My daughter has always been proud to be a nerd, but now it is something for which she is being bullied. She is really confused about all of this.
I think that this can be thought about from two seperate angles -
1) How to I handle bullies? Any difference - or being too alike - can bring on this unwanted attention. One needs to learn how to handle these social situations - humor, grouping underdogs together, body language, whatever. So on one hand I would totally ignore the content of the bullying as a 'pretext.'
2) How can i get more validation into my families lives for their real selves. For this I would reccomend a serious campagne to do activities that your family might enjoy and met like-minded people. Anything from Reptile Clubs, Chess clubs, art museam talks, to 'classic Nerd heritage' activities like Dongeon and Dragon groups, Magic the Gathering Card game, or groups that meet to play German Table Games. At our house I am always on the lookout for activities that might put us into contact with others who we might enjoy. If you aren't in the mood, watch the movie/musical 'Hello Dolly' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello%2C_Dolly%21_%28musical%29
Just remember that finding friends is a lot like falling in love...
Love and More Love,
Grinity
