Geeky Parent Guide (159)
The Geeky Parent Guide is a semi-monthly editorial series by Fanbase Press Contributor (and father of two) Travis Lakata that will help parents and other caregivers to safely and positively navigate various avenues of pop culture with their children.
Halloween is an exciting time for families. Kids and their parents get to decide what kind of costume they want to wear, to think about all of the candy they’re going to eat, and to enjoy some spooky tales on the TV. Even if a parent doesn’t want to dress up for Halloween, it’s an exciting time to let our kids choose whatever character they want to be. As a parent of two (currently 5 and soon-to-be-7), my wife and I have seen our kids dress up as Pete the Cat, a dinosaur, Miraculous Ladybug, a multi-colored, polka-dotted cat, a skeleton, and several others. As a parent, it’s one of the easiest opportunities to let your kids have some form of independence. Plus, giving kids the freedom to wear them again in the future, even if it’s not Halloween, allows them to extend the fun feelings they have when dressed up in character.
As Halloween approaches, there are a variety of characters that your kids might want to dress as for trick-or-treating – or perhaps avoid completely. As a parent, it’s not always easy to know when is the exact moment to introduce your kids to scary characters or creatures, but dressing up for Halloween might be one of the best ways to make that introduction. Let’s take a look at some classic villains, and intimidating heroes, that your younger kids or teens might be interested in dressing up as.
Doom II sees its 25th anniversary this year, with its original release on September 30, 1994. With the advancements in gaming technology, games look much different than Doom II in its original MS-DOS form. In most recent history, popular games over the past decade have included The Legend of Zelda: Breadth of the Wild, Red Dead Redemption, God of War, and many other franchises. Doom also saw a release in 2016 and is set to release Doom Eternal in November. If you take a look at the trailer for this new video game, you’ll realize how far this game has come since Doom II’s initial look on a computer screen. For any parents unaware, this video is not suitable for children to watch.
Technology is ever-present in today’s world, so it’s difficult to determine the best ways to introduce our kids to play-based devices. It might also be challenging to find things that aren’t connected to the internet which helps to alleviate any concerns about accidentally wandering on sites or making purchases. Today, we’ll take a look at a few devices that my kids have enjoyed this year to highlight some safe low-key options that still provide a ton of fun.
The space community has had a productive year, discovering significant data to better understand the great universe outside of our home planet. From that data, there are many opportunities for researchers to develop images or real-life simulations to better understand the magnitude of what’s happening in far-reaching locations, like the International Space Station (ISS), Mars, and the Sun.
Stories that present children as wonderful thinkers, trying to find answers to their many questions in life, are a very wonderful thing. As a parent, Bolivar from Archaia (an imprint of BOOM! Studios) is a fantastic tale of a dinosaur living in New York City – and like many things in life, people are too busy to notice. Sean Rubin writes and illustrates this story and gives parents and their children a phenomenal look into those who might be overlooked in life, including the one girl who can see this dinosaur.
“Comic-Con International: San Diego began in 1970 when a group of comics, movie, and science fiction fans -- including the late Shel Dorf, Ken Krueger, and Richard Alf -- banded together to put on the first comic book convention in southern California. Comic-Con started as a one-day ‘minicon,’ called San Diego’s Golden State Comic-Minicon, on March 21, 1970 at the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego.” (Comic-Con Int'l)
Forrest Gump is celebrating its 25th anniversary this July, and for someone that saw it four times in theater (at age 14), it’s a perfect time to review the significance of this movie to parents and their kids. Tom Hanks is the titular character in this film, earning him the Academy Award (1994) that was his second in back-to-back years.
“Parenting is difficult under the best of circumstances--but extremely daunting when humanity faces cataclysmic annihilation. When the dead rise, hardship, violence, and the ever-present threat of flesh-eating zombies will adversely affect parents and children alike.” – Steven J. Kirsh, Ph.D.
As a parent, there are multiple reasons to watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 5. There are many characters that get limited screen time but prove they’re just as valuable when they get a chance to shine. In a world full of social media, sometimes, it’s easy to feel lost in the deep background of a world filled with so many moments that get thousands of likes and retweets. Where do we (or I) fit in this fast-paced life? Well, having incredible moments with R2-D2 and other droids during Season 5 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is the perfect solution for parents or their kids that might feel unappreciated or perhaps just left behind.
