What kinds of parents produce dorks?

[RobMoney$]

We can assume that violent bullies come from broken homes or homes where the father is violent.
We can assume that overachieving kids come from parents that work their kids very hard and have very high standards.

But what kinds of parents produce dorks? Are the parents usually dorks, too?

A friend and her husband are molding a dork as we speak. 1yr. old boy. Not allowed to have any sports related toys.

Not that he doesn't like them, just that he's not allowed to have them. About 95% certain he has never seen a "traditional boy's toy". No ball, no bat, no glove,...hell no truck, no car, no nothing that is gender specific.

We bought him a football as a joke for his first birthday. Wife threw it out. They want the kid to be asexual apparently.

[insertnamehere]

what can he play with?

[cookiepuss]

well I've heard of trying not to assign gender roles through toys before...but the way I usually see it done is that they give the child equal exposure to both types of gender specific toys from barbies to G.I. Joe, etc.

and I've also come across quite a few parents that ban war related toys from their homes.

but banning sports related toys is one I have not heard of til now.

[adam_f]

I would say that kid is going to be some gay little bastard twerp, but he'll probably wind up being my boss someday.

[roosta]

my parents

[Lex Diamonds]

Q: What sexual position produces the ugliest children?











































































A: Ask your parents!

[RobMoney$]

I would say that kid is going to be some gay little bastard twerp, but he'll probably wind up being my boss someday.


I've got news for you chief, for every Bill Gates there's about a million of these (http://blog.wired.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/12/07/headshotweb.jpg).

[paul jones]

No ball, no bat, no glove,...hell no truck, no car, no nothing that is gender specific.

They want the kid to be asexual apparently.

that kid will grow up to hate his parents

[RobMoney$]

well I've heard of trying not to assign gender roles through toys before...but the way I usually see it done is that they give the child equal exposure to both types of gender specific toys from barbies to G.I. Joe, etc.

and I've also come across quite a few parents that ban war related toys from their homes.

but banning sports related toys is one I have not heard of til now.

You know, I remember all my friends and I used a thumb and a finger for a gun all the time as kids. Maybe children shouldn't have fingers? It's a slippery slope toward an underworld of crime and murder.

The wife and I debated the whole toy gun issue when my kids were little. Ultimately, we thought it was silly. I was obsessed with guns as a kid, but that never lead to violence. I understood the difference between play and reality. Kids raised by normal, loving parents will not produce murderers unless there's a chemical imbalance in the kid or something.

One time my son hit one of our friend's sons, and my friends freaked out. They said their kids don't hit each other. I mean THEIR KIDS HAVE NEVER HIT EACH OTHER.
I was astounded. Seems like this is feasable only if you want to raise little, weird veals. Aggression and phisicality are natural parts of growing up and to deny that almost assures you will be raising a weird kid.


Wasn't there a study done at one point, probably back in the 70's, where young boys were given traditionally female toys to play with (dolls, doll houses, etc.) while girls were given traditionally boy things to play with (guns, trucks, etc.) The study found that, rather than make the boys behave less aggressively, they did pretty much what they always did by tearing the heads off of the dolls and pointing them like guns at each other; ditto the girls, who "nurtured" their toys and made believe they were dolls.

[Dorothy Wood]

I think that if you're a parent, you have a responsibility to make sure your kid isn't too much of a dork. basically just being aware of trends and don't send your kid off to school in an outfit or a personality that you know he/she will get picked on for.

but I suppose dorky parents wouldn't know what's cool in the first place.

I dunno, I'm not saying you have to make your kid be concerned with being cool, but they should be given the skills and the chance to be social with other people.

I was really shy, but my mom made me do extracurricular activities and she dressed me in a stylish manner. I still became a dork, but I looked cool, so I wasn't completely banished from society for my awkward demeanor.

I don't know how the sports thing factors into being a dork though. but I also don't understand why someone would ban them. sports are fun and promote exercise...right? girls and boys both enjoy playing games usually. I don't think sports are a problem, I think it only becomes a problem when people place too much importance on sports.


also, I enjoyed guns and G.I. Joes when I was a kid. and He-man. sometimes I think the real difference between genders is that girls care more about the interpersonal relationships of the toys and people they're playing with, while boys care more about the literal action of playing. so like, I'd be concerned with he-man's backstory and making his house look really cool, and my male friend would be making him jump around and punch while making sound effects. laser tag though, all about the adrenaline. BANG!