Embrace your inner nerd

I was working at the desk in my bedroom when my son walked in

“Dad, do they have history class in middle school?”

You could hear anticipation in his voice. He was looking forward to whole classes dedicated to history.

“You like history! —- Of course you like history.”

Somehow his constant questions about ancient Egypt and bringing up random facts about Titanic didn’t make it clear enough already. This kid has a deep interest in history.

I couldn’t be more excited. When I was young I loved learning about history. I loved books, especially those with well illustrated interesting pictures. When I was his age, I was obsessed with feudal Japan. I used to love to look at pictures of warriors cutting their opponents’ heads off as trophies (I was a weird kid OK).

I found all the books in my book case that might spark his interest the same way and moved them up to his room to enjoy.

A few weeks later we entered into, what I call, “birthday season”. Throughout September and October my kids have one birthday after another.

Gift giving is not my specialty. I no longer have mom to lean on to take care of figuring out the birthday gifts for me.

This year, I tried to pay attention to what each kid would really like. What could they really nerd out about? Better yet, what could we nerd out about together?

My son and I were already planning a trip to Egypt for his 9th birthday. That will be a fantastic opportunity to learn about history and another culture together.

My oldest daughter loves to look and feel beautiful. She told me several times, she needs a blow dryer and hair straightener. Not my thing —- but what girl-dad doesn’t love to brush and braid his daughter’s hair?

For my middle daughter it meant Pokémon cards and the Dungeons and Dragons core rule books. She is my most classic “nerd” kid. I love to explore different fantasy stories and setting with her. Now we’ll be able to do this even more.

It’s incredible to see just how different these kids are despite living in the same household, sharing so much DNA, etc. Each one of them has their own unique interests. Finding ways to engage with these, even if it’s just simply getting the birthday gift right, is a great way to connect. It’s a continuous exploration of what lights there fire, so that I can be a part of it.

What’s the point: Your kids are each unique little humans, with their own interests and obsessions. Find ways to help them explore those interests more deeply. Better still, find someway to connect with them while exploring a subject together.