Gamestop and the Art of Parenting Fails

I’m not sure what happens in other households, but over the years my boys have begged me to take them to Gamestop. As a matter of fact, it was the first store I ever allowed them to venture into alone. I think the older boys might have been in about sixth grade. I went to Bath and Body Works, where they most definitely did NOT want to go–and the four of them walked up to Gamestop, complete with warning to stay together, stay away from creepo-looking people, and not to get swindled out of their twenty bucks.

“It’s Gamestop, Mom. Everybody looks like a creepo.”

“Uh, okay, ” I said. “So stay together.”

And they did and lived to tell the tale. But Anthony reported he did get scammed in a buy one, get one free deal. “Not cool of them.” he said. It didn’t keep him from going back, however.

So, like everyone else, I’ve been trying to figure out the stock market well enough to understand what all the hooey is about Gamestop stock, investors on Reddit, and short selling. I’ve read quite a bit, and I think I understand it for the most part. Hedge fund guys are short selling the Gamestop stock because they think the company is on the way out, but a Reddit group of small investors are buying the stock and driving up the price on the hedge fund guys causing all sorts of issues for the investors and the investment app and the whole market.

The media loves it. It’s a huge David and Goliath story, they say.

But the real education for me came when I sat in my kitchen with Benjamin and he began to volunteer information about how Reddit works.

“You see, Mom, there are these things called ‘Subreddits,’ and there are all types. Just groups of people talking about whatever.”

“Really?” I say. “Kind of like a message board?” (I lost him on this, because apparently message boards as I know them have gone the way of the dodo.)

“Maybe. Kind of.” he counters. “It’s just a way to communicate.”

And then it dawns on me. “How do you know all this?” I ask.

“Because I’m on it.”

He’s on it? Now wait a minute.

I’ll be honest. I thought I knew everything my kids were doing online. I pay attention. I ask questions. I bark at them when they are staring at screens too long and routinely interrogate them about what they are doing, how they log in, what information they’ve given away. Don’t give your name. Don’t buy anything. Don’t chat with people from France. Don’t hit the clickbait. Don’t believe that’s really a cute girl from Beverly Hills talking to you–it’s probably some creepo from Iowa. Watch. Be Careful. Just don’t.

I’m sure I sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher, but I don’t care. It’s a sick world out there.

But I am absolutely sure that I have never heard the word “Reddit” before last week. And Benjamin is on it? Somewhere? With the creepos?

So I swallow, and I say in my calmest mom voice, “Really. What do you follow?””

“Just some subreddits about the Mets, disc golf, baseball, basketball. And I also follow some stuff about Minecraft.”

Okay. I deflate a bit. I can live with that I think. And then he says, “Dominick is the one who is really into it. He made a meme that’s gotten over eight thousand upvotes.”

“Eight. THOUSAND! Hold on now. Dominick? My Dominick? Makes memes?”

“Yeah,” Benjamin says. “He’s the master at it.”

Now let me be clear, I’ve written some fifty odd posts for this blog, and all put together I think I have something like twelve thousand views. I’ve never had more than 150 likes on anything, ever. No matter how clever or original or encouraging or cute I’ve been. So aside from my obvious distress a the discovery that my kid is a meme-maker extraordinaire in a world I don’t understand, I’ll admit I was also a bit jealous.

“DOMINICK!”

He enters a bit timidly. He can read my voice.

“What is this I hear you are on Reddit. And you’ve made a meme that’s gotten Eight Thousand upvotes?”

He blushes a bit. “Uh, yeah. I’m in a subreddit called ‘Prequel Memes.’ It’s memes about Star Wars prequels. You wouldn’t get it.”

Now I’ll be honest, hearing that my kid has eight thousand fans on Reddit was easier for me to hear than “I wouldn’t get it.” What does he mean by this? Am I too old? Am I too uncool?”

But he assures me it is nothing like this. He shows me the meme, and it is clever… and harmless (and for the record, I DID get it.) Later, he shows me another one that has gotten over a thousand likes, but I didn’t get that one at all. Oh well. But he remains a bit embarrassed about it, and I do believe that was the source of his silence about the whole thing. If you know Dominick, you know he isn’t silent about much, but I guess it’s been hard for him to admit to this depth of geekery. Apparently, according to Benjamin, he’s even been picked up on Instagram and credited for his accomplishments. My youngest son is anonymously famous in the world of prequel memes. Go figure.

So the morning ends with me interrogating my boys about Reddit. The same questions: What do you follow? Did you give your real name? Do they know where you live. Etcetera. Etcetera. Anthony then informs me that it really is the most anonymous thing out there. It’s the most American app there is.

And in the end, I’ll admit I’m not worried about it–now. In my subsequent investigation, I found there is some crappy language, but mostly the boys are just trying to use it to figure out who to put in the game in Fantasy Football, how to master the art of disc golf, and who the Eagles are going to pick up in the draft pick. When I asked if there was gross stuff on there they needed to avoid, they just gave me blank looks. Finally Benjamin said, “How would we know. We don’t look for that stuff.”

Fair enough.

But I’m still stinging from the parenting fail of not knowing. I thought I was on it. I am as thorough as I know how to be in this parenting business, and still I come up short and wanting. It makes me wonder what else I don’t know, and if I’m ever going to find out what I don’t know. I guess I’ve hit that moment when I need to trust what we’ve taught them. Trust their hearts. Trust their integrity. Trust their understanding. Because Mom can’t be everywhere and certainly doesn’t see everything.

And even if I do see it, the truth is I really may not get it. Not get it at all.

The Meme-Maker Extraordinaire