Pokemon Aren't Real!

[Mikachu Yukitatsu]

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Little Kid Is Upset Pokémon Aren't Real, Writes To Santa For Advice

Bless children and their earnest, trusting hearts. Without kids, who would keep the idea of Santa Claus alive?

There's always a point, of course, at which most children find out that Santa Claus isn't real. That's exactly what makes this letter written by a kid, shared by Kinnell's father on Twitter, so heartbreaking, though:

In case you're having a hard time reading the letter, it says:

Dear Santa. I need some advice for how to make Pokemon real. Why do I need some advice because I can not get Pokemon out of my mind. I need a very good answer. If you have a answer please send a message back

From Kinnell

According to the father, Kevin Fanning, Kinnell has been really torn up about this.

"In his mind he'd been sort of looking to a future where he envisioned himself being responsible enough to have a real Pokemon when he was 10," Fanning told me over email today. So what tipped his kid off? "I think he eventually had looked at it from enough angles that he realized, wait, I don't know any 10 year olds with Pokemon, and I never actually see Pokemon anywhere in the real world, oh my god they're not real, and he just started sobbing," Fanning told me.

"As a parent your prepare yourself for certain conversations you know you'll inevitably have with your kids some day: Santa, Easter Bunny, God, death, justice, whatever," Fanning explained in our email exchange. "But this one really struck my wife and I, this was a conversation we had not prepared for, and still honestly don't really know how to have with him. It was his idea to write to Santa for advice and we just kind of went with it. We haven't really figured out what if anything Santa might respond?"

Fanning said he's unsure of how to have a 'Pokemon aren't real' type of conversation with his son, especially in the face of wanting to preserve a sense of wonder for him.

"I wish there was some other way through this conversation with my son, and I guess posting his letter was my way of asking for ideas," Fanning said.

[Lady Vulpix]

Maybe show him some of the real wonders in the world? That might even help his parents too.

[Asilynne]

Yeah o.o don't let your kid play video games so much they don't know what real animals in the wild look like so they believe pokemon live outside his house instead...thats really kind of a sad situation...

[Master Rudy]

Wait.....Pokémon isn't real? 0_o



My life.....it's all been a lie.....
In all seriousness however......yeah. Sad situation but it slightly falls on the parents as well in regards to not really teaching the kid the difference between fantasy and reality. Hell I knew the Ninja Turtles weren't real when I was 6. Didn't stop me from enjoying the show/first two movies (#3 NEVER HAPPENED!)

[ChobiChibi]

To be honest it really depends on the age of the child. The article doesn't specify the age of the child. Would you blame a 4 year old for potentially thinking Pokemon was real? The fact that the child realised himself that Pokemon aren't real shows that his parents aren't doing a bad job. All of you have made it seem like they keep the kid inside, away from the world, when really it's the fact he was out in the world, realising that 10 year olds around him weren't going off on adventures with Pokemon that shows his parents weren't keeping him inside, letting him be glued to a DS playing Pokemon all day.

From his handwriting, I'd say he's probably about 6? At 6 years old, did you still believe that your toys were real and had feelings too? Pretty sure I did. I used to feel guilty about not cuddling certain plushies. I would feel bad if I dropped a toy, cos it might get hurt. Is it not just the magic of childhood rather than bad parenting?

I'd rather have my kids thinking Pokemon was real than some of the parents I met over Christmas that bought GTA for their 10 year olds.