one of the The joy of being a geek parent is sharing your intense interests with your geeks. When geeks like something, they tend to be In fact in it, providing a deep well of knowledge and passion from which to teach. Some people delve into games, computers, or fonts; Almost every topic is something someone is taking an interest in. For my husband Ed, it’s all about gardening. Nor the typical flower garden. It prefers to grow edible things, which can sometimes include flowers, but usually not. He has learned so much about growing food, compost, and culinary and dirt-enhancing fungi that he could write a book on the subject. And he probably will someday. But in the meantime, he organizes his thoughts on his blog, Mad Bioneer.
Two of his posts are particularly applicable to GeekDad. The first, called Passing It On, shows how easy it is to share a love of nature with your children. Opportunities to study the wonders that occur in nature are everywhere, and observing nature can be fun to do together. Being patient enough to watch something over time, like a spider catching, wrapping, and eating its prey, can teach you a much better lesson than any textbook. It’s also a great parent-child bonding experience, and will likely be something your kids will remember for a lifetime, if you keep the experience positive.
The second post, called Geeky Gardening, shows how you can experiment with gardening. You may not think of gardening as a geeky activity, but if you like something with enough enthusiasm and depth, it can be. (And if you’re reading this blog, you already know that’s a good thing.) The way Ed experiments with gardening and playing with nature is certainly geeky. Feed your soul. There’s often a lot more to a topic than meets the eye, and if you like trying new things and perfecting your methods, the journey can be as fun as the destination (like eating the food you grow).
How do you share your geek activities with your children?
