Excuse me while I let my inner-Geek out to write this blog.
Wait. There is no inner-Geek? Just me? Well, that's interesting. I guess that explains a lot.
Maybe, if you've read this blog long enough, you've been able pick up on that for yourself. With the Doctor Who references, Gandalf quotes, and mentioning a character named Kvothe.
If you did not understand a single word of that last sentence, you are free to go.
I've noticed my daughter is slightly turning to this dark side. She'll sit and watch Doctor Who with me and she enjoys watching Yoda on Star Wars (Probably because he talks a lot like Grover from Sesame Street - thank you Frank Oz).
Recently, I stumbled upon a Podcast titled "The Geekdads." While I sometimes listen to these guys talk thinking I am a silent part of their conversation, their "nerdage" far outweighs my own.
And I can respect that.
They talk about apps they use, conventions they attend where real robots chainsaw each other to death, or a movie that's about to come out involving a certain super soldier, god of thunder, billionaire inventor, and a couple of spies saving the world. Oh, and a big, green Hulk.
HULK SMASH!!!!
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Its a pretty interesting Podcast, though, that kind of makes guys like me not feel so alone in raising our kids to be world class nerds. Some people may think that's stupid. You want your kids to be strong and able to stick up for themselves. And yeah, that's true.
But Nerds run everything.
And I'm okay with my kid being a nerd.
One nerdy thing we're planning on doing is going to the Creation Museum in Cincinnati later this year. Its only a few hours away, and I am actually pretty excited for it. Some people may think true geeks/nerds would go to something like that to make fun of it, but I'm actually a Creationist nerd. I love young earth theory, and love to see the science of it. I will say this about this somewhat controversial topic and then move on: If you're a Christian, that means you believe God raised Christ from the dead and intend to someday send Him back to rapture us up. Why's it so much harder to believe the same God could not have created the earth out of nothing? He's a God of miracles, right?
Okay, just saying. I'm not looking for a debate on the topic. Just expressing my own views on my own blog.
So yeah, that's something we want to do. Creation Museum.
Another thing my wife has taken to doing is playing an alphabet game on the Fisher Price website, or Sesame Street website, or something. I don't know the exact address. I just know my kid's learning the ABC's really well.
Yes, I also use apps to help me in parenting. Rather than carrying around a notebook full of things I need to remember, I keep notes on my iPhone. I use Evernote, which also syncs with my desktop so that I can write something down on my computer and have it with me on my phone. Since I have an iPhone 4S, I also use Siri to remind me of things coming up in the next few days. Of course, I use my calendar to remind me about upcoming doctor appointments, speech therapy, paying daycare bills, etc. I also use Instagram to post ultra-cute pictures of my kid to twitter. So there's a lot out there, you just have to figure out what works for you and how to use it.
Starbucks was giving away a Dora the Explorer game for the iPhone, too. That didn't go over so well. Evie lost interest after only a few minutes.
I'm not saying you have to have a smartphone to be a good parent, by the way, just saying that these are some things that help me not be so forgetful.
Sometimes we have movie marathons. Yes, some of those involve Pixar movies like Toy Story or ... actually all we've watched lately is Toy Story. But a few months back we watched some Star Wars together. Before that we watched some old Superman cartoons. I mean 1940's Superman cartoons.
I admit that during the Superman cartoons, Evie was napping and I was watching, but hey, nobody's judging here.
The fact is, I think its okay to let your kid be involved in your nerd stuff. Whether you're a sports nerd, comic geek or one hundred percent Whovian, its great making it a family experience.
Because, like I said, Nerds run everything.
