I love being a geeky mommy and figuring out what that means for me with Harley. It’s a daily journey as I try to learn how to be a mommy, and a geeky mommy at that. However, there are some awesome ladies who are further along on the path and have some really cool ideas that I’m totally going to steal. Welcome to the Geeky Mommy Files, where every Friday, I will be introducing you to one.

Helga is the ultimate book worm. Founder of The Secret Book Club, she makes me want to be a better geek. Plus, her answers to my questions make me smile.

What makes you geeky?

I’d like to say a nuclear accident when I was a baby or being mauled by Wolverine as a teen and experiencing an allergic reaction to Adamantine (cool origin story!) but that’s not what happened. I’m mildly obsessed with all the things that were at one time considered inherently geeky. Comics, books, movies, genres like Fantasy and Sci-fi. Today though, all these things have become increasingly mainstream so I’m not sure that us geeks can claim exclusive dominion over them.

Is your partner also into geek culture?

I’m a female geek, married to a non-geek. This is unusual and at times, a little tough. Many lady geeks were introduced to the world through a male geek, a brother, boyfriend or husband since this sub-culture is still largely dominated by men. My story is a little different. I grew up a lone geek because I spent a large portion of my childhood in hospital or recuperating alone, reading books and inhaling comics like my life depended on it. So now my other half has to put up with my weird and wonderful ways, which he does, good-naturedly I might add — but he is a little bewildered from time to time as to why it is exactly I’m squealing and hopping from foot to foot over a book, a video game or TV series.

How have you shared geek life with your spawnlings so far?

I was hoping to raise a kick-ass geek upon whom I could bestow all my geek knowledge. Unfortunately my hatchling, although he loves reading just like his geek-mom, has no other geeky tendencies. Unfortunately it happens. Even if the force is strong with certain geeks that’s no guarantee that you will pass on the awesomeness. So now both my husband and my son look at me with pity and long-suffering patience when I don Yoda ears to movie premieres or when I crochet Doctor Who fingerless gloves. It’s ok, they just don’t understand that secretly I’m a super hero. It’s my burden to bear.

What are your plans for future geekery with them? (if any)

I still hold out hope that years of exposure to my geekiness, like gamma rays, will slowly seep into the DNA of my son and he will one day burst forth into geekdom. Don’t laugh! It could happen!

How does being a geek change your parenting style? (if at all)

I suppose it has. I think I have a lot more empathy toward my child because basically I’m a big kid. I understand when he gets really excited or incredibly disappointed or experiences ALL the feels at the same time – because these things happen to me on a daily basis. Also, not many boys his age (he’s seven) have his reading skills and I really believe it’s because I was reading Harry Potter to him when he was still in my belly. Books are a big part of our lives.

If you could give other moms one piece of advice, what would it be?

Be who you are and let your kids be who they are. I’m a geek married to a muggle, raising a muggle and yet somehow we all love one another and make it work. The worse thing you can do is try force people to be something they are not.

You can find Helga on twitter.

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