Midnight Musings From a Cool Mom

So, I have a 17 year old and for the most part he's amazing. Decent grades in school, already signed on to enlist in the Air Force after graduation and all around a smart, funny, sweet kid. Who wanted to go to GameStop to get Pokemon Sun Moon at the crack of midnight. He works part-time in a grocery store and paid for it himself, on a pre-order, weeks ago. So OK, why not? I agree to drive him to the store since his junior driver learner's permit doesn't allow him to drive after midnight. Off we go into the dark night and let me tell you, these nerds are serious. And when I say nerd, I include my own kid. Sitting in the parking lot, there was an air of excitement as people pull up and park and go in. If you'd pre-ordered you could go in and wait, if not, you waited in the outside line, in the cold, huddled in a Dr. Who shirt and droopy cargo pants. And so it begins, the great divide of those who plan and those who just wing it.

He's in the store and I'm outside because "OMG Mom, you can't come in" Oh sure, fine, I will just be outside with the car, perhaps I will polish the hood and spit shine the tires whilst I wait, young Master. The line was out the door at this point and while stereotypes aren't normally my thing, the customers waiting made the Big Bang characters look like the cool table. I sh*t you not, there were fully grown adults waiting and wearing Pokemon Onesies. The scent of Clearasil, Funyuns and Mountain Dew was wafting through the air and I lost count of how many times someone in a Star Wars hoodie and shuffled past me to their place in line.

 My son was not the only person there with a mom, but he was the youngest. Please Baby Jesus in the Clouds, let me not have a child still at home at 30 years old who I have to drive around to buy video games. At 17 it's still a little cute. At 30, it's a syndrome, it's failure to launch. I went into the store, because it was just something I had to see, this quest to be the first to get something 5 million people will have in 12 hours anyway. Immediately the person in charge (give a gamer a cash register and a lanyard and they go all power hungry) asked to see my pre-order receipt. Of course I didn't have that, I was just the driver. I was also asked to leave. Because this Pokemon business is pretty serious at 11:55pm. Timing is everything. I took my banishment from the Nerd Herd in stride and went back to my place, waiting patiently in the car. George got his game, and a special poster and pin to go with, since coming out at midnight deserves a little swag. Did I think this was silly? Completely. Did I get to spend an hour with my boy, my soon to be graduate and Air Force Airman? Yes I did. We were out late, we goofed on people, we laughed and we talked and by the end of the evening I was glad I hadn't said "Are you out of your damn mind? Do you not have the sense G*d gave a goose?" when he asked if he could go to the GameStop Game Drop for Pokemon Sun and Moon. I'd do it again too. Because he's still my baby boy, even if he is a geek. Pokemon tells us "Gotta catch em all!" The same is true for these fleeting moments. Catch em all. They are gone before you know it.