Exposed.

Kids have always claimed that it is possible to learn through osmosis. By sleeping with a book beneath their pillow, for example, algebra equations can filter into their brains at night, allowing them to spout mathematical theorems without breaking a mental sweat. Incredibly, strong new evidence supports this phenomenon. (And you thought it was preposterous.) OK, I admit, it took a bit of convincing to persuade me as well.

So I decided to approach the possibility scientifically. I conducted a random poll among kids of varying ages, some of them in my household, who did not watch commercial television and owned no visible evidence of the subjects of my questions. The results were astounding.

My investigation revealed a comprehensive knowledge of things like Pokemon character names, release dates of Harry Potter books, and the ability to identify Star Wars: The Phantom Menace characters displayed on store ads despite never having seen the movie (this was also the case with A Bug's Life and Toy Story). With no apparent effort on their part to learn this information (and despite sometimes strenuous effort on the part of their parents to shield them from it) all this knowledge apparently seeped into their heads through ... osmosis. Amazing!

This revelation has parents understandably worried. As kids catch the latest craze like a particularly vigorous strain of cold germ, should we be concerned? How should we handle this stuff? Is it bad for kids? Does it promote violence? Does it conflict with the beliefs we're trying to instill in our kids?

Parents aren't taking a middle-of-the-road approach to this stuff. It's either outlawed or OK. But even those who are "hip" about it (like the ones who can name the Pokemon characters--you know who you are) rarely take the time to really investigate them. My friends, Glen and Lisa told their 7-year-old son, Ben, "No Pokemon. No, Pokemon stuff: no Pokie balls, no cards, no character lunch boxes, nothing."

"But then Ben went to school, and there were only two other boys in his class. At lunch and recess, what did they play? Pokemon. Ben came home every day crying." Their solution was to examine Pokemon closely. In the end they allowed Ben to play the game at school with his friends and to watch the cartoon on TV if they sat down with him to view it. Ben no longer felt like an outsider at school, but they didn't contribute to the consumer hype surrounding Pokemon either.

It's pretty safe to say that there will never be an end to "the latest thing." After Harry Potter is forgotten and Pokemon is passe, something new will come along to snag their attention. And you'll be able to shield them from it only to a certain point. Media has pervaded our society to such an extent that children will continue to absorb elements of what's popular without conscious effort.

So what can you do? Plenty! First, don't ignore it and hope it will go away. Know what kids are into. Heed the old adage: know your enemy. Be informed. If the craze is books, read them. If it's TV shows or videos, watch them. Learn what principles are being presented and how. Know why you agree or don't agree with the material. Only in this way can you teach your children to evaluate for themselves when something new comes along.

Educate them, explaining in terms they can understand, what is commendable or objectionable in the material based on your belief system. Critical thinking is one of the most important skills you can teach your children--one they will use all their lives. It's like a vaccination against crazes. They may be exposed, but they don't gotta catch `em all.

Celeste perrino Walker has found that kid fads even reach her home in Rutland, Vermont.