Pika-who?

Once, shortly after Pokemon Go came out, my kid and I were meeting friends for dinner. Having missed the restaurant, I pulled over to look at the map on my phone. My kid yelped, “OhmygodPikachu!” and leaped out of the car. I was both bemused and delighted. Anything (almost anything) that gets my kid both moving and happy is likely to please me, no matter the situation.

She was back quickly, reporting that not only did she catch the pikachu, she’d talked to a couple peers who were also playing, and who let her get the pikachu. I was thrilled. Fun! Exercise! Positive social interaction! All in a free game!

Unfortunately it killed her battery, and also somehow it made her phone overheat. She couldn’t play for long even if she took the case off (which–she’s not a careful person. Taking the case off then wandering around in public staring at her phone? Not going to end well.) Those weren’t huge stumbling blocks, but they were big enough to make it hard to do as well as she wanted in the game, and she stopped playing.

Now, though–I don’t know why she tried it again. She’s got a new phone that copes better, but she’s had it almost a year, and it’s only in the last week I’ve started hearing about Pokemon again.

Whatever. I don’t care why. I’m glad she’s doing it, and I hope she sticks with it at least a little. If she plays once a week it will be better than things have been. Because once again, she’s going outside the house. She’s walking. She’s talking with other players.

I told her I caught an awesome pokemon at the home improvement store the other day, but once I showed her she was less than impressed.