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wwyd - Interferring with playground Pokemon card trading

27 replies

Lindax · 02/06/2012 19:03

ds(8) is Pokemon mad and his class is going through a phase of trading cards/having battles etc.

ds is not the most street wise and has went to school with a big handful of cards and come back with only a few. he's been a bit upset sometimes as with hindsight he realises the deals he's made weren't that good and he's got only a few cards left. I've explained to him he can't go back on his deals, he should be more careful and keep ahold of his cards so they dont "accidently" get mixed with others, he shouldnt take cards into school if he doesnt want to risk losing them etc. I view it as a learning experience for him.

Recently he came back with more cards than he went in with (not excessively more). Asked how he got them and he has traded one of his special rare/foil type cards for a few of someone elses cards (lets call him Joe). Joe also traded with several other boys.

Next day at school all the boys were told Joe's mum has been in contact with the school as Joe had come home without all his cards and Joe's mum was "very cross". Everyone had to bring back in the cards they have traded with Joe.

ds took the cards he had traded back in and they were returned to Joe, but ds never got back his special rare/foil card as Joe had traded it with someone else, who had then traded etc so no one knew where it was. Teacher made all the boys, including ds give back Joe's cards even if they didnt get their trades back.

ds now doesn't understand why he was made to give the cards back and is upset he has been left with nothing when he did nothing wrong.

I believe teacher is in the wrong and she should have told Joe's mum to leave it as I'm sure the teacher has better things to do than sort out reversing a load of Pokemon card trades with several kids. I don't want to complain to school, again as its not important enough for them to get involved, they should let the kids sort it out themselves (there is absolutely no bullying/peer pressure going on, just bad judgement in trading).

dh has bought ds's some more pokemon cards, as he lost his unfairly and shouldn't have to replace them himself with his own pocket money - I agree with this.

Don't blame Joe for any of this, his mum should not have interferred with the kids game.

If you've managed to read all that, here's the wwyd question -Would you advise your ds to not trade with Joe again, and risk wee Joe getting excluded from the fun, or ignore what has happened and hope it doesnt happen again? Or something else?

(I dont know Joe or his mum as ds goes to afterschool so haven't met them).

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orangeandlemons · 02/06/2012 19:06

The school needs to ban them. When my ds was about 8 Pokemon (1st time round) was at it's height. They caused so much bullying and trouble they were banned from the school (and evey other school in England at the time I think!)

Sorry I don't have an answer to your problem

PatriciaHolm · 02/06/2012 19:10

Agreed, school just need to ban the trading cards; ours allow cards to be taken in, but no swaps allowed.

ElphabaisWicked · 02/06/2012 19:12

This is the precise reason ds is banned from taking Pokemon cards into school

But no your ds should only have given joe his cards back if he got the ones back he traded.

TrinityIsAFuckingRhino · 02/06/2012 19:12

hmm very tricky and I'm terrified of this happening with my two smaller girls (7 and 5) with moshi monsters

gecko (5) came home from my friends house who was so very kindly babysitting for all three of them

the little boy of her age had given her approx 20 moshi monsters as they were his doubles

I know the mum and my oldest confirmed that she knew all about it and it was fine

gecko shared her moshis with her sisters

the next day she wanted to take them to school and she came back with someone else little box of cards and moshis (to look after and give back)

I keep constantly asking her to show them to me and telling her to put them up safe cause I'm totally paranoid that she might lose them

also this little girl has told her she can have one card and one moshi when she gives them back and thats the main reason the little girl let her take them home for a 'borrow' (Grin) so she could choose which one she wanted

she takes them back on monday and she has already chosen the card and moshi

I am raying to hell that the little girl is allowed to do this for a start and that she meant it...
Its exhausting all this playground stuff Grin

If I were you I would tell your ds to maybe not trade with joe as it seems his mum doesn't really let him

I wouldn't contact the school (although I disagree with the teacher, I think she is in a difficult position

Its joes mum that is causing the problem

mrz · 02/06/2012 19:14

My class know if I see cards they go into protective custody until home time. Please keep them at home.

