Liz Atwood talks about why being smart is still not considered cool by some teens in this week's Tween Tuesday:

Why are some tweens afraid of being called smart? The other day, I was taking my 9-year-old to the video game store and we were discussing what he could buy with his Christmas money. The games he suggested not only seemed too violent, to my thinking they also seemed absolutely pointless. “Why don’t you get a game that challenges your brain or teaches you something?” I asked him. He scrunched up his face and replied, “What do you think I’m some kind of nerd?”

I know parents of tween and teen girls often worry that their daughters are afraid to participate in class discussions for fear of being seen as too smart. Some girls may focus their attention on their appearance and worry that being smart will make them unpopular.

But I’ve seen my boys have similar concerns. Sometimes they think that if they show an interest in academics they won’t be considered cool. I’m sure not every tween feels this way, but a shocking number do and it’s a real shame. We need to find a way to make being smart seem cool.