The Power of Pokemon (And Independence)

Rosana, a mom of four in Irvine, California, was raised in Argentina by Korean parents. She has worked with international students and scholars and spends summers abroad with her family – including this past summer, when she let her kids loose in Korea’s second biggest city! Read on!

This summer, we spent almost three months in Busan, South Korea. All my kids went to school in spite of their protests. We do this not to torture them but to immerse them in the local language and culture. 

They did have a couple of weeks off at the end and this coincided with an event around the city celebrating the 30th anniversary of Pokemon. We saw a pop-up event space by chance at a subway stop. They had photo ops, games, and Pokemon tutorials. They were also handing out a flyer with five empty circles for stamps corresponding to five spots like this one, around the city.

All except for one were at subway stations. 

Collect all the stamps and get a prize. So my 11- and 8-year-old kids asked if they could do that. 

We had ridden the subway throughout our stay so they already knew the way to the nearest station, how to pay for the fare and recharge their transportation cards.

We went over different scenarios. We looked over the subway lines and reviewed the transfers. So we said yes.

The boys left with a hand drawn map, water bottles, “sunbrellas,” and some money at a little after 11 am. 

When the clock hit 4 and they were not back, I started to worry a bit. But shortly afterwards, they came back with big smiles on their faces and enthusiastically declared, “It was awesome!” 

They were able to collect all the stamps, bought themselves some sandwiches at a bakery, recharged their transportation cards, and figured out where to redeem their prize at a big department store. 

Along the way, they encountered an older man who insinuated they should not be out by themselves. My oldest responded with, “I am a foreigner.” 

I am not sure how that related to the gentleman’s statement, but it worked. Both my boys understand more Korean than they speak and were able to navigate the city without much trouble. I am sure that day helped boost their confidence in using the language. 

This adventure led to another one. We bought a Visit Busan Pass that includes several activities and tourist attractions. We looked at the list and found one laser tag arena that allows kids to play without adult supervision. So they headed out and did that later in the week. 

They came back a little hungry because one of them didn’t bring enough money, but he was able to scrape together some snacks and his brother shared his lunch. They played two rounds of laser tag and they applied the lessons learned from the first one to come up in first and fourth place in the next, teaming up to defeat several young adults. 

We did many other memorable things while in Busan but the thing they keep in their bedroom is the Pokemon sheet protectors they got as a reward for collecting all those stamps. 

What I appreciate the most is that their independence is inspiring my other kids! Now my third, who is only 5, wants to join their bike rides and adventures. She is not ready yet but in a couple of years!

I cannot express all my gratitude for all the work that Let Grow does. Thank you for the inspiration and confidence that you foster in us parents. Thank you again for letting us know that we are not alone or crazy and that we have capable kids who yearn for some freedom and learning on their own. 

Let Grow here: Want your kids to start doing more on their own, but aren’t planning a trip to Busan?Our “Four Weeks to a Let Grow Kid” gives families a simple path to more independence that’s fun, fast and free. Get it here! And send us your stories, at Info@LetGrow.org . As you can see, we love them!

Pictured Above: Success!!!