...I was catching bats with my mom

Some time ago I started seeing a lot of PokemonGo posts on facebook. Now, growing up in Estonia I didn't have much contact with the whole franchise. The only reason I knew about its existence was a cartoon that aired on a German TV show. So when PokemonGo came out I didn't really give a damn... until there was a news article about a 17-year-old boy who walked out of a window while playing it. And that just pissed me off.

For decades 'concerned parents' have been whining about kids not getting enough exercise and just sitting in front of the computer the whole day, playing video games. Now that there is a game that actually gets people outside and encourages them to walk around, stay active and work out, there are dozens of horror stories about how people are walking into traffic and out of windows. God damn it! Can't you people ever be satisfied with anything? People do stupid things while driving – they drink, pass red lights, drive over the speed limit – but somehow nobody blames car manufacturers. Somehow we realize that when people do stupid things while driving it is not because the car is somehow 'bad' or at fault. But when it's a game? Oh man! But I'm not going to start a long rant here. Long story short: that article sparked an interest in me and the next morning I was one of many PokemonGo players walking around with my phone in my hand, looking for funny little creatures that no one but me could see. Not crazy at all. I can already imagine some of the readers going: 'You play Pokemon? Neeeeeeeerd!' but I find myself not caring even a little bit. You do you, guys, and I'm gonna do me. I'm passed the point of being embarrassed about my weird hobbies. I also collect dolls (or figurines) from different countries. And I'm not even ashamed of it.

In other news, the same day I got PokemonGo, me and my mom were supposed to go see a play. I headed to her place early in the morning, caught some wild pokemon on the way, and after a nice refreshing swim we headed to Türi, where the play was taking place. It was quite a long drive so we started driving pretty early, just in case. I'd never been there before and my mom didn't know the road too well either so it was better to leave early.

We ended up getting there about an hour early so we had time to walk around. There was a park close to the old railway station/theater and we wanted to have a little look around. As we were walking through the park a wild zubat appeared! What's a 'zubat', you ask? Do your research, you square! I mean... nevermind. It's a pokemon... that looks like a bat... and basically is a bat... without eyes... Not as creepy as it sounds, I promise. Anyhoo, a wild zubat appeared and since I didn't have one yet I felt the need to catch it. It took me a few tries, me being rather new to the whole thing. My mom, who'd been walking beside me the whole time, noticed me frantically messing around on my phone and went:

'What are you doing?'

'Ummm...' for a moment I tried to come up with a convincing lie but didn't find one, 'I'm just... playing... pokemon...'

'What now?'

'Ummm... PokemonGo? This new app where you can catch pokemon in 'the real world'?'

'What? Show me!'

Another zubat had just appeared so I had a chance to explain to my mom how the whole thing worked and show her the game in action. She looked over my shoulder for a few moments before going:

'I want to do that do! Where can I get this game?'

Now, my mom has some interesting hobbies but I never thought she would be into pokemon. Before I knew it she'd installed the app and was customizing her avatar. By that time the play was already starting so we needed to head inside. She was still messing around with the app when the lights went out. Usually when we see a play together we discuss the performance, the story and the actors during the fifteen minute break between acts. This time all my mom wanted to do was to get out and get to the closest Pokestop. And then she found a wild zubat...

For the better part of the intermission we were going from pokestop to pokestop, gathering balls and hoping to find some wild pokemon. Not a word was uttered about the play. We were almost late for act 2 and even though the play was amazing and emotional, as soon as it was over we went for another lap around town, to find some more zubats.  I know how ridiculous it sounds. I felt ridiculous. But hey, we were having fun and we were exploring a new city, finding cool little landmarks that we would've missed otherwise. Even managed to snap a picture of a cool church close to the park. I never imagined I would do something like this with my mom but then again, I never thought I would be playing pokemon. Never had much interest in it, to be honest. But here we were: two grown women, standing in the middle of a park in Türi, trying to catch imaginary bats. It was definitely weird. 

You know what's even weirder? My mom calling me on Monday and going: 'I'm level five now. How far are you?' Uhh... nice to hear from you too, mom. Apparently she's bonding with eight-year-olds now, who are teaching her to use lure modules and how gym battles work. I... don't know how to feel about it. A part of me says that I might have created a monster... and another part doesn't give a damn. Video games have never been just for kids. Ask anyone who's played The Sims - also known as 'The Sociopath Simulator'. And let's be honest: who of us doesn't want a piece of our childhood back? My mom wants to play pokemon? Nothing wrong with that! The fact that she's hanging out with eight-year-olds is a bit concerning - they might be a bad influence - but that's a problem for future Grete. Oh man, I feel sorry for her! Future Grete has nothing but problems. Wouldn't want to be her... Oh, wait...