What does being a ‘geek parent’ mean? You could say it means finding lots of cool, geeky things for your kid like Star Wars room decor, a Batman onesie, Portal pillows, dinosaur themed outfits and toys and other such goodies. It could mean rather than taking the name choosing process ‘so serious’, you’re having fun with geeky fantasy names like Tiberius or Robocop. My son’s middle was the product of a chain of thoughts beginning with ‘cool Halloween movies’. (movies > Shaun of the Dead > Edgar (NO) > Simon (YES!)) Then there’s the all important question of what order to introduce your new prodigy to the Star Wars films? Are Ren & Stimpy or Invader Zim too crazy or violent to show them as a child? How young can I start them on comic books? So many imperative things to decide as a geek parent starts the process of molding a new baby in to a respectable nerdling.
Mr Megan and I are soon to become first time parents and I’d like to point out the most glaring, and best, feature that sets us apart as ‘geek parents’. We have felt the undeniable need to question, research, learn about and dismantle every step of the baby growing process so far. Isn’t that really what it’s all about, what makes us the dweeby ones in the crowd? The fact that we enjoy honing in on things with pinpoint accuracy and hard core commitment, whether it be pop culture, costume making, scientific ‘miracles’ or comic book heroes. When you stop being a regular person and you transform into a walking incubator, as I have, you are immediately pummeled with questions from family and friends, advice from strangers and confusion about what new skills and information you must teach yourself first. The world of baby growing and raising is humongous and intimidating, full of scary, fluffy, alien like baby tools, accessories, medical devices and risks.
In this column, I want to talk about everything that comes up in my adventure into parenthood as a ‘geek’. I’ll try to leave out the really gross stuff, but I make no promises. I will sometimes offer the viewpoint of Mr Megan as a counterpoint to mine, as we come from slightly different geek trees. I grow from the tree of comic books, literature, video games and mobile device addiction. His tree boasts video and audio production skills, the passion of a lifelong movie buff and a strict commitment to science. I plan to share with you awesome kid related finds that I think you will appreciate, medical discoveries I make along the way, social questions I find myself struggling with and general observations and experiences that I think might get a giggle or two.
I’ve only got about a month left before my little geek arrives in this world, so the pregnancy related posts won’t last long. There’s nothing I love more than feedback from readers, so please leave a comment if you have any personal stories, opinions or suggestions for this column. You can also say hello to me on twitter and let me know if there’s something in particular you’d like me to cover!
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share this insane time in my life with my Talking Comics community. I shall leave you with my latest decision as a geek parent, to equip my baby’s nursery with a working turret, which will act as the perfect dog repellent.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvZhRUsKNG4&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
