(no subject)

[doctornerdington]

I'm supposed to be doing my household budget right now, but there are only so many ways I can divide 0 and come up with two US trips in the next month, so I have resigned myself to financial chaos and here I am. I've had an interesting fan/nerd experience this week. My eldest son is crazy for Yugioh: show, game, cards, books, etc. He makes fan art, and coordinates a club at school, etc etc etc. He's deeply, gratifyingly, movingly nerdy about it. Somehow, he discovered a regular Yugioh night at a local gaming store, and begged me to take him. He has also been struggling mightily with anxiety lately, and is very shy, so for him to ask this is a Big Deal, and it felt important for me to support him. 

Anyway, we went this week, and I was pretty worried that it was going to be disastrous. It was a room full of adults (young, but definitely not kids), most of whom seemed to know each other, and they were pretty boisterous, and all men. I was super uncomfortable. It didn't feel like a welcoming place for a kid and his mom to hang out, and I wasn't really sure if it was appropriate for me to be asking that of them, you know? Not my fan space; I have no idea about the norms.

But man! Those nerds were great! We got my kid registered, and people showed him how the setup works, and he played his games (and lost), and in between rounds people asked him if he wanted to play extra games with them, and they were super socially awkward but so is my kid, and it was so good for him! He was so happy afterwards, and so proud of himself that he'd done it! My nerd mom heart was ready to burst. 

So anyway. Thanks for being kind to my kid, Yugioh dudes. It meant a lot to him (me too).  

Comments

[breathedout]

Awwww, that's so lovely to have such a positive experience come out of something that was so nerve-wracking for you both! I'm glad the Yugioh nerds came through.

[doctornerdington]

I cannot tell you how relieved I was.

[violsva]

Oh, that's great.

[starshipfox]

That's really sweet! Yay for the Yugioh nerds. :)

[johnlockismyreligion]

I'm happy your son had a positive experience. For too long nerds have been bullied. Manybe some of these men had bad experience in their childhood about being nerds, so now they want to make things better.
Today I'll go to the annual comic convention held in my city, despite being over 40. I lost the count of the number of the conventions I attended here, and you know what? I never felt unconfortable among nerds, not when I was a teen, not now.

[doctornerdington]

Yeah, I think you're right. There's real anti-bullying solidarity among nerds, at least ideally, and I was so hugely relieved to find it here!

[dominatrixeditrix]

Yay--so glad your son was welcomed. :)

[unreconstructedfangirl]

Awww. ❤️