Raising a Geek Boy

My little geek in training

Sometimes I worry that my husband and I are a bit too geeky, and that’s leading to uberGeeky kids. Why worry, you ask? Because I know how this world operates. And how it treats the boy who prefers watching the Hawking Paradox over Monday Night Football.

How it treats the boy uninterested in signing up for t-ball but can’t wait for invention camp.

How it sees the sensitive male hell-bent on saving a tiny caterpillar over squishing it into the ground.

But I’m proud. I love the people my children are turning into. I just wish I could stop the worry.

Comments

  1. I don’t blame you for the worry, but I know that as long as you own who you are and are comfortable with it, nothing else matters. As a geek boy turned geek adult, it as when I accepted and embraced who I was that everyone else followed suit. 🙂

  2. He’s cute — cute geeks still get the girls. 🙂

  3. I think in this day and age, it may be easier to be the geek. I think a lot more people are geeky now, then their ever have been. He’ll find his way, just as we all did.

    In fact, as I look at my tiny 11 month old son, I hope he’s a bit more geeky than not. At least then, I’ll understand him. Ha.

  4. It occurs to me he’s wearing his blue shell Mario shirt in that photo. lol It was a gift from @snax

  5. Understand where you’re coming from. Trying to keep some balance is all you can do. Lot’s of rad activities that are not team sports but more individual. He’ll be just fine. If he has some coordination and a engaging personality (read: no whining) he won’t need to be an athlete to play well with the other guys.

    Glad you’re proud of your kids – you should be – they seem like great little people. Believe me, there are many more, even bigger things to worry about, especially as they get older! Just keep luvin’ and hugging them and it’ll be alright. (And I don’t write that lightly nor without much experience.)

  6. Oh, yeah… the “Suck It” stickers add a nice, edgy touch to any geekiness… Also, agree that the world is more geek friendly all the time.

  7. My 4 1/2 year old is the same. I grew up as a tom boy and I dreamed of the day that my boy would be playing t-ball or soccer. He tried soccer and he claims it makes his legs too tired (after 5 minutes of practice). His only sports interest is golf which he does with his daddy. Otherwise he loves to learn, LOVES school, he was navigating the Noggin website at 2. He is sensitive and intellectual and I’ve come to accept it. I’m okay with him being a “geek.” I’d rather have a geek than a rough and tumble jock that’s going to injure his throwing arm one day and his football/baseball/fill in the blank career will one day be over. As for caterpillars, my son rescued some from the beach and is carefully growing them in a container. 🙂

  8. It’s scary how well my 3-year-old handles my iPhone–he’s more proficient with it than my husband is. And oy! my husband has already inculcated him into the joys of the Marvel Universe. Geek boy indeed.

    The best we can do as parents is encourage our children to fill their lives with the (healthy) things they love, and then support (or protect, when necessary) them as they develop into caring, thoughtful, interesting, brilliant adults.

  9. Awwwwwww 🙂

  10. tell me about it! My elder son is also sensitive, interested in science, reads books, plays pbskids computer games and is shy about interacting with people. We really wish he was more out-going but have learnt to be philophical about it. From time to time he does do something totally unpredictable (like proposing to girls; read my latest post if you like!), so we realize that we just can’t put him in a single category!!

  11. btw…like the RL suck it poster!! HA!!

  12. sigh, our oldest is an ubergeek too. I do worry about him. He also doesn’t seem to get sarcasm and sometimes he doesn’t follow when there is a group of kids and conversations / jokes are flowing too fast.

    But, like you, I love the person he is growing into and I’m impressed with the close friends he has and how much he ENJOYS this world we live in.

  13. True. But geeks are the best kind of people. For some reason it seems more worrisome where boys are concerned vs girls. Not sure why.

  14. I’ve got a ‘geek’ boy at home too! We had 25 kids over for his birthday, it was wild and crazy. My sister nudged me and told me to take a look at my son, there he was sitting in the shade, reading a book! Everyone had a good chuckle.

    I think it’s important to let them be who they want and need to be. Then they’re happy. Other people like happy people. BUT, you knew that already 🙂

  15. I just love that he’s on a laptop with a “Rush Limbaugh can suck it” sticker!

  16. Just remember, the geeks shall inherit the earth. 🙂 Seriously, geekdom generates some great skills!

  17. It’s not an either or scenario actually. My oldest was like that, but we tried to make sure that he also got lots of sports camps and outdoor activities to balance out his natural desire to sit in front of a glowing screen.

    And he still loves the computer and will be a geek for life, but he also knows how to throw and catch a ball well enough that no one will ever make fun of him. He swims, skates, and sails, and he knows the basics and rules of most games. He isn’t going to be a pro athlete ever, but someday he can go out with his buddies after a long day at Google and play softball, and he won’t feel dumb.

    There is a middle ground. You can find it if you want.

  18. Concentrate on developing his skills and encouraging his inventive spirit. Nobody laughs at a rich geek! Well, only totaly oafs but who cares about them.

  19. He can be both, you know.

    * I wasn’t the best baseball player in little league, but as I got older I got better. I knew I sucked – I didn’t care, though I hated the humidity in Michigan. And it’s that whole team crap.
    * I grew up going to hockey games – I stopped skating at the age of 3, though, after watching MY blood bounce on the ice. I’m a die-hard hockey fan, as he should be with his Mom.
    * I was also in computer classes, because I had an interest. That went away with crappy Math teachers, but that’s another story.

    Don’t worry. As long as he can talk to people, he’ll be fine. And, women tend to like my dorky side.

  20. OK — So here are my thoughts on the “geeky” boy. In my experience, jr. high and highschool may be a little difficult on the social side. But how often have you seen the hot highschool jocks get all fat and bald while the highschool geeky kids come into their own somewhere in their college years? And they come back to their 10 year reunions all dapper and educated and savvy and basically rockin’ it. I’m not saying all hot high school jock do downhill after highschool gradutaion….You always have those fellas who were hot, athletic, AND smart. Or that all geeky nerds turn into dapper dudes. But if my own highschool classmates are any example, he’ll be fine. 🙂

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