One “Poke Mom” embraces Pokemon Go game with kids

Has the subject of the latest craze to hit smartphones, Pokémon Go come up at your house? If you have seen groups of people of various ages gathered together in a certain spot and staring down at their phones, then this is what a typical group of Pokemon players looks like.
For the uninitiated, Pokémon Go is an augmented reality game that uses a smartphone’s location service and camera. It is based on the wildly popular card game of the same name from the 1900s. Players find, capture, and train monsters that are then put into battle with other players. It’s these virtual monsters that people are hunting around town with their smartphones.
One Mom who has taken to the Pokémon craze is Cheryl Rebottaro of Scotts Valley. “I’m playing with my kids. My stepson is away at college so this is something that we can do together.”
Her stepson, Christian Rebottaro, who is attending Michigan State this fall on a wrestling scholarship, is a four-time All-American wrestler.
On a recent sunny afternoon, Rebottaro was down at Skypark playing the Pokémon game with two of her children. She says, “It gets us outside and moving and talking with one another. The technology for this is here. We can’t change that. So why not find ways to embrace it?”
She adds, “I was in Starbucks the other day and someone I didn’t know saw me playing, and came over to ask me for help with the game. We ended up having a conversation. To me this creates a sense of community, people coming together over something. Kind of like what people do when a disaster happens, but something more positive.”
She emphasizes that people just need to use common sense when playing, so the game doesn’t have to be scary.
“If parents are concerned about their kids playing, then go with them.”
No one can completely predict where this technology is headed or what it bodes for the future, but for this Scotts Valley mom it means more precious time with children who grow up and move out of the house all too quickly.
In addition to being a Mom, Rebottaro is a financial adviser at Edward Jones, 221 Mount Hermon Road, Suite F and a Scotts Valley Rotarian.