The kids have been totally into Pokemon lately. I guess for about 5 or 6 months now. They play every day and haven’t gotten tired of it yet. Elisa has a couple of versions of the game, and so does Garrett. They pop the colorful cartridges into their Gameboys and continue playing where they left off. They’re able to trade Pokemon with each other, even, via connecting cable.
 
Though I originally thought video games were a bad idea, Pokemon has actually helped to bring Elisa and Garrett together. He’s 7 and she’s 10, so most of their other interests are very different, but Pokemon remains a bonding factor between them. I love to see them getting excited for each other when one catches a new or rare Pokemon. It’s the cutest thing.
 
They study their Pokemon Collector’s Guide book and  when they get stuck in the game, they go online and find the answer to their problem. They are even registered on a Pokemon forum where kids can ask each other questions and send each other the answers online.
 
Both of them have begged me to learn how to play so that they can share their victories with me and have me actually understand what they’ve accomplished. But, I tell them that I just don’t have time. Pokemon is really time-consuming, and who would do the laundry or make them dinner if Mommy sat around working on her Pokemon game all the time? They have to be satisfied with my rudimentary comprehension of their Pokemon adventures. I just sort of go by their reactions to know whether I should be extremely or mildly impressed. Every once in a while I’ll hear a shriek from the other room, "Garrett, Garrett, I just found a Snorlax!!!!" or some such thing, and they’ll jump around and rejoice together. I get excited for them, too, but what they don’t realize is that my joy comes from seeing them so united in this pursuit. Not to mention that they actually are picking up a lot of skills in strategy, as well as new vocabulary. They use pretty big words in those games. Ones that otherwise wouldn’t be in a child’s repertoire.
 
All in all, I have to say that Pokemon has, if anything, been a blessing in our lives. I couldn’t have engineered an opportunity for this kind of bonding between my kids if I’d tried. In fact, if I had tried, I’m sure the attempt would have failed. It was sheer luck that they discovered something that could stimulate and entertain them both for this length of time. As for me, a mom who at one time would have scoffed at the very idea, I now do what I can to support my kids’ video game habit…as much of a parenting sacrilege as that may seem. I’ve seen too much positive come out of their gaming connection to deny it. They love their Gameboys and I, too, love my Game boy…and girl.