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Children's Books for Geek Parents?
Lithium_Golem asks: "My wonderful daughter will be nine months old next month and I figure that it's time to buy her some new bedtime story material. My problem is that I can't find any children's books that describe fathers as white collar workers, let alone computer geeks. For example, many of the stories I find portray the ideal father as a fireman, carpenter or truck driver. I'm not looking for anything specific like 'I love my dad because he's a programmer,' I'm just looking for a story that will help her understand what I do for a living when she's older. So, readers of Slashdot, does anyone know of a children's book written by or for geeks, or should I write my own?"
Right now why don't you work on stimulating her imagination, rather than trying to help her understand what you do? There'll be plenty of time to talk about your boring job (no offense) to her later in life.
...and that's all there is to it.
Childrens' books won't be her only source of understanding. You want her to know what you do? spend time with her. Tell her yourself. Explain it to her as best you can for whatever age she's at when she wants to know.
;)
My dad's a physicist. I don't remember any kids' books (when I was nine months, nine years, or now) that really "feature" physicists on the same level as truck drivers and cops. I learned what he did because he told me. And I cared 'cause he was there to tell me
To paraphrase something rather different, "you may be the only book about programmers your daughter ever reads".
I read books about kings, and firemen, and soldiers, and... my father was none of those, and it didn't matter. My father taught me about what he did by teaching me himself about what he did. You don't need a book for that.
You might be pressed for finding a good book for yourself, but here's an idea:
Build something that none of the other fathers can make. Find a cool little project that your kid will love that only an IT guy could make.
For example, a home entertainment box, custom LCD panel fake windows (thanks slashdot;)) etc. I can't really imagine a fireman being able to make them, and they'll illustrate what you do a hell of a lot better than a kid's bedtime story. Plus your kid will be able to talk about the thing that that their dad made that the other kid's couldnt.
Why do you think your daughter needs to understand what you do? By "understand", based on your message, I'm assuming that you mean "programmer vs. farmer" type of understanding, and not just an understanding that people need to work for a living.
I am a computer geek trying to start my own business. I stay home and program all day, for the most part. My intelligent, college-degreed wife, has no clue what I do, which sometimes causes friction. How do you expect to explain anything meaningful to your daughter?
For that matter, I don't recall understanding what my father did until I was well into high school. Why would that matter?
I'd also like to echo a couple of comments to the effect of "you are the book". What can a book, a child's book of perhaps 500 child-level words no less, hope to explain?
Why not just show her, and answer damn near every question with "You might understand when you're older"? Most kids I know will accept that, and at this point, it is the literal truth. There are oh-so-many ways that a child at that age can't understand programming; learn about child developmental psychology. Children are not little adults. She's several cognitive frameworks short of understanding your job, and pushing the issue can only hurt your relationship and her interest.
Your daughter is very young. She doesn't care what you do for crust. She doesn't care what firemen and policemen do for crust either.
Your daughter cares about you and her immediate family. They are her entire world right now. Just spend time reading big colourful books with her. Cuddle her, change her, feed her, do all the things parents are supposed to do.
There's not point trying to teach her what you do. In the grand scheme of things it's not really important as long as you can support her and love her.
There is inherrent value in teaching her what people like police and firemen do though, she may need to call upon them early in her life.
Let her learn and understand you as she grows and develops. Kids aren't stupid. They're surprisingly smart, and they absorb so much more than anybody gives them credit for. She will figure it out in her own time, provided you are willing to share with her at her pace.
I drink to make other people interesting!
Your innate geek loyalty will come in handy here (although be sure you don't slough off all the punishment on your wife) just act normally around your kids and I'm sure they will adore you. Shower her with attention and she will respond quite well, kid's are hardwired for this stuff.
Degaussing scares the bad magnetism out of the monitor and fills it with good karma.
... that Daddy tells computers what to do.
Come on man, sometimes it's hard to explain this stuff to grownups, let alone children.
A Wrinkle in Time
A Wind in the Door
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Many Waters
If I recall correctly, the children's father was a bit of an intellect. The boy hero certainly was. This probably isn't suitable just yet since it has no pictures but I thought you needed to keep this in mind. Amazing stories requiring a great deal of imagination and a respect for intelligence. They're probably what have kept my feet so firmly planted in the air all these years.
Also, to put her to bed I suggect the ISO/IEC C standard. The 1999 committee draft is a doozie.
Direct away from face when opening.
In the meantime, don't bother trying to be the protagonist of a story in a book somewhere. From her point of view, you're Daddy. Do the daddy things well, and love her well, because what you do for a living is incredibly peripheral to her life---it's just something that you go to in the morning and come home from ("Yaaay! Daddy's home!") at night.
Read her stuff you enjoy reading and that she enjoys having you read to her. Read her Where the Wild Things Are and James and the Giant Peach. Read her lots and lots of Seuss. Read her stuff you enjoyed as a kid. Read her Pooh. Read her The Monster at the End of This Book, starring Grover. Do the voices when you read---she'll be giggling at your Grover impersonation even when she's in college.
When she asks her what you do for a living, don't point to some character in a book: Tell her. Show her. Invite her to the office along for an hour or two and show her off to everybody you work with.
I swear to you it doesn't matter what you read to her, as long as it amuses and stimulates her, and as long as you do it out of love.
This is not my sandwich.
> my $jane = Girl->new(age => 7);
> my $spot = Doggie::JackRusselTerrier->new();
> $jane->see($s pot); $jane->see($spot->run);
The Inform language would be ideally suited for this:
object jane "Jane"
class Girl,
with age 7
react_before [;
Run: if (actor == spot) { <<See spot>>; }
];
object spot "Spot"
class JackRusselTerrier;
initialize [; ChangePlayer(jane); ];
Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.
Like everybody else seems to be saying, just be with her, read to her. At nine months old, she's still learning to assemble basic causality, so I don't think it really matters who does what (a fireman saves lives, a dog buries bones, etc.). It just fascinates her to learn what is out there. You should pick up a basic developmental psychology book if you're really interested in figuring out what she would enjoy, and benefit from, being exposed to.
Personally, I feel that my technology bent makes me possibly more prone to being upbeat about wading through the piles of information available for us. If there is something about which I or my daughters (now 4 and almost 1.5) have questions, I'll take the time to find what I feel are the right books or websites (or disc-based encyclopedia) to learn the answers. In a way, I think that this teaches them as much about what I do as if I were to take the time to describe my day. These kinds of problem-solving approaches and attitudes towards information, as well as what you select as the best examples, are what will rub off just by spending time with your daughter.
Otherwise, if you're really interested in having her see a geek as a role model, one piece of advice -- why not at least wait until you can get her to successfully add 1 + 1?
My parents read to me everynight, since i was born, dosen't matter that i don't rember it, but at this point, I actualy read still UNLIKE EVERY OTHER PERSON I KNOW MY AGE (im 17).
If i ever become a parent, thouse years are going to be the most stressfull part of my life, period. People spend so much of there damned time making sure that they get the best for there kids, while in the first 5 years of there life, they just threw them infront of a televison.
read to her, all the time, make sure she loves what ever you read to her, sooner than later, have her sitting in your lap, to read the book along with you. You'll be proud too when shes the only two year old who can read basic sentances.
Don't be afraid to throw tons of postive influences at her, (i know, clieche'), i wish my parents HAD sent me to lern piano, when i was 4. i wish my parents HAD just left me at book stores for hours on end INSTEAD of babbysitters.
oh, probebly biggest thing, if you want to make sure shes not going to grow up mentally handycapped : cancel your cable bill. maybe by her a snes or somthing. movies are great, go by her the kubric collection or somthign :D.