Some moms may stay away because they think the convention may not be right for their kids (there are lots of adults dressed up like it's Halloween, and the convention attracts many in the goth crowd). Only they know what is best, but I have to say my kids loved going this evening and didn't think twice about those "issues." Frankly, I don't think they thought these people were different. It was a place to pretend.
We spent about 2 hours or so at the Mesa Convention Center. The kids' favorite area was the gaming room - they didn't want to leave, and it was our last stop...that made it tough to go. My son asked to return tomorrow, but between soccer and a game night with friends, it's just not going to happen. So I said I'd try to get him there on Sunday. My ploy is to get him to clean up his room, then we'll go.
I will say you should take a good look at the schedule of events, especially if you are a first timer. So much is going on: movies, seminars, karaoke, gaming tournaments and dress-up contests.
I love karaoke, but this one was tough...it was all songs from various anime series. Many songs were in Japanese. Yikes! Talk about tough, but plenty of young teens got up there.
The gaming area mostly attracts 12 to 15 year olds, I'm told. But I saw a few tweens and younger there (including my kids, who as I mentioned earlier, didn't want to leave), as well as adults. Saturday you'll see both electronic games and non-electronic games played. Friday only electronic games were played. For Halo fans, there's a non-electronic version that will play out. I didn't know that even existed.
The convention floor had plenty of comics and collectibles. I tried to get my son to pick out a comic, but he was too distracted by all the things around him. My daughter just wanted a glow bracelet...oh, and a "Heros" book for $30, which I passed on. Yes, my kids are hooked on the show. (And before you think, 'bad mommy,' we talk about the fake violence and fantasy. We also discuss the plot, characters and what they think will happen next, just like with their reading assignments at school.)
We had fun and I'm not really into comics, but I do love a good superhero.
For more on the event, click here.
Arizona Moms Editor Yvette Armendariz shares stories about raising her kids and tips for busy parents in her Time-starved (goddess) Mom blog. She and her husband are raising two children, ages 8 and 11.
