutely loved it! Beyond the obvious things that would appeal to a 12-year-old (you mean they'll just GIVE me this t-shirt?), she seemed to enjoy watching the talks.
Of course, many of the talks were above her head, but that's the point of attending talks, to learn!
More importantly, I was concerned that she would be bored and not fit into the flow and feel of the conference. I was wrong. Not only was there another kid there (hi, Marshall!) but also the adults couldn't have been more polite, welcoming, and just genuinely happy to see her there.
Given it was a Python conference and especially given the clearly stated stance on inclusion that the conference organizers have, I shouldn't have been surprised. They did a great job making her not only feel welcome but celebrating that she was there.
This post comes with two messages:
- If you're contemplating taking your child to a regional Python conference, I strongly encourage you to do it!
- Thank you to the PyColorado organizers and volunteers for making this a great weekend. We'll see you next year!