A Cochin, especially a frizzled cochin (which is a reverse feather gene) might be an easier sell and a good compromise, If you decide to look into cochins they are often available frizzled and look really silly and poofy. I have found them to have a lot of personality but they are pretty smart...
Silkies are really fun and make great pets for children. They tend to be very sweet and easy to handle without much effort to tame or train. The other nice thing about silkies (or bad thing, depending on your needs/wants) is that they have a tenancy to go broody. This is nice if you ever want to...