Thursday, January 28, 2010
It always sounds like a good idea to sit down as a family and play a friendly game of Yahtzee, Battleship, or Sorry, but it rapidly escalates into an arguement over who's turn it is, who's not paying attention to the game, or someone accusing somebody else of cheating.
I'm trying to teach my children the importance of good sportsmanship which includes learning to be a good winner as well as gracefully accepting defeat. So far, the lesson has taken effect. My youngest daughter continues to do a victory dance when she wins, and threatens to quit in the middle of a game when she's losing. We've tried to explain to her that no one else will want to play with her if she acts that way, and she promises to behave at the beginning of every game, but it usually doesn't take long for something to go wrong.
Some people naturally have more of a competitive spirit than others. However, nobody wins every time, and it's important to learn how to be happy for others when it's their turn to win. Despite the arguments and occasional name calling between my children, I enjoy our family game nights. Hopefully they'll learn a few life lessons along the way and have memories that they'll look back on and enjoy.
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