some kids are bullies, but mine is a geek. she is a genuine, enthusiastic, empowered, kid. you may have heard about the book bringing up geeks , i came across it a while back at our local book shop as a staff favorite and thought i'd give it a go. i started reading it and really liked the acronym...i wasn't loving the book however, haven't finished it and can't recommend it. the taste it was leaving in my mouth, so to speak, was that of another book i started reading ages ago, hated and burned [thankfully, my friend who loaned it to me doesn't read this blog....she may still be wondering where her book went...no i think she, too knew it was a bunch of baloney] since i didn't want a perfectly loving wife picking it up at the local thrift shop only to fall prey to the ill advice i felt was being offered by the author of how to be a caring and loving wife, but that's a whole other story. i'm not off to burn the geek book in our next bonfire, i will read it and then evaluate from there, because really, the acronym has stuck in our family and i really like it. my kids walk around and will share with people they are geeks. usually they are met with a "what?! no you aren't!", but they quickly respond with "yes i am! i am genuine, enthusiastic and empowered. and! i'm a kid!!" my older two children are campers this week here at the camp we run and i was informed today that my oldest was being bullied by a girl from another cabin. i guess this other girl came up to her and told her how out of style her shirt was and it was really not cool. my daughters response was, "i don't care" as the bully then turned to O's cousin cousin and said, "but your shirt, that's really cool" flipped her hair and walked off... [okay, the flipping of the hair i made up, but i imagine that's what this bully did]. my daughter and her sister/ cousin /cousin cousins went on to encouarge one another, ending with feeling a bit sad for the bully, recognizing she perhaps doesn't have many friends and might just be feeling a little crappy herself to want to put someone else down. recently my two oldest watched the latest american girl movie, chrissa. this isn't the first time my dd's been bullied by another young girl with a little 'tude, but i bet my girl understood a little more how to walk through that senerio since seeing that movie. speaking up, standing tall, being true to yourself and having the confidence to ask for help [sidenote, we really love the american girl books and movies....our whole family has learned plenty from reading, listening and watching those stories unfold]. i know that genuinely my daughter didn't care if her shirt was cool, out of style or the hippest thing on the block. i also know that my daughter felt empowered to enthusiastically let the bully know that she didn't care, without being rude herself. my daughter is a geek and i'm proud of it.