Friday, June 30, 2017

Ranking higher on the geek index

I would like to think that our family has a wide variety of interests. And while I give us a lot of credit for trying new things, I do recognize that a lot of our free time is spent on pursuits that fall on the geeky scale. I am OK with that as "geeky" is way cooler than it used to be.

I never thought about the geek influence my husband and I have on our son. But, it turns out we influence him a lot - at least in my husband's case. Researchers studying British twins have found that children of older fathers (first-time dads in their 30s) tend to score higher on the geek index

A few immediate thoughts about this:
  1. I didn't know that there was something called a geek index. But it is a real combination of IQ, focus and social aloofness. 
  2. Fathers' ages matter. Mothers' ages don't.
  3. Huh.
I guess it makes sense - fathers who are older when they have their children are more likely to have more education and have a high geek index themselves. What amazes me is that this is entirely a by-product of Dads - Mom's geekiness is not a factor.

So...in an age where geek is good, I guess this is good news. (Except for that social aloofness one - that is not necessarily great.)

How do you feel about having your child described as a geek? Tell me in the comments.

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