Her Fandom

Kids are naturally geeks. I mean geeks in the "It's not what you love, but how you love it," sense. (Which is, incidentally, the only correct sense in my presence.)

What I mean is that kids know what they love and they throw themselves into it. Whether it's Superman or Angelina Ballerina; Legos or trains; princesses or ninjas. When kids figure out what they like, they go for it, full steam ahead. T-shirts, underwear, toys, toothbrushes. Cosplay? Kids invented cosplay.

Maren walked around the house for a half hour the other night wearing a Nemo pillow on her head, pretending to look for Dory. Brynna has spent more time watching Monster High videos than I have spent watching kitten videos. And I really like kitten videos.

So, right now, Brynna is into Percy Jackson and Greek mythology. Like full steam ahead into. Her birthday party (which is tomorrow) is a Camp Half-Blood themed party. The Ex's girlfriend got her a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and a Camp Jupiter t-shirt for her birthday. She's going to be Athena for Halloween.

And it's so much fun to watch. Partly because she doesn't think she's a geek. No matter how much I try to convince her otherwise. But here she is, planning her cosplay and wearing her t-shirt while trying to decide who her godly parent would be if she were a demigod.

I can't call it her first fandom, because like I said, Kids. She's been a Barbie fan and a princess fan and a train fan and a Potterhead. For the most part, though, her really geeky tendencies have been an extension of me or her dad. She knows more Star Wars than most kids her age thanks to her dad. She can sing every song from the Buffy musical thanks to me. Donna Noble is her favorite companion and she loves the Weeping Angels. (We both watch Who, but I'm claiming it, because I'm the one who sometimes punishes the kids by not letting them pick what's on TV, and thus forced her to watch an all-day marathon.)

But this is full-force, self-propelled Geekdom, right here.

This is my girl finding her own place and wallowing in it.

I've been home sick the last two days and yesterday in a fit of panic over the upcoming party, I painted beads for her party. Nothing fancy. I took blue wooden beads and painted a trident on them with white nail polish. (Then, after she went to bed, I stripped it all off and started over because I painted them all on sideways.)

My mom brought her home so I wouldn't have to go out and when she walked in, she zeroed in on those beads like they were made of bright flashy lights. She saw nothing else. And, I gotta tell you, I was worried, because they aren't great, but she was thrilled. Absolutely thrilled.

I can't wait to see her tomorrow. Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, necklace and starry eyes. Prepping for her first capture the flag battle. That's my girl.

My very geeky girl.