Admit it. You’ve tried Pokemon. I’m actually having a blast with it. My son, who is well into adulthood, was really into Pokeman as a kid. He watched the show, had the cards, played the games. I remember Burger King at some point in the late 90’s had Pokeballs with Pokemon as the kid’s meal toy. He had to have ONE Pokemon in particular, a charizard I think. We drove to every Burger King in Junction City, Manhattan and Abilene, Kansas to find that charizard. Can’t remember exactly which town we found it in or how many cheeseburgers that kid ate but I remember the look of satisfaction on his face as he played with it the whole way home. My daughter is seven years younger than her brother. Even though he outgrew playing with Pokeman toys and watching the cartoon (mostly), she picked up where he left off. Then she’d play his video games when he left them unattended. As teens and young adults, they still watch it and play the games. However long Pokeman has been around, it’s been part of our family life.

Now it’s 2016 and Pokemon Go is HERE! I downloaded it out of curiosity and boredom. It is a LOT of fun. The other day I went to the park where I normally run. I met, talked, and hung out with people I wouldn’t have made eye contact with on an ordinary day. We had a blast helping  one another find Pokemon, learn how to use the Pokestops and what do at the gyms. After I picked my daughter up from work, we went back to the park and did it all over again. It was a beautiful, fun evening spent chatting with strangers all out to have a good time. I’m looking forward to doing that a lot more in the future.

So make fun of it if you must. This game is a dream come true for my kids. Watching them be able to finally be Pokemon trainers brings me a joy I didn’t even know I needed. Maybe a small part of me misses them being little, needing mommy, playing with Pokemon cards and watching Pokemon Saturday mornings. So for me, it’s about my grown kids reliving a favorite part of their childhood. But this time, I get to do it with them.

Todays’s word count: 1408