Sparklingbunting · 02/06/2012 19:14

They were banned at First School and Middle School here. They are a PITA, we are now on to the football cards.

hiveofbees · 02/06/2012 19:15

If trading cant be done fairly at school then he possibly shouldnt trade at school. My DDs school does Moshlings instead at the moment, but my DDs know that they are only allowed to trade doubles. Also some of the older children keep an eye on the trading that people do with the younger children to make sure that they arent swapping rares for non-rares etc.

I think if you take something into school there is always a risk that it wont come back.
Could you tell your DS to only trade doubles, or to leave the foil cards at hime?

RandomNumbers · 02/06/2012 19:16

just leave the cards at home

buy a decent diabolo, with a clutch, to take in instead

Lindax · 02/06/2012 19:17

its seems to be a wee mini phase only in his class at the moment. other classes are trading football cards.

seems a shame to ban them as imo the whole trading thing does have potential educational value (social skills, negotiating skills, consequences for bad trades etc), which ds is lacking in (he is very naive) and a great opportunity for him to learn. but you are all right it probably will could lead to trouble.

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mrz · 02/06/2012 19:21

not to mention tears, complaints, arguments, fights, squabbles and worst of all irate parents because whatever you do someone will be unhappy.

ElphabaisWicked · 02/06/2012 19:29

As far as I am aware they don't trade at ds school just battle with them

Lindax · 02/06/2012 19:31

hiveofbees the problem is ds has been learning to trade, the teacher made him (and other boys) return cards to Joe without getting theirs back. which is unfair. I am ok he has to live with the consequences if he doesnt think a trade through.

ds not taking cards into school again, is unfair on ds. as all his friends will have cards and be trading/doing battles and he will be left out.

it would have been better if the teacher just banned them (or even just banned trading) so everyone stops it.

OP posts:
robotcornysilk · 02/06/2012 19:33

perhaps you should suggest that they are banned to the Head?

MoreBeta · 02/06/2012 19:33

Ban him from trading them. We had this with DS1 when he was 8.

Lindax · 02/06/2012 19:34

elphabaiswicked ds battles too, but in his class if you battle and win you keep the other players card, which I also think is wrong, but ds says thats the way everyone plays so noone will play with him if he doesnt play the same way.

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hiveofbees · 02/06/2012 19:35

That is unfair. tbh though it sounds as if a lot of the other trades that people were doing with your DS were unfair too.
The teacher probably shouldnt have acted as she did, but we dont know what version of events she gave, or how clearly the boys were able to explain to the teacher what had happened.

Feenie · 02/06/2012 20:42

Plus she will have a million more important things to do - like actually teach.

All of this is why they are banned in my school, and banned from half term in ds's school.

clam · 03/06/2012 10:47

These cards are the bane of every teacher's life, and they are routinely banned in many, many schools for the reasons described here.
Yes, it seems unfair for your ds to have not got back those cards he 'legitimately' traded. However, learn from it and move on.

jubilee10 · 03/06/2012 12:04

Ds's school don't allow trading cards or moshi's. We get regular letters reminding us.

mrz · 03/06/2012 12:20

I really wish parents would stop their child bringing possessions to school because it invariably ends in upset for someone.

clam · 03/06/2012 19:21

And every complaint starts with: "I know he shouldn't have brought it in, BUT ..." and then we are expected to hold a public enquiry.

CuriousMama · 03/06/2012 19:25

I'm happy to say ds2's school wouldn't tolerate any card trading.

AllPastYears · 03/06/2012 19:41

Yeah, as above:

a) School should ban them

or

b) Don't let your son take his in

or

c) Don't let him trade with Joe

or

d) Don't let him trade at school at all - in which case, think about b)

Teacher was out of order. I can see why she may have done what she did, but it doesn't sound like she thought it through. This is why schools like to ban them!

Nagoo · 03/06/2012 19:52

I blame Joe's Mum.

I don't think that the teacher should have got involved though.

If I were you I wouldn't let your DS trade with Joe again, but until school say otherwise I would let him play, for all the reasons you have given.

mrz · 03/06/2012 19:56

It's very hard not to get involved when Joe's irate mum is complaining loudly and demanding you do something. So to appease one parent you upset all the others

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