I know they're going out of style like fanny packs and mullets, but I LOVE board games. This is probably a result of Mom never buying us Nintendos or PlayStations. But with 5+ kids, who can blame her? So our evenings were often spent playing a variety of board games often with several pieces missing or improvised pieces. Now, I'm not necessarily a lover of competition. Except when it comes to family. If I'm going up against one of my brothers or sisters you can bet your bottom dollar that I will give it all I have. My MeeMaw was an epic original gamer. She taught me the ageless games of chicken foot, Pollyanna, Skip-Bo, Uno, and several others. But her most important lesson? Never, ever, EVER lose. If that means that your three year old granddaughter cries her eyes out because you "killed" her pieces every single time she left home, then so be it. And yes, the word was "kill" and we did indeed lose to our grandmother. There was no everyone wins or take pity on the younger players. - END RANT -
As a result of this upbringing, I have been a part of some epic game nights. (Although Phillip informed me I missed a good one this past Saturday...poor Brad.) I've watched Phillip and Charlie battle it out at Monopoly until 4am when Phillip lost and cried like a baby. I've been on the receiving end of Spoon Wounds. (If you don't know what Spoon wounds are...sign up for the next game night.) When the games come out, the only rules that apply are those established by the great Parker Bros. themselves. Whether is Sibling v. Sibling, Parent v. Child, or Protestants v. Catholics, the gloves can and will come off. Video games aren't really my style. There's no interaction. An energetic game of Uno, though? Well, you can get 10 people from completely different backgrounds ready to rip each other to shreds over a red number 6. THAT's gaming.
So this post is dedicated to Game Night. Gather your friends and family. Tell your children, "See your brother? Take him out". And watch how much fun they have. Let them know that winning IS everything, and if you lose, the only appropriate response is to rechallenge the winner for your family's honor. There's no pouting allowed. Only cold, ruthless revenge taken by slaughtering your opponents wooden game piece. I guarantee you will have much more fun than Wii Bowling. Until next post...Happy 4th of July and I hope you add a little competition to the holidays.
