Pokemon League

Carrie went to Dover. Shane and I went to the Friendly Local Gaming Store. By the grace of God, a little boy named Samuel who liked Pokemon showed up right after Shane and I. He was 7.

The two talked Pokmeon and oogled over cards for an hour. I talked to the dad some, but he was on a mission. He'd clearly been researching and was looking for certain cards for his child's decks. We did talk about league night on Thursdays. He told me that there had been kids near Shane's age whenever he and Samuel showed.

Side note: I bought a booster pack for Shane, but told him he had to earn it somehow. He practiced writing eagerly.

Shane and I went to Pokemon League Thursday. Shane played two games. First, against a new challenger...

...and then Samuel showed up.

Shane played him second.

Takeaways:

1 - Shane needs to practice listening. However, he's not the only kid.

2 - He did really well! Shane went 2-0. I made sure the games were fair, but wandered away at times and let Shane make his own choices. There were a few times I bit my fist and cringed, but he's definitely got the basics down. Experience will teach strategy.

3 - There were a few rules we had wrong. There's nothing like going somewhere to learn more.

4 - Prejudice: We all have it. It's a matter of whether we admit to it or not. Go somewhere new and look around to see who you think looks the most friendly and that you'd find the most comfortable to talk to. What do they look like? How did you pick them? Now, are there any people you would hesitate to talk to? I have to admit that I looked a little askance at the adults playing Pokemon, at first. I thought, "It's a kid's game. I would feel odd going to a league night I knew 6 and 7 year olds were going to." .....and then I bought a used board game about magic knights. That filled my hypocrite quota for the day. It was a good reminder to be vigilant of my own thoughts and attitudes. Jesus died for all. There was a great quote on the radio, "You may be better off than someone, but you're better than no one."