Pokemon, that’s what! (Pronounced with a long vowel e). These somewhat-adorable, sometimes-menacing, creatures have descended upon our home and taken up residence in the imagination of an 8-year old boy; while I find myself immersed in Pokemon 101.
This is what I've learned so far: They come with strange and curious names like Charizard, Beedrill, Meowth, Butterfree, to name just a few. Each Pokemon comes with its own special abilities to battle other Pokemon using strategic moves such as bone-rush, megadrain, jigadrain, flame-thrower, and leechlife, to name just a few. There are different types of Pokemon: fire, grass, water, earth, rock, electric, normal, and so on. Each type possesses attributes that are unique to that particular type. Most, but not all, Pokemon can evolve into other, more powerful, Pokemon. For instance, Treecko evolves into Grovyle, who then evolves into Sceptile. Torchic evolves into Combusken, who then evolves into Blaziken. As powerful as they may be, Pokemon are not without their weakness. For example, a grass-type Pokemon’s weakness is a fire-type Pokemon. A fire-type Pokemon’s weakness is a water-type Pokemon. Do you see the logic here?
Some might argue that the game of Pokemon promotes fighting and destruction; but as I see it, Pokemon is really no worse than some of the classic fairy tales that children worldwide have heard for generations. How many of us have regaled our children with tales of a fire-breathing dragon and a sword-wielding prince determined to rescue his sleeping beauty. Or the infamous big, bad wolf with a penchant for adorable pigs and a little girl wearing a red riding hood. Then there’s the evil stepmother-turned-witch offering poison apples to an unsuspecting maiden. And last, but not least, a downtrodden boy named Jack who reaps enormous rewards by stealing treasured possessions of another -- a bag of gold coins, a hen that lays golden eggs, and a magical singing harp. What values do these fairy tales espouse?
Ultimately, this is less about Pokemon than it is about giving importance to something that is important to your child; even if it doesn’t loom large in our adult world. It’s about giving him the time of day to listen to his hopes and fears; or, his latest Pokemon adventure. Yes, I think Pokemon can stick around a little longer, but that’s entirely up to an 8-year old boy.
1 comment:
When people talk of parenting and pair it with the word, patience, it is "Pokemon conversations" that come to mind. In my family, the challenge remains listening carefully and carefully caring about the Star Wars lego adventure or the creatures they are creating with pen and pencil. The things that are important to my boys, need to be important to me; it ushers me into their world. Being part of my kids' lives is certainly where I want to be.
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