Growing up geek

I'm a total sci-fi geek. Sounds weird, I know. I like to lift weights. I like watching football (Da Bears) and I love headbanging to Beastie Boys. But I love me some Star Wars. I love watching Star Trek (TOS, TNG, DS9, Voyager, even Enterprise). When my wife and I first met, we bonded over our love for Sci-fi (She was writing a symphony based on a sci-fi concept). At our home, the DVR is almost always recording something for us from the Syfy channel. For my wife's birthday I bought her the complete series of Firefly. For our Christmas we bought the official release of the original pre-1997 DVD's of Star Wars. We have all 6 on DVD and the first three on VHS. We have almost all the TNG movies on DVD. My wife has the soundtracks for all the Star Wars movies. We love sci-fi.

And I'm realizing that it has come through in my parenting as well. I'm teaching my kids to see things through the eyes of a geek.

My kids both have their own lightsabers. And one of their favorite things to do is to have a lightsaber fight with Dad (and I have my own Mace Windu lightsaber, thank you very much). I've gotten into the habit of saying to my whining and impatient children "patience young padiwan." I've even tried the Jedi mind trick with my son to get him to eat his veggies. Still hasn't worked.

I've realized that my kids have picked up on this. They love watching Star Wars with me. My son has so far brought a lightsaber, R2-D2 and a Luke Skywalker action figure to school for show and tell. His folder for school is an old school Star Wars one. And the other day, my two year-old daughter tried the Jedi mind trick on my wife.

Daughter: Cookie please Mommy.

Wife: No honey, I'm not going to give you a cookie

Daughter: (*waving hand like Obi-Wan Kenobi*) cookie.

Wife: no

Daughter: (*waving hand like Obi-Wan Kenobi*) cookie.

Wife: Jedi mindtricks won't work on me

My daughter walked away pouting.

I'm waiting for the day when I have to explain to them that the Holy Spirit is NOT like the Force from Star Wars.

But I still tell them in the words of Yoda: There is do or do not, there is no try

And when my son tries to haggle with me for how many veggies he eats, I love telling him to eat more and when he complains I say "I've altered the deal, pray I don't alter it again."

Ahh...parenthood.

(Still not going to take tips from Obi-Wan Kenobi though)