How to Raise a Geek/Nerd Child

How to Raise A Geeky Child

So in response to my friend’s upcoming childbirth, today’s Fourth of July blog is on how to raise a geeky child. Now I know you are a geek and you think you will just have them watch whatever you watch and they will catch on, or you will just force them to watch anime.  STOOOP right there, the last thing you want to do is force a child to do anything, they will instantly reject it when they get older. Remember when your parents forced you to watch or read things, you hated it. With kids you must be subtle and a little gentler.  And the child hood is the most crucial!

First Sense you will want to work on is what they hear, if you are like most of my friends you want your child to be multi cultural so what they hear is very important. Maybe in their baby crib you can play soft Korean, Japanese, Latin, Spanish, ect music so that the baby is familiar with the languages.  Talking to the baby in different languages will help too; the baby will pick up the language faster when they get older, but don’t get scared when the child accidently calls you HAHA (Japanese for mother) instead of the traditional momma.

Second thing to work on would be, of course, what they see; babies are naturally open to everything when they are younger. So watching a show like Growing up Creepie and having anime posters on the wall will be appealing to them. If you are like me, I will have a theme for my children’s room. Kuromi when they are first born, then Growing up Creepie, then Pokémon, then Anime.  The child needs to see these things so when they get older that’s most likely what will be appeasing to them, if you truly want to separate them from outside cartoons , try having a TV in the Childs room and A LOT of DVDs  of Stuff you think is appropriate. I myself will get ALL the Pokémon series. Keep in mind for all my gamers and programmers this applies to you, get them involve with technology and games at a young age so it comes naturally to them later on in life.

Third thing you will want to focus on is taste, like you who love sushi and delicate treats from other country if you want that same taste buds for your children let them experience tastes from other worlds.  Not much variety when they are babies but when they are toddlers they are a little more open, and picky, keep in mind a child will not take to things as much as you want and if you do this exercise keep near a doctor because you don’t know what your child is Allergic to!

Fourth thing to focus on is what the child will expect when he gets older, Conventions and Cosplay. Show how much of treat it is to go to conventions and Cosplay as a character.  When you see them take to a character in a show, have them Cosplay that character at a Convention. This lets them know that it is not abnormal to these things, and will give them even a sense of fashion.  Dress your children with a sense of higher style, yes this will make your child stand out but isn’t that what happened you.  

Last thing you will have to deal with is the emotional side; doing these things you could be setting your child up for the same treatment you had growing up and it is important you work with your child to deal with these insecurities and possible bullying. Always have your Childs best interest at heart, and if she or he truly just doesn’t want to be a geek, that is their decision and you should respect that! Remember a child is a huge responsibilities as well as fun ride you will have to deal with!