I was twenty when the Pokemon craze hit North America. It started with an anime and less than 30 days later a Gameboy game. Now I wasn't really the demographic for the launch, but something about the cartoon got me. I think it was the time I spent watching it with my daughter to be honest. She was only two when I gave her the first taste of Pokemon, it's not a choice I ever regretted though. There was no gateway drug here, she didn't turn to illegal cock fighting or dog fighting. No this was pure imagination and fun.

The first two games I enjoyed sharing with her, talking about them and the different creatures. Then we would watch the anime and compare what Pokemon we had already found. Time flew by and before I knew it she four and was yelling "Hey You" at Pikuchu on her Nintendo 64. Between the cards, toys, animes, games and books, Pokemon was a large part of her childhood. As the movies came out we'd watch each one, she was always eager for the next and blown away by the difference in story when compared to the Japanese release. This would often lead to interesting discussions about why the American culture felt the need to make such drastic story changes, deep subject for an elementary-aged school child.

Next year she turns 18, it's been an amazing ride so far with it's ups and downs that all parents go through. Every now and then I see her, face glued to that tiny little screen as she captures her next Pokemon. There is still that smile I saw on that two-yearold as we landed our first catch. Those memories are super effective. They are among the first to pop to mind when I watched the latest offering from Lindsey Sterling's Youtube channel.