Guest Blog~ Geek Mom Worries

NerdLush friend, Jackie, is back with another guest post about raising a geek baby.

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As a geek mom raising a geek baby can be both exciting and frustrating. My daughter just turned 1 and I love introducing her to new things and experiences. I can’t wait as she grows to read some of my favorite books, share my favorite movies, and watch her develop her inner geek. It will be fascinating to watch. Will she like comic books? Superheroes? DC or Marvel? What will her favorite show be? Book? Movie? Which Doctor will she like the most? Will she love going to comic cons and immersing herself in the geek atmosphere? Or will she grow up and reject it all? No matter what her decision is, I just want to make sure she’s well informed and will love whatever it is that she decides to ….well…love.

The frustrating part of raising a geek baby is that my baby is a girl. Finding outfits for my daughter is nearly impossible. For some reason, clothing makers seem to think that superhero or “geek” clothing for young girls or babies should only be pink and with tutus. Tutus on babies are adorable, I’m the first to admit that, but superheroes like Batman and Superman DO NOT wear tutus! And their outfits are not PINK!! I don’t mind clothing designers making clothes more feminine for us ladies. I like that I now can find Superman shirts with the correct design in a cut that fits my body and doesn’t look like I’m wearing my brother’s shirt. But why can’t they do that for my daughter. In looking through stores I’ve discovered that until she’s about 13, she will be subjected to superhero/geek clothes that are pink, glittered and tutu’d! If my daughter wants to wear pink, that’s fine. If she wants tutus, that’s fine. But why doesn’t she have the option to choose NOT to wear those designs. The only place I was able to find a onesie for my daughter for her first comic con was online. And while there are a TON of adorable onesies in appropriate and authentic designs, my daughter won’t be wearing onesies forever. Then what are we supposed to do. Now I know that in the superhero and comic book world, women are highly sexualized.

very cute… but not for little girls

That’s something that I will talk to my daughter about as she gets older and she can make her own decision on how she feels about it. Who knows, maybe she’ll be the first comic book creator to have a female heroine who isn’t wearing a bikini?! But being that my daughter is only 1 years old, I don’t think that putting her in a skimpy outfit is appropriate. I see so  many clothes out there for little boys that are so freaking cute! Do I buy my daughter hoodies, t-shirts and pajamas that are made for boys because I can’t find anything for little girls to wear? A lot of times, I find a ton of boy’s clothes and NONE for girls.

In a big named chain store the other day, I was looking for clothes for my daughter. I came across these adorable thermal hoodie shirts with Batman and Superman on them. They were clearly made for little boys. Next I saw some adorable Superman pajamas with detachable capes. Again they were clearly made for boys. In the girls section I saw Hello Kitty, Dora and Doc McStuffin (I have no idea who she is). They were cute clothes, obviously made for girls, but what if my daughter didn’t want those, what if she wants Batman or Superman. I have no problem buying her boys clothes if that’s what she wants. But as she gets older, boys’ clothes won’t fit the same and she may feel ashamed of wearing them. I don’t ever want my daughter to be worried about what she looks like but I know that is the reality of raising a girl.

I want to raise a strong, independent woman who knows what she wants and works hard to achieve her goals. I don’t want my daughter to be held back because society thinks only boys should wear certain clothes and girls should only wear pink and glitter.

So my question is, how do I raise a geek baby if certain things are limited? What are my options?

Tags: Friends, Geek Mom, Geekery, Guest Post, Nerdtastic Ramblings, Personal, Superheroes