Geek Parenting: What Joffrey, Jor-El, Maleficent and the McFlys Teach Us about Raising a Family by Stephen H. Segal and Valya Dudycz Lupescu

from goodreads

5 stars

Parenting is a hard gig. Even if you think you know what you are doing or feel like you have a lay of the land, something inevitably comes along to make things seem crazy again. The one thing that never changes with parenting, no matter what the age of your children, is that mom is always wrong. For example, you make tacos because you know your kids love tacos, they ate them up two weeks ago so they will for sure love and eat them tonight right? Wrong!!! Tonight tacos will become the most vilest of foods. How could you even think this would be acceptable to their discerning palates? Are you trying to poison them?

Often times we feel like we are alone in this great struggle. That all the other parents never have issues like this. That they have some secret magic wand that allows them to have children who always eat whatever is served with gusto and children who are always polite and brush their teeth and hair without being reminded. Isn't it a relief when we find out that all the other parents have some sort of struggles, whether they are the same or not. Your fellow parents are the best ones to commiserate with. They get it! No need to hide your parental short comings from them because they have short comings too. If they say they don't have any they are lying. Parenting. We're all in this together.

Synopsis

This is a book of parenting advice. The advice given comes from our favourite sci-fi, fantasy and comic heroes and families.

My Thoughts

I loved it! I am not a complete geek. There were many characters talked about that I had no clue who they were, but, that didn't matter because the advice or situations were so relatable.

This book of mini-essays touched on everything.

• accepting children's differences
• helping them learn for themselves
• knowing when to swoop in and protect them and when to let them be and figure it out themselves
• weird friendships
• allowing them to grow
• and more

This book helps us know that we are not alone in the parenting realm as these themes seem to be universal. The book shows us what sci-fi does best. It looks at the state of humanity, but with an other worldly lense, which allows us to look at situations at an arms length and helps to make connections about society you might not have made otherwise. 

I am really tempted to buy a copy of this book so I can always have their words of wisdom close at hand. This book is like your very own cheerleading section helping you feel like you can do this and you will do great!