5 Ways to Raise A Geek

SunnyChanel — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 23:01:00 GMT

I’ve had a mantra since my daughter was born. It is “please be geeky, please be geeky, please be geeky”. Over and over I chant this, hoping that it will come true. Which just means she’s totally going to rebel and end up being (as I shudder) a cool hipster chick. Why do I want my daughter to be a geek? Oh, so many reasons. I won’t have to buy overpriced designer duds, she won’t walk around looking like an underaged hooker, I won’t have to deal with her sneaking out her window at night, and she’ll never be invited to that high school kegger.

How do I accomplish this task? Well for a start I think I’ll need to run out and buy Marybeth Hicks book Bringing Up Geeks: How to Protect Your Kid’s Childhood in a Grow-Up-Too-Fast World as Urban Baby wrote, she “says today’s geek isn’t a social misfit. She’s just a good, wholesome kid who’s not so caught up in pop culture that she lets it define who she is. Hicks, a mother of four, advises parents on how to raise a genuine, enthusiastic, empowered kid (GEEK):”

Here are five ways in which you can attempt to breed your own brainiac.

1.   Obedience. Teach them a respect for authority. “So as you move through the years from “don’t throw dirt” to “have the car home by 11pm,” you’ll get compliance.”

2.   Enthusiasm for learning. Get involved in what ever they’re into be it dinosaurs, flower pressing, or fashioning busts of the presidents out of dried pasta. Support their passion with enthusiam and participation.

3.   Control the Media – Make sure the culture (movies, music, TV shows, games) reflect your values. Yeah, they’re going to be bombarded by crap (Bratz, Britney, Barney) but in your own home, you can filter out the junk.

4.   Friendships – You may not approve of the choices of friends, but when said friend is under your roof, let them know it’s your rules (so no, they can smoke out the bathroom window).

5.   Knowing right from wrong and good from bad. “Authentic self-esteem comes from knowing you are truly good and exhibit proper behavior.”

(via Urban Baby) (image via One Horse Shy)

Strollerderby : raising children

5 Ways to Raise A Geek