Got a great quirky kid who needs friends?
I have a super friendly, sweet, funny son (13 years) who has made few friends at school. He is young for his years, and small for his age, not athletic (he is not very strong having dealt with a major illness) and sometimes misses some social cues. But he is warm, polite, flexible, and tolerant. For years I have been looking for ways to connect him with other quirky, "different," special kids who would be thrilled to have him as a friend.
I've been thinking, there must be other parents out there like me who want to help their quirky kids find friends. What if there was a website or a Facebook page, or some such where East Bay parents could reach out to each other as match-makers for their quirky kids? Parents could set up meet and greets for their kids in bowling alleys, or at a pizza parlor, or in each other's homes, whatever, wherever. I am just thinking of an informal online place to talk about our fabulous, quirky kids and see if someone else out there could be a friend.
Is this intriguing for you? Do you think it is a good idea? Know anything about starting list-serves or Facebook pages? Want to help me start Kwirky Kids? Is the idea great, but the name horrible? Want to tell me you hate that name but still think it is a good idea? Have a better idea? Email me!
Parent Replies
I don't necessarily have a super shy kid, but my son who is 13,5 met a lot of interesting and quirky kids playing "Magic the Gathering" card game.. We usually go to D20 in Alameda, it's a great place, the owner is warm and inviting, will teach you, if you don't know. He has his own very different 3kids.. But if Alameda is too far- I think there is 1or 2places like that in Berkeley/ Oakland area..
Hi - I think this is a wonderful idea! I have a daughter turning 13 in December. She has a few friends that I went to great lengths to maintain over the years so she sees them as her friends- I'm not so sure they consider her as good friends the way she does. Due to health issues we are currently home schooling so the relationships have limited ops to maintain :-( I also believe they are growing apart and out of each other but she doesn't really see this.
Anyway- I wish I could help steer head but I've been dealing with chronic fatigue and Lyme disease so my participation wouldn't be what I would like - but I am blessed with good days too! Also usually in the summer I have more energy.
I would love to be kept in the loop and help as able with your plan!
Sarah
My son is 8, but otherwise same, quirky as can be relative to peers. I think chess (chess clubs at school, Berkeley Chess Circle) is a path for the quirky non-sporty child? (perhaps also Boy Scouts, unless it's too late?) Oakland Hackerspace has regular classes in quirky topics for kids/teens. There's also careful selection of camps to "matchmake". My quirky child gets annoyed with me when I overtly try to connect him with kids I think he'd like - part of that social skills gap, probably. I guess there's also an issue of how many friends does a kid really "need". Mine has one or two at school (who are not in his classroom, unfortunately) and one outside of school. That's about it. But he doesn't seem to mind - I think he should have more, more than he thinks he should have more! Good luck. They are fabulous, aren't they!
Love this idea (though don't love the name). I have a similar son who is 12.