It all started with a conversation about someone’s customized  iPhone case. We were out for ice cream in June, celebrating the last day of school. Our oldest son glanced over at the next table and said, “Hey, she has the TARDIS on her phone.”

I’m sorry. What?

Cue the eye roll, expertly paired with the heavy sigh.

“Dr. Who, Mom. Duh.”

The husband and I exchanged knowing glances, stomped our walkers on the ground, turned up our hearing aids and barked, “Kids these days!”

Just kidding.

Seriously, though. That’s when it became abundantly clear that we’d moved beyond Star Wars, Legos and Diary of a Wimpy Kid and into the mysterious realm of I-have-no-idea-what-this-kid-is-talking-about. But surely we can figure it out. I was cool once.

Right? Maybe for, like, ten minutes in 1994?

*crickets*

Alrighty, then. So back to my story…

What I hoped would be a passing fancy has morphed into a bit of an obsession. The Star Wars books and the Legos are still around, but they’re collecting dust while the tweener binge watches Dr. Who. He is the proud owner of a sonic screwdriver and even splurged on an upgraded version a few weeks ago.

I don’t get it.

But in the midst of parenting the complex being that is a ten year old boy, I find myself jumping at the chance to have a meaningful conversation that isn’t all about … well, all the things he’s not doing right. If he wants to talk about fish fingers and custard or the network’s questionable decision in casting Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor, then I’m all ears.

I grew up on Family Ties, The Cosby Show and Cheers. The closest we ever got to watching science fiction during prime time was Alf. This Dr. Who business is way outside my comfort zone. Yet I find myself gravitating to blog posts, Tweets and other social media outlets that discuss the show, just so we can have something to talk about when he gets home from school.

In case you’re wondering what the heck I’m talking about, here’s the official link to the BBC’s television show, Dr. Who.

Sarah Bessey, a mother and gifted author/speaker, does a great re-cap on her blog every week. “An unapologetic Dr. Who geek-out” … her words, not mine. You can find that post here.

Your turn: what are you into now that you never thought you would be, just so you can relate to your children?