Before ASC, I made a post about bringing our 8-month-old son to his first furry convention. We received so much love and excitement from the community, but we also received some pretty hurtful comments. We were called “groomers” by an anti-furry group, told that we were putting our baby in an unsafe environment, and told that he had no place at a convention like this. Now that ASC is over, I just want to share what his first convention actually looked like. My wife and I intentionally chose Sunday. It was a slower, quieter day, with a much more relaxed atmosphere. We took our time, kept him close, and spent the day doing what we wanted to do: being together as a family. And somehow, one of the things I thought would be a silly little idea became one of my favorite memories I’ve ever made. Our “Where the Wild Furries Are” photos brought so many people together. People were looking for us, asking about the photos, wanting to meet our little guy and be part of the fun. Seeing complete strangers light up when they saw him, ask for a picture, or simply smile and say hello honestly meant more to us than I can put into words. Because that’s what this weekend was really about. It wasn’t about exposing our son to something inappropriate. It wasn’t about making some statement. It was about a mom, a dad, and their little boy spending a Sunday together doing something they love. It’s about giving him the opportunity to grow up surrounded by people who are kind, creative, welcoming, and unapologetically themselves. It’s about the memories we’ll be able to look back on years from now and say, “Remember your first convention?” He’s only 8 months old. He won’t remember ASC. But we will. We’ll remember carrying him through the convention. We’ll remember the smiles. We’ll remember introducing him to our friends. We’ll remember everyone who wanted to take a picture with him. We’ll remember watching our little boy become part of a community that has given his parents so many wonderful memories. And someday, when he’s old enough to understand, we’ll be able to show him those pictures and tell him, “You were there with us from the very beginning.” ASC was just the first of many conventions and adventures we’ll experience together as a family. To everyone who welcomed our son with open arms, thank you. You helped turn his first convention into a memory that we’ll treasure for the rest of our lives. ❤️ #ASC26 #ASC2026 #AnthroSoCal26 #AnthroSocal2026 #Furry #furrycon #Furryconvention #fursuit