My husband and I have been scheduled to lead a panel at a con this fall, and we need your help gathering material for it.

The theme of the panel is "Parents of Geeks." It will be a collection of stories from nerdy children--"Things you wish you could tell your parents"--and their questions, and an equal amount of submissions from parents of geeks--"Things we wish we could tell our kids," and "If you could ask your kid one thing, what would it be?"

The panel will be geared as much to reaching out to parents as it will be to helping kids deal with their parents. Both my husband and I know from personal experience that there can be a lot of strife and misunderstanding when a kid is into more obscure hobbies and fandoms that their parents may not share, and this unresolved conflict can lead to deeper issues of depression, anxiety, and broken relationships. This panel will allow both parents and kids to speak out with their experiences and emotions, as well as have an opportunity to ask questions. The goal will be to help both parties understand the other more, clear up some common misunderstandings, and start dialog with parents in hopes of bridging the gap between geeky young adults and their worried parents.

To make this panel happen, we're looking for submissions from real kids and their parents. From kids, we're asking them to share any personal experiences and "One thing you wish you could tell your parents." From parents we're also looking for personal experiences, as well as "One question you wish you could ask your kids," and "One thing you wish you could tell your kids." If you--or your parents!--would be interested in submitting to this, please comment here or send me a message. I'm happy to contact your parents directly; you don't have to relay messages if that's weird. All comments will be used anonymously and edit for any personally identifying information.