Are your teens cool or nerds?

[Anonymous]

No idea. Seems like she would be in the nerd camp. Loves theater, straight As this year, all honors classes (private school), likes tv shows that seem nerdy to me -- Dr. Who, Supernatural, Sherlock, etc. Very crafty - sews, sculpts, knits, makes jewelry. However, also plays a varsity sport and does pretty well despite being a younger player. Her social life is dizzying and she is just starting HS. Making plans for summer programs two years from now at different colleges she is interested in. Very outgoing (unlike me) -- at every school and in every extracurricular she starts, whenever other parents meet me the refrain is always the same, "Oh you're x's mom?! My kid loves x!" No one ever said that to my mom about me.

I try not to focus on how popular she is, but I do think the skill of making friends is important. I didn't have it and I suffered for it. So I admit to being very relieved that making friends seems to be a strong suit of hers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My opdest is a nerd, but fcps is a great place to be a nerd. It is the mothership calling home all thenerds.

My younger two are smart, but happen to have befriended more of the "cool" jock type kids. I think it is harder to be a cool/smart kid around here. Right around late elementary school that circle starts disparaging smart kids or kids who do really well in school. My second has mentioned that several of his jock buddies have started making comments about how school is stupid, smart kids are not fun to hang out with, not to be too smart or you will get made fun of, etc.

I think it is harder to be yourself around here when you hang with the cool or jock kids. The geeks in general seek to be more accepting.

I'm at Robinson, am in with a group of kids who, like me, are cult worshippers of nerd culture, and we have really strong quiz bowl, magic club, etc.

There are lots of us, and it's fun to be around like-minded people

That said, it's very hard to get advanced instruction and me and most of my nerd friends are bored to tears in class

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have a "loser" kid? You know a kid with no friends and no real interest or hobbies. I always wonder what their parents think.

Their parents don't care.

My parents moved almost every year throughout my childhood. When we moved a last time when I was a Junior in high school I did not have the emotional energy to try to make friends. I just hung out with my boyfriend which my parents hated but that's a story for another thread.

[Anonymous]

One of each