Pokemon League (The Backlog!)

Sunday was church as usual. The advent calendar came out, so that was new. We're in the Christmas season now!

Shane and I went out to Noodles and Company for lunch. That was unusual. We were biding our time.

The Pokemon League at The End Games didn't start until 1 PM! We met Samuel and Ed there.

I let Shane blow through a chunk of his birthday money from Nana. It was a little early, but he had a lot of fun picking out what he should buy with Samuel.

Samuel is semi pro. He was ranked on the tournament circuit at one point! I'd been trying to make sure Shane had realistic expectations before they played ("Don't expect to win. You're smart, but you haven't played in forever and you don't have any of the new cards." I said. "We're here to have fun with a friend.")

Still, Shane got frustrated when Samuel blew him out of the water! "You can have FOUR EXs!?" Shane said.

Pokémon is a well constructed game, but the downside of most CCGs/TCGs is that the cards aren't all equal. Having the best cards costs. Shane abandoned playing when we moved(and his cards got soaked). Samuel never stopped. He and his dad have played in tournaments, acquired a collection, and only increased their skill levels! Samuel was using proxies to save cash until he decided how to finalize his deck and make it tournament ready.

It was eye opening for Shane! Shane's smart enough that if he put in the time and energy he'd be able to compete with anyone. However, he's not fond of losing! Shane's interest pings around, so he's more likely to bounce to new things than buckle down and try to excel in one. 

Which he gets from me. I had more of a chip on my shoulder/need to prove myself than Shane does, but I've always tended to obsess over one thing for a short while before moving on to the next thing (and the next, and the next...). 

I hope we'll go again. I guess I could force him, but I only really want to go myself if Samuel and Ed are there! Playing would be a good way to get closer to Samuel. I've encouraged Shane to play the game online to practice, but he said "It's only fun in person." I've offered to play with him, too, but the usual reply is "Nah!" 

And that's as far as I've pushed it. Taking an interest in the interests of others is great way to get to know them better, but Shane's got to decide to do it  himself. I can't be friends with other people for him. I've told him its value. I played all sorts of things my friends liked more than I did to stay part of the group. Basketball is the biggest example that comes to mind. I played a ton of it in Beaumont due to Jesse and Nate! I was on several teams, collected trading cards, and even attended a skills camp! The moment we moved to Virginia I stopped save for PE and the rarest of the rare occasions (All that experience has come in handy talking to students who like basketball. God uses everything in His time!).