WHAT’S UP

Steve Smith

There is a word that you can say to the parent of a preteen that

will cause more grief, more misery and more anger than any you’ll find in

the dictionary. The word is “Pokemon.”

Pokemon appears to be a collection of cartoon characters, each with

special offensive and defensive powers. They appear on video games,

television, a card game and more. Pokemon is not baseball cards or bottle

caps, but then this generation is entitled to its collectible and if it’s

Pokemon, so be it. Without house rules, however, the power of Pokemon is

greater than any parental dictum.

Both our kids, ages 6 1/2 and 9, are Pokemon crazy although Roy, the

younger, a little more so. It’s a guy thing. Bean likes them but she was

not willing to put in some time behind the register at Crown Hardware to

support her habit the way Roy was. And even though Roy didn’t do much, he

was there at the store and he made the effort and I rewarded him for it.

So, off to the Pokemon store he went, determined to spend his entire $15

on new Pokemon cards. Roy wanted to buy three “booster packs,” which is a

pack of 11 cards costing $5. Kids buying booster packs never know what

cards they’re going to get so there is the element of surprise in that

particular purchase. It’s the adult version of a mutual fund. You put

your money down and never know until later whether you’ve lost or made

money on the deal. In Roy’s case, he once bought a booster pack that

yielded a rare card with a separate retail price of $12.

On the way to the store, Roy and I had a chat about spending money as

though it were going out of style. Thankful that he did not point out my

recent acquisition of a new Hawaiian shirt, an expensive one that I

needed like I need a bad cold, I suggested to him that he spend half his

money on Pokemon cards and put half in his savings account. Before you

could say “return on investment,” he said, “I want to spend some of my

money on a pack for Bean, too.” Very clever. He buys two packs, pulls out

the choice cards and gives the duds to Bean.

I could not refuse such a generous gesture so I agreed, but requested

that the balance of his money go into savings. He agreed. Much to my

surprise, he bought the booster pack and handed it to Bean. Whatever she

got was hers to keep.

Cay and I are not suppressing the kid’s Pokemon addiction, we’re

supporting it. Over the summer, Pokemon has taught the kids how to buy,

sell and trade, how to keep a collectible in good condition (buy a

special Pokemon binder, of course), and most of all, how to make a

friend. Two kids with Pokemons within spitting distance of each other

will start chatting so fast, you’d think they were real estate agents.

The need to feed the Pokemon habit has caused them to log some chore time

around the house and around town. That’s a good thing.

I know that there are plenty of teachers, administrators and parents who

are not pleased to see Pokemon back after a three month layoff and only

wish Pokemon would die a quiet, painless death, but I’m not one of them.

In fact, all my fingers and toes are crossed in the hope that the there

is no overreaction by schools that decide to ban Pokemon as “too

disruptive.”

I don’t think that will happen.

No, given the available options, I like to see us embrace Pokemon for

what they are: a covert attempt to subvert the minds of our children

using a mind-altering game. No, seriously, I’d like to see the schools

embrace them for their value as learning tools. This madness can be

turned into something positive with just a little effort. At the

elementary and middle schools where kids are still Pokemon crazy, perhaps

a Pokemon club is in order.

Parents, there is one time-tested way to stop the craze dead in its

tracks tomorrow, if you’ve got the stomach. All you have to do is show a

lot of interest in Pokemon. After all, no self-respecting kid is going to

want anything his parents want.

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and free-lance writer. He can be

reached at (949) 642-6086 or by e-mail at [email protected].