I remember when I was in college I would hear about these Pokemon cards that all the kids were playing with. I immediately was brought back to memories of Garbage Pail Kids and how I obsessively collected them all, desperately searching for the “Juicy Jessica” to add to my collection. The Garbage Pail Kid craze didn’t last much past the early 90s, but the Pokemon craze is still around and hotter than ever! As a mom of two boys, I witness the Pokemon obsession on a daily basis and I still don’t get it.
What are Pokemon? Why is the writing on the card so tiny you can barely read it? How do you even play the game? How do you pronounce their names? My son can explain it all!
Even though I don’t understand Pokemon, my 7 and 4-year-old are pros and they are mesmerized by it. They watch the TV show, the movie, they read the books and comics, and of course, they collect the cards. They even have Pikachu stuffed animals and costumes for Halloween. I watch them in awe as they meticulously organize their cards into binders and store and make piles of their collections. But the real treat is seeing all of this in action at the Pokemon class we attend on Sundays. Yes, you heard me right- a Pokemon class! 
Every Sunday, Stamford Toys hosts a Pokemon class from 1-3 p.m. in their store. They move shelves and inventory and create a space in the middle of the store for all of the Pokemon lovers to play and trade. Going to this class makes me smile every time.
Boys and girls of all different ages and backgrounds come together for one single love – the love of Pokemon. Some are trading cards, some are battling, others are just organizing and sorting through their stash. And yes, moms, you can hire a Pokemon master to come to your kid’s birthday party too!
In today’s day of screen obsessions and the constant bombardment of media and video games, I welcome the Pokemon craze into our house. It gives my boys a chance to collect, to have a passion for something and to interact with other kids who have the same interests as them. In fact, I tell my boys that they can play with their Pokemon cards or even watch a Pokemon movie any day, over sitting in front of the iPad watching mindless YouTube videos for hours.
In every generation, there is a toy craze, whether it was the cabbage patch kids, the Ferbies, or the Tickle-Me-Elmos of the past. Pokemon seems to have stuck with multiple generations of kids and that says something about the product. Even though I don’t get it, it makes my boys happy and gives them something to bond over and that to me is worth every penny!
