Feb 23 2009
Manic Monday: Fire
Prompt by Mo of Manic Monday
Does allowing an individual with obsessive tendencies to enjoy the object of obsession to a limited degree add fuel to the fire of said obsession? This is what I ask myself all the time. Let’s use Pokemon as a fairly harmless example.
Gus loves Pokemon. He’s got encyclopedias of Pokemon memorized and can tell you anything about any of the creatures. Sometimes when he lacks focus in school, the use of Pokemon as a teaching tool has proven effective (add these numbers and find the number of Pokemon in this region). But there’s always a downside. Even the most contained fire, if given the right opening, can consume a forest. He will play his Pokemon video game to the exclusion of many other things, including outdoor activity when the weather permits.
Now, am I really all that concerned about Gus and Pokemon? Not now. But what if it goes on for the next, oh, 20 years or so? Is there a point where someone should step in and say, “this is no longer appropriate, so stop now.” And if there is such a point, it would be great if I could get one of those postcards like you get from the dentist when it’s time for a cleaning.
Left field is looking a little too attractive today, so I’ll end here. Have a great Monday!
And for more on obsessive tendencies, check out Bonnie’s post at Autism Family Adventures .
And later this week, I’ll have a guest post from my buddy at General Hysteria . Stop by ad check out what she has to say!
Gus will too. I was really talking about those times when he’s completely absorbed. You should have seen him trying to wrestle the TV remote away from me yesterday so he could play his game some more.
My daughter is also obsessed with Pokemon and will play her game or watch other people playing on youtube all day every day. That is what led me here as I was looking for ways to use that obsession for other things. I know she is in Pokemon mode way too much but when that is one of the only things that give her comfort, confidence and happiness among other things, I feel guilty making her stop. She is high functioning and in a regular 3rd grade class and knows she is different and has a hard time connecting with other kids and pokemon gives her pride and self esteem which is great if another student is also a fan, but still she overkills with it. Its tough trying to decide what to do.