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Cheating will probably be an issue. I don’t know you, and I don’t know your kids. Maybe your kids would never in a million years even consider moving their top hat up a few spaces or pretend they didn’t understand what the card said. But there are some kids out there who will. And it isn’t just kids who cheat. Adults often bend the rules while playing, too, not usually to win but to either allow their kids to win or to make the game shorter. (This is understandable given that a well-played game of Chutes and Ladders can last longer than a round of golf.) I’m not here to judge. But it’s best to decide beforehand what your policy on cheating is so that when it happens, you are prepared to deal with it in such a way as not to ruin the entire evening.
2
You will want to win.
This is yet another example of something that presents itself as your kids get older, but there will come a point when you are playing Monopoly with your child and you will enjoy — perhaps a little too much — watching him go bankrupt by landing on Boardwalk with your three hotels. It may be ugly, but it’s true. And if you are the really competitive sort, you may even find yourself engaging in a little trash-talk. “What? You don’t have the rent? You can’t pay the mortgage? Uh-oh. Looks like somebody’s going bankrupt.” (Actual transcript of a game between my husband and our 9-year-old.)
3
If you insist on following the rules, you might have a nervous breakdown. Children,
especially those under the age of 7, don’t like to follow the rules. They forget. They misunderstand. They simply do not care. This is a battle you can choose to fight, or you can wave your white flag and let them make up some creative rules of their own. You might even find a way to make the game more fun — or if nothing else, shorter.
4
Someone at the table will have a meltdown if they don’t win. Try to anticipate this
behavior. You might not be able to change anything, but at least if you are prepared, you can use it as a teachable moment. All games have a winner and loser. It may hurt, but sooner or later we all have to learn that lesson.
5
You will have more fun than you think you will. I can practically promise you that. Sitting
around a table playing a board game with your family is almost retro in its simplicity, but therein lies its beauty. It is good, simple, inexpensive fun that not only holds possibilities for teaching your kids life lessons, but it also brings families closer in ways you might not expect. So silence your cell phone, turn off the TV, shut down the computer, and plan an old-fashioned family game night. There will be lots of laughter; there may even be a few tears. But the best part is that if you’ve done it well, there will most certainly be a rematch.
The Swansons' favorite games from Europe
"A European invasion of sorts has occurred over the last decade," says Mark Swanson. "No, not The Beatles. German board games, with colorful boards and wooden bits and engaging themes, have been finding their way into living rooms across America." Games: Settlers of Catan, Agricola, Powergrid and Puerto Rico. Carcassonne Pack N Stack, Balloon Cup, Pony Express, Rattus Where do you get these games: Locally: Valhallas's Gate (on Nifong below El Maguey) valhallasgate.com Online: funagain.com and boardgamegeek.com
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