Written by Stephen H. Segal and Valya Dudycz Lupescu
Reviewed by Joyce St. Giermaine
As Editor of Tomorrow’s Child, I often get unsolicited books and educational resources to review. Usually, I pass them along to somebody who is a real, certified, honest-to-goodness Montessorian. But sometimes, a little gem comes across my desk that I am more than qualified to review and enjoy, because I’m a parent, grandparent, and I was a bit of a quirky kid and geeky adult.
I simply love Geek Parenting, and I think you will, too. The stories/lessons are no more than 2 pages long. I don’t know if either of these authors has a “Montessori” background, but they sure echo what we hope to encourage in our classrooms and homes.
Another benefit of this book is my new-found knowledge of geek culture. I have now added many books and movies to my “must-read,” “must-watch” list.
Quirk Books (how perfect is that … Quirk!) begins its promo with Meltdowns at the grocery store. Sibling rivalry. Teenage angst. In these familiar moments of parental crisis, do you ever stop to think, What would Captain Picard do?
In Geek Parenting, the authors have compiled 75 mini-essays about raising children from the best examples in geek culture: Vader and Luke; Spock and Sarek; Peter Parker and Aunt May; even Pinocchio and Gepetto. It is the perfect companion for those wishing to pass on their geekdom with the unique wisdom parents need to make sure the force is strong with their little ones all the way through the angst of adolescence.
With permission from the authors, I included a lesson inspired by Calvin & Hobbes, which can be found on page 30 in the grandparenting section of this issue. It’s called “Just Because They Build Snowman-Murder Investigation Scenes Doesn’t Mean There’s Something Wrong with Them” because it resonates with my grandparenting challenges with two young boys.
You will laugh and possibly cry about some simple truths viewed with different eyes. It might also give you a few thoughts on our culture’s ongoing super fascination with movies based on superheroes I’ve never even heard of, which also explains why my grandson Jackson (who, this week, is going by the name “Stanley”) is obsessed with his collection of masks, capes, lasers, and shields and even puts a different spin on his very respectful (but interesting) encounter with a Muslim woman dressed in full Niqab (a black veil that covers her entire body except for her eyes): “I like your costume, Batman.” For Jackson, that was probably the most sincere compliment he has ever bestowed upon anyone. Fortunately, the woman laughed, but it bears repeating, “It takes brave parents to raise Montessori children.” According to Geek Parenting, it might also take a starship, a time machine, or a tribe of elves.
Buy this book! Check out the website at http://www.quirkbooks.com/book/geek-parenting.
Fantastic Forts
Tomorrow’s Child/April 2016. Pg 32
