Passing the Geek Parent Baton: Welcoming Kids to Your Favorite Fandoms
![Superman dad with daughter](https://ideas.hallmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/welcome-kids-to-fandom-1.jpg)
For a geek dad, geek mom or geek parent whose heart and mind are filled by the songs and stories of popular culture, there’s nothing quite like seeing your kid run through the house with a towel playing the part of a hero’s cape or a wooden spoon transformed into a magic wand or a rock star’s microphone.
Geek parents like these await any sign that a seed of shared interests has been planted and a new fan has bloomed. But is there a right way to cultivate a young fan and encourage kids to love what we love?
As a couple of geek dads old enough to have seen the first Star Wars movie in theaters and eaten bowls of sugary cereal in front of Saturday-morning cartoons, our short answer is: We hope so.
Inspired? Create and share by tagging @HallmarkStores.
We all have origin stories
Is pop-culture fandom a product of nature or nurture? Were any of us initially wired to love what we love? We may not remember all the details of when we watched our first Super Friends cartoon or college basketball game, but the great likelihood is that we didn’t turn on the TV or walk into the arena by ourselves.
Our parents found ways to introduce us to characters and musicians and sports stars. Once something started to take hold with us, they supported our interests with birthday and holiday gifts, with school supplies and T-shirts and bedding. They may not have been fans themselves, but our parents enabled us when we were in that sweet spot of childhood.
![family dressed up as star wars characters](https://ideas.hallmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/welcome-kids-to-fandom-2.jpg)
Is it too soon for a velociraptor?
Whether through cartoons, movies or small plastic figures, dinosaurs have maintained a generations-long grip on kids’ imaginations. That does not mean your child is ready to see a pack of realistically rendered giant lizards terrorize families enjoying an island vacation—or get eaten by one in a video game.
As with anything else, it’s always best to know your audience and trust the ratings. What might give some kids a rough night of sleep just as easily might give other kids the inspiration to create stop-motion videos with their favorite toys and a smart phone.
When your child (or you) just can’t stay away from sharing something on the edge of appropriateness, talk out the details ahead of time even if it means spoiling a plot point. Sometimes we parents get more scared about our kids being scared than the kids actually do get scared. Go figure.
What does it all really mean?
A lot of our favorite stories run deeper than plotlines of good vs. evil. They might be intended as metaphors for what might lurk within our own insecurities or what problems we’ve brought on ourselves. All our kids might want from a movie, though, is the chance to see some wormy creature popping out of some screaming dude. And that’s okay!
So many of what were our favorite movies or albums or storybooks as kids remain fun to revisit as adults. The better of those works reveal more layers and different lessons to us over time not because the works have changed but because we have.
The greatest stories grow with us, just as they will with our children. Don’t fret when they don’t see now what you see—because they will.
![family reading harry potter book on couch with costumes](https://ideas.hallmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/welcome-kids-to-fandom-3.jpg)
With fan power comes geek parent responsibility
One huge advantage kids have today—and a big responsibility we have as geek parents—comes from the ever-growing number of diverse characters and diverse content-creators. Our fantasy and future worlds are a lot less white and straight than in previous generations, and our kids will be better people and better imaginers as a result. We need to explore these fresh voices ourselves so we can steer our kids toward them—and learn from those voices ourselves, too.
Fandom should be a big tent under which everyone is welcome. We have lifelong friends with whom we first connected because we loved watching and reading the same stuff, and so will our kids. And now, we can throw online gaming in that mix.
But being a fan now means dealing with users of social media who try to shame us for what we enjoy. We can guide our young fans away from painful tweets and memes—and we would do well to discourage them from adding to that negative energy.
![family acting out dinosaur movie on couch](https://ideas.hallmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/welcome-kids-to-fandom-4.jpg)
When the shine starts to wear off
And then the day comes when we see our kids pulling down the posters and packing away the toys to make room for the new stuff they love. We parents can feel a little sting in those moments.
Take comfort in knowing everyone is likely to come back to whatever it is they loved so earnestly; it happens to us all when we remember what made us a fan in the first place.
Then you can look forward to seeing your own children fueling their kids’ interests just as we did with them and our parents did with us. We will see the process of the baton pass—and feel like kids again ourselves.
Shop This Idea
See allYou may also like
See more-
Christmas Sweet dreams, Santa!
Catch Santa napping on the job with this Snoring Santa Keepsake Ornament featuring sound and motion. With every snore...
-
Kwanzaa What is Kwanzaa?
What is Kwanzaa? A festival of lights rich in African symbolism, it takes place each year from December 26th through ...
-
Christmas Advent calendar activities for adventurous families
It’s time to start the countdown. Maybe it’s about being mindful…or counting your blessings…or preempting your kids a...
-
Summer Ways to celebrate Juneteenth
While Juneteenth was officially recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, this pivotal moment in history has been cele...
-
Christmas Christmas and Kwanzaa: Keeping family holiday traditions and finding your own
Whether you’re single or starting a family, religious or agnostic, someone who celebrates Christmas and Kwanzaa or ju...
-
Halloween Make ghosts and goblins feel right at home this Halloween
Light up your home with haunting Halloween seasonal decor. 🎃👻 Shop now at Hallmark Gold Crown stores or at Hallmark.com.
-
Halloween No scaredy cats around here!
When this black cat crosses your path, you know fun can't be far behind. 😻 🧙♀️ Shop the Zip-A-Long Cat in Hallmark G...
-
Halloween While you’re waiting for The Great Pumpkin this Halloween…
Fly around the pumpkin patch with Zip-a-long Snoopy! 🎃 Shop more frightening finds in Hallmark Gold Crown stores and ...
-
Halloween Light up the night with frightful fun!
Could it be? Could it be!? Yes it is! It’s the Peanuts® Snoopy and Woodstock Halloween figurine! 🎃 🐶 Find it and more...
-
Halloween Where cozy meets mischief and magic
Make some magic this Halloween with this Hocus Pocus hooded blanket. 🧙♀️👻Find more Halloween essentials in Hallmark ...
-
Gifting Relive a favorite from your childhood!
Fill your home with a few small joys inspired by Disney’s “It’s a Small World” 🩵🎎 Shop the collection at Hallmark Gol...
-
Halloween Which house will you be sorted into?
The Harry Potter™ Sorting Hat™ Mug plays sound whenever you lift the lid. Find this chatty mug in Hallmark Gold Crown...
-
Encouragement How to support caregivers
It’s often hard to know how to support a caregiver. Most caregiving checklists out there hit the major topics like me...
-
Love 50 different ways to say I love you
You don’t need to wait for a special occasion to remind that certain someone how much he or she is loved. Spice up yo...
-
Graduation 15 graduation quotes
Celebrate your favorite grad’s milestone with the wit and wisdom of Hallmark writers, fans and others. We’ve rounded ...
-
Congratulations How to congratulate someone
Congratulating others is easy and fun, right? Like when your friend worked really hard and got that awesome job makin...
-
Care & Concern Be more caring with a kindness journal
It's obvious the world could use more kindness. So this year, why not make "be more caring" your number one resolutio...
-
Fall Día de Muertos: A celebration of life and love
Día de Muertos, Day of the Dead, is a holiday originally celebrated in the southern and central parts of Mexico and i...
-
Card Ideas Card messages for kids: What to write in a kid’s holiday card and more
My 3-year-old was having a hard time at preschool drop-off. Dragging his feet. Asking to stay home. This went on a fe...
-
Christmas 6 Creative Christmas Card Display Ideas
Holiday card season is here: Our mailboxes are about to fill up with festive envelopes with pretty stamps and familia...