My 12 year old son...finally told us he does not want to be a "nerd" and be "smart." Do you have any research, guidance, advice--anything that will help us know how to handle this phase so that he will stay on the right track with his work ethic and his development?
Seems to me that your son is mixing up two different things: being nerdy and being smart. He was born smart, but he can choose not to be nerdy. And if he doesn't want to be nerdy, chances are he probably isn't. No one ever said that people with IQs over 120 have to wear pocket protectors, waiting-for-the-flood trousers* and glasses that weren't even stylish in 1958.
Coolness is about attitude as much as anything else!
It's possible to be good at schoolwork and learn how to jump while ice skating, build your own treehouse, or be on the track (or whatever) team. Impossible as it may seem, it's even possible if there's a TV or a gaming system in the house.
Added: it's also possible to have nerdy moments and yet still avoid pocket protectors. I have been known to enjoy doing calculus problems and think about physics. Others may, possibly, see this behavior as being on the nerdy side. Yet people at the rink have been known to tell me NOT TO JUMP SO HIGH!! And my mother never stopped me from riding my bike down the biggest hill in town at warp speed. I don't see any conflict in having different interests that can be seen as running the spectrum between ultra-nerdy and ultra-cool. Again, there's a lot of attitude gluing it all together.
Val
This could be a New Hampshirism (I grew up there). Translation: it means that your pants are too short.
