Monopoly and Blind Man's Buff

Son1 and Son2 spent many hours on Monday playing Monopoly. I was amazed at their interest and stamina! I spent most of that time on the sofa coaching them through the initial stage of acquiring properties, and over lunch I introduced them to the idea of buying and selling properties strategically. They were off and running!

Monopoly lasted three days and one long, one short game before Son2's game patience wore entirely too thin yesterday and it wasn't too fun for anyone (stomp, stomp, yell, throw money. Oops). So, it's back on the shelf for two days chill out. Before that stage, though, the kids loved all the money. Son2 got lots of happy practice counting "dollars" and making change -- he would either work it out to get lots of 50s or lots of 100s or savor a few 500s, LOL.

I must say it was sort of tough to see how bank-oriented Monopoly is, even with a National Parks veneer that is quite nice. It was especially prickly to see Son1 running out of money and relatively cheerfully selling tents back to the bank for half price and mortgaging properties for half the value. I supposed it wouldn't be so prickly uncomfortable if we hadn't had the experience some years ago of selling CDs and books to buy milk at the end of the month, and not really knowing how to make the paycheck stretch to the next month's meals. And it wasn't during grad school, either.

Thankfully we're not in that situation any longer, but I sure don't like debt and don't ever expect to. The peace that comes from living within our means, even below our means in order to create a good rainy-day buffer, is our lesson learned. Not taught by Monopoly, though. Anybody up for "Living Simply, The Board Game"??

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Yesterday and today the boys spent some delighted minutes alternately giggling madly and being intently silent, with some quiet martial-arts-style moves and hula moves mixed in. Yes, one was blindfolded and the other was trying not to be found and/or touched. Sort of Blind Man's Buff but I think in BMB there is some sort of verbal clue-tossing. Or maybe that's Marco Polo.

Son1 and Son2 had a ball. Eventually it got a little rowdy, or someone bounced off a wall or some such, and it seemed time to call it quits for a while. Still, a pretty great indoor game for two brothers on a hot, hot summer afternoon.

As I padded around the blindfolded boy and his quarry in bare feet on our concrete floors, I decided they were too familiar with the sounds of Mom, 'cause they were never distracted by me. I love the idea that they know the sound of me without thinking about it.