Kids' Play

Yesterday I sat for Eric and Mia, and when all of the plans I had in my head were pretty much thrown out the window, I looked around to create plan B. Games! I love board games, and I think that they are great for kids and adults. I used to have lengthy conversations on the topic with my cooperating teacher. She and I both agreed that kids need to play more board games and card games. It not only helps with learning things like counting, money, and math, it also helps with learning things like taking turns, honesty, and winning or losing gracefully.

Mia suggested Sorry!. (Bear with me as you read this, since Sorry! does have an exclamation point in its name). I was not going to say no, since Sorry! is one of my favorite games. It was the Madagascar version, but that didn't matter. The same rules applied, or so I thought until the game started.

Before I go any further, I have to tell you a bit of my Sorry! background. You see, my family played Sorry! a lot. I don't doubt that this all came from my grandpa, a man who loved his games of Sorry! almost as much as his cup of chocolate-covered raisins each night. When we would go over to his house, the card table would often times already be set up. He would set it directly in front of his recliner which faced the TV. So while 60 minutes or an evening game show would play in the background, we would all scoot our folding chairs around the table. We didn't argue with any of this set-up. We learned early that there was no arguing with this man and his Sorry! game. He knew the game well. In fact, he could tell you where to move your marker anywhere on the board from any place, regardless of what number you drew. He never counted out spaces on the board, as I laboriously did. His marker would just move from one space to another. He also had to wear a "rubber fingertip" on his index finger, so that he could grip the cards when he picked them up. The cards got worn in one spot from that constant rubbing. This was serious Sorry! playing.

So yesterday, when we started playing, I had my game on. I knew Sorry! well. Not like my grandpa knew it, but enough to know the rules. As we went on with the game, Mia informed me of some of her rules. When I questioned her, she would say to Eric, "Right Eric? That's how we play it?" And Eric would say yes, or come over if he felt extra reinforcement was needed. I started to get mad, because some of the rules being broken were what makes the game of Sorry! challenging. And then I thought to myself, Kelly, you are 30 something years older than her. Chill. It's just a game. The rules really don't matter much. You're playing a game, taking turns, counting, and not watching TV. All is good. And it was.

Until she won. What was that about losing gracefully?