Frogwatch wrote:
On Sep 26, 9:31 am, katy wrote:

Being the ultimate geek would have been a problem a generation ago
when they were held in low esteem but geeks have been fairly
successful today. In my case, I was able to get my attention span all
the way up to 20 minutes in grad school (physics). You know those
classes that are often taught at conferences where they cram a
semesters worth of stuff into 8 hours, I dont even consider them. My
being unable to watch movies makes my wife crazy, especially when I
get bored 10 minutes before the end and get up and walk away. I am
unable to read facial expressions or "the look in someones eyes" and
until I was 20 did not even know that such existed and had to train
myself to look at peoples eyes but still dont see anything. At a
cocktail party someone can introduce themselves and 5 minutes later
could introduce themselves as someone different and I would be
clueless. This has had some embarassing consequences.
Fortunately, my two older kids did not inherit this. Unfortunately,
my 11 yr old daughter did. She obsesses over Google Earth and gets so
obsessed with certain topics she makes you crazy talking about them
(right now it is caves). A male can get away with this because if he
is independent enough he can simply go his own way but I fear that
life will be very tough for a girl like this. She has no idea that
other little girls think she is weird and as her few friends get older
and more interested in normal girl stuff they will abandon her and it
will break my heart. When I see her staring at maps, I feel happy
that she is like me but then I realize her fate to not have the social
network that girls need. She is already alien to my wife who doesnt
understand her. My wife couldnt find her way out of a paper bag but
we let little Katie have the map and be navigator on trips.

Stop sterotyping females, fiirst of all...not all females fit in your
little scenario...my daughter is an engineer,,she has no use for
girly-girl "networking" or whatever...one granddughtr is like her, the
other very "girly girl" with tons of female friends that all stab each
other in the back (behind each others backs)...make yourself sit through
the movie "Mean Girls" and then readjust your thinking about what you
want for your daughter...stir her into the science clubs at
school...she'll probably have boys for her best friends...that's not a
bad thing...she probably has an IQ above and beyond your other two girls
and your wife...


Took y'alls advice and am letting a shop work on my old truck, they
better not screw it up.
Should I allow somebody else to do the bottom paint and new prop on
the S2? Once I allowed somebody else to bottom paint her and it all
peeled off in 6 months. I get about 3 years out of a good paint job I
do myself.
Am gonna have to pay someone else to fix the kicker on the Tolman, I
just cannot figger out the recoil starter.

About kids: Always knew my 20 yr old daughter was smart AND socially
well adjusted, maybe too much so cuz I think she is having too much
fun at school but she is just being young. She has decided to major
in Biology specializing in biochem. Told me last week that she is
"enjoying organic chemistry". Then in a move sure to make me happy,
she has taken up sailing and WANTS to take her new bf caving. Am
obviously a proud father.
My 17 yr old son is a puzzle to me cuz I think he has normal 17 yr old
boy interests, cars, girls, and being cool. Being cool was not an
option for me at that age so we clearly do not understand each other.
No interest in Sci or tech unless it seems cool and very much a people
person. Weird, weird, weird and drives me nuts. He says he hates
sailing and doesnt even want to drive the Tolman. Not sure what to do
with him.
11 yr old Katie is in her own world. She rescued a "snake" from the
other kids at school and then spent the afternoon trying to convince
them that it was really a "legless lizard" (I think she is right).
When I got home she was playing with a Praying mantis she had found
trying to feed it Love Bugs. Her little friend came over (and she is
a girly girl) telling Katie she isnt allowed to climb trees at home so
she comes over to see Katie who is allowed to do so (lawsuit coming I
am sure). Fortunately, this friend is a good influence convincing
Katie to wash the mud off herself before going to a movie. It is
normal for a daddy to worry about his little girl.
I wish I was young enough to have more kids.

What in heck kind of parents forbid an 11 year old, either sex, to climb
trees? The kid will not only go out an dclimb trees, put will probably
try to climb the biggest one in the neighborhood...as far as your son is
concerned, don't worry about him...expecting kids to be clones of you is
unrealistic...we raised 5 kids, 4 boys and 1 girl...each is different
than the other and each is different than their parents...some share our
interests, some do not...that's life...it makes for a much more
interesting family...