Often, on Cookie Baking nights, we play games as part of the evening. I own this game called the Ungame. It is simply two decks of cards with statements on them--statements like "Talk about a joyful time in your life.", "Share a family ritual that has special meaning to you.", "If you could watch only one hour of TV this week, what would you watch?" and the favorite card of all time scattered throughout the deck "YOU MAY ASK A PLAYER ONE QUESTION