So, this is how I see it: Scarring your kids for life is inevitable. You might as well have fun doing it, yeah? So, it is with this in mind that The Geek and I may be guilty of the following stellar moments of extreme dorkiness (in no particular order):
1) One night at the dinner table for reasons neither of us can remember, one of us quoted Bohemian Rhapsody. Then the other quoted the next line. Before we knew it, we were singing most of the main part of the song complete with Wayne’s World-esque head banging. Bug just sat and stared at us like we’d suddenly grown an extra head each … or like we were complete dorks.
2) Having only just turned 5, sometimes Bug doesn’t pay much attention when he dresses himself and puts his pants on backwards. When this happens, The Geek and I often sing Jump by Kris Kross (complete with jumping, of course). Again, we are met with that “you just grew an extra head and/or are total dorks” look from Bug. He’ll be very practiced at that look by the time he gets to his teens when he will permanently have it glued to his face …
3) The Geek started a habit of singing “I’m gonna tickle little <insert child’s name here>” to the tune of Cat’s “I’m gonna eat you, little fishy”* when about to tickle one of the kids. They still don’t know that it isn’t an original song by their father.
4) We had risotto for dinner tonight. I spent an embarrassing amount of time attempting to teach Cub (2 years old) to clap and squeal “Risotto, risotto, risotto!” in reference to The Catherine Tate Show’s Christmas special in which David Tennant plays a trendy, effeminate Ghost of Christmas Present. ** He’s almost got it … we just need to work on the hand clapping.
5) In response to Bug’s frequent declarations that “it’s not FAIR!” I have been known to quote “Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something.”***
6) Bug tells us that he’s “bored” or that things are “boring” when it is clear that “boredom” is not actually what he means. Example: He says he’s bored with eating when he probably really means that he’s full and doesn’t want to eat anymore. In response to this, I often reply: “You say that word so much. I don’t think it means what you think it means.” ***
7) The boys have a book about a boy and an octopus that he saves from a fisherman’s net. In the end are some facts about octopi. Octopi, it seems, have three hearts. The following exchange was quite common in our household when the book was first introduced: The Geek: “How many hearts does the Doctor have?” Bug: “Two!” The Geek: “How many hearts does an octopus have?” Bug: “Three!”
8) Bug has a habit of saying “mummy!” in exactly the same tone and inflection as the kid from The Empty Child episode of Doctor Who. It’s freaky and even The Geek noticed it despite the fact that he is not a huge fan of Doctor Who and rarely watches it with me. We have been known to respond to Bug’s whines of “mummy!” with “Go to your room!” followed immediately by hysterical giggling. Bug, as you might have guessed, generally responds by giving us that Look I have been describing.
Now it’s your turn. Confess your dorky/nerdy parenting moments to me!
Edited to add: I should clarify that the dorky/nerdy parenting moments need not be only from the perspective of the parent. Did your parents do anything to you that made you make the face that Bug is now so practiced at? 🙂
* If you don’t know this is from Red Dwarf then … well, what the hell are you doing reading my blog? Go educate yourself, damn it! 😉
** Watch the clip here:
*** I’m assuming everyone recognizes The Princess Bride references here. I mean, doesn’t everyone have that movie memorized? IF you don’t then, as with Red Dwarf, what are you doing wasting time reading my blog when you could be watching The Princess Bride?
HAha! This made me laugh. I love the headbanging at the dinner table. I think it should be encouraged.
Yes, it totally should. 🙂
Geeky parenting moment #1 – Deciding to name our son Ianto Jack. Yes, really.
GPM #2 – Upon finding out son wouldn’t be born alive (sorry, horrible to hear about I know but it is relevant), deciding his name fits even more now. TW Ianto died like ours, and TW Jack never dies, like our memory of him.
GPM #3 – Deciding the baby I’m currently growing will be named Amelia if it’s a girl. We hadn’t even considered that name before Amy Pond.
I saw the name of your son on your Twitter profile when you followed me. I admit that after having a little “squee,” that fact played a major role in my decision to follow you back. 🙂 If I had discovered Torchwood before I had Cub, Ianto would have totally been on our list. I love the name but had never heard it before Torchwood.
Love the name Ianto, it’s absolutely on the list for next time. Does that make me geeky? (one Welsh name to confuse family members just isn’t enough)
Dad used to tell us how he lived in a cardboard box in a drain as a child. Even when I realised he wasn’t that poor I thought he had made up a good tale. I was 19 before I heard the Monty Python sketch and realised he’d just ripped it off.
I read to Lucas from The Space Child’s Mother Goose regularly. I got him a Star Trek science officer onesie. (Thank you, ThinkGeek!) There were also regular “Luke, I am your father” jokes from Aaron, and my dad will modify that to “Luke, I am your grandfather.” We have a photo of Lucas with a facehugger on his head.
Aaron’s first words were “Star Wars”, and his mum was originally gonna name him Harrison after Harrison Ford due to her love of Star Wars.
One of the names we are considering for a future girl child is “Nova”. I also kind of love “Luna”.
OMG! You reminded me of the Terry Prachet children’s book that the kids love but do not understand why it’s funny: Where’s My Cow. 🙂
How many do you want? (Miss8, Mr6 and Mr4)
Kids names all have geek referencing
All three have been exposed to and mostly enjoy Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, Star Trek (TOS), Star Wars, Tron, Princess Bride, Muppets, Rocky and Bullwinkle, etc etc :).
All three know what a “spawn point” is and how to use a control pad.
They are included in discussions of the special effects used in a movie or program, how they are done etc.
The older two can name at least 5 actors who have played the Doctor, as well as several companions
Join in Goon/Python/Who/Dwarf quoting that occurs in the house.
Umm is that enough for now?
Now I just want to know what your kids names are … 🙂
We do numbers three and six too. That look is going to be very well practiced in this house before teens too 😀
Does naming my children Merlin and Arwyn tell you enough? Fortunately, one of them picked up on it and it continues to run in the family.
Arwyn never told me her brother’s name. I only recently noticed it via Facebook when you friended me. Those names are so awesome!
“It’s not FAIR” is met with “Life isn’t fair Baldric, otherwise things like THIS wouldn’t happen” (although we only pretend to poke them in the eyes). (Black Adder)
Tonight Ms3 wasn’t eating her sausage, but wanted Christmas pudding. She got stereo “How can ye have any pudding if ye don’t eat yer meat?”. She looked a little terrified actually. (Pink Floyd)
My other half regularly quizzes the kids as to whether Han or Greedo shot first.
And yeah, 6 gets used quite a lot in our house too. 🙂
As soon as I read the word “pudding,” I knew what was coming next! *falls over laughing* Not that I’d ever say that to my kids … *cough*
I even said number 5 with all the correct inflections and stresses, etc. God i love that movie! 😀
Just found you through PhD in Parenting. I guess I am the reverse (Australian by birth, American by marriage) and living in snowy North East USA completes the opposite world analogy. I’m off to watch the Princess Bride. Thanks for the reminder, it’s been too long. Will be book-marking you :).
And now that you said you will be book-marking the blog, I feel guilty for hardly updating it. Sorry, I’m kind of boring, really. 🙂