Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

How to Handle a Geeklet Girl

by Leila Brillson on August 11, 2009 at 06:01 AM

Wired.com's Geekdad blog always has great articles about living with tech and obscure pop culture in the 21st century. Last week's article focuses on an oft-stereotyped kind of kid: the female geek. Offering tips on how to support a girl with a penchant for reading and 'Lord of the Rings,' writer Natania Barron attempts to guide parents in guiding their children. "[Even] if you don't get the stuff she reads, reiterate that reading is awesome," she urges.

On the subject of friendships, Barron notes, "Geek girls discover more friends among guys than girls... Good, enduring relationships between girls are important." Written from the perspective of an adult reflecting on her geek childhood, Barron's piece points out strong, fictional, nerdy female characters like 'Girl Genius' Agatha Clay and 'A Wrinkle in Time's' Meg Murry. (We like Hermione and Violet Baudelaire, ourselves.)

We find Barron's advice, however, to be applicable to all children. Engage in their interests. Bolster their confidence. Encourage their idiosyncrasies (so long as they're healthy). But geekdom is a term that is more in vogue now than ever, and wanting to write code or speak Klingon is more of a cute quirk than it's ever been.

What is today's 'geek,' then? Our definition goes beyond having a mere Internet addiction, and ranges from being aware of pop-cultural references deemed uncool by the mainstream (WoW, Battlestar Galactica) to taking pride in one's smarts. But being cool and geeky aren't mutually exclusive, either; 'Harry Potter' is a hit movie, yet 'HP' knowledge is big in the Geek-iverse. Perhaps, then, whether it be a love for Ray Bradbury or 'Star Trek' trivia, a devotion to Veronica Mars or medieval fairs, impassioned knowledge about something that tickles the brain is the key trait of geekiness. And that, we think, should be encouraged in any kid, thick-rimmed glasses or no. [From: Wired.com]

Tags: battlestar galactica, BattlestarGalactica, geek chic, geek culture, geek girl, GeekChic, GeekCulture, GeekGirl, kids, star trek, StarTrek, top

Comments

1

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular