Heroes and Dragons

When I was growing up, I was practically raised by the T.V. and my very few friends, and my school teachers. That is, after my Mom and Dad got divorced and she had to go back to work full time when I was about 9 years old. From T.V. and school, I had gotten many wrong ideas over the course of my childhood. Some of those included stereotypes, which I find very hard to let go of. I mean, just watch one episode of Carlos Mencia and see if all those stereotypes don't ring true! At least for some people. I'm not saying everyone fits the stereotype of their looks, heritage, size, gender, etc. but a lot of people do! Let me just give you one example. A person that is into Star Wars, Star Trek, Role Playing games, and Science Fiction in general, would have once been considered, by me, to fit the stereotype of "geek." (Mostly the people I hung out with in college). Then there are those people who strive terribly to fit in, but don't have a clue about anything that any group is interested. That type fit the "dork" category, and mostly who I hung out with throughout pre-college days. (and that'd also be ME!) Now I have much more of a clue, and am even interested in a lot of Sci Fi things, and seemingly totally coincidentally, many of the group that I hang out with most also happens to be into Star Wars, Dungeons and Dragons, etc. I'm also into lots of other things, but never mind. Does that mean we're Geeks? Or Nerds? The thing is, getting finally down to my point, do we change the word? Or do we embrace it? Because if we embrace it, then I am raising total and complete Geeks!!! And if we change it, then that means we allow it to continue having it's seemingly negative connotations. And never mind the fact that I'm their Mother, but just having lived as long as I now have (because I'm ever so old and wise now, you know) :), I don't think being into Sci Fi or Star Wars or Dungeons and Dragons is as bad as it seemed in my school days. My kids are out-going and happy and loving and sensitive (something the "geeks" in college didn't seem to be) and they can recite almost every line of all the Star Wars movies, except episode III which I haven't allowed them to see in it's entirety yet. And they really enjoy playing Dungeon's and Dragons. And now they are into Pokemon and Star Wars trading cards. And they are only 8, 5, and 3 years old! Geeks? Or just really smart, curious, and creative kids? I don't know, but if it keeps them doing their chores (my prize) so we can go to stores like Heros and Dragons, www.heroesanddragons.com, to buy them more trading cards, (their prize) then little Geeks they can be!