Family time together

We try to spend "quality time" with our kids. We take them to do activities, play outside with them, and shower them with attention when we are home and they are awake. Honestly, I think we spend too much time with them. My parents didn't play with us - they sent us outside to play. In fact, I am pretty sure my parents didn't talk to me unless it was to tell me to do something or punish me.

We are trying to be better parents, I guess, so we play with our kids. One of our kids favorite activities are board games. We have around 35 games (at least most of the game if they haven't lost pieces, but that is another blog) for a variety of age groups. Games for preschoolers like Candy Land and Shoots and Ladders to the classics like Monopoly and Scrabble.

Just like in a cheesy TV commercial, we all settle down around the game we have agreed (okay, fought about) to play. That lasts for about 15 minutes. You see, I am the only honest player in my family. My husband is notorious for his cheating, and the kids have learned it from him. Now, I can play with cheaters because I am on to them, but they are also poor losers. Yup. They cheat and they still lose and then they throw fits.

Usually this ends with a kid in tears or someone throwing the board. Not so much family fun, now is it?

One of my favorite stories about this issue isn't actually about the kids. It is about Kevin. We were camping (our last camping trip I might add) about five years ago when we decided to play Monopoly - a whole group of adults and Ethan.

Kevin was up to his usual cheating ways, but I was still whooping his ass. In fact, he started yelling at me about how I must be cheating (I wasn't), but what was funny is he seriously started a fight with me over the game. It was 10 at night and quiet in the campground, but you could hear him yelling about this stupid game.

The next morning, I was in the campground bathroom when I heard a group of people talking about the "crazy guy yelling about Monopoly last night." I was mortified and hysterical at the same time. Nothing like a little sportsmanship being taught to your kids, right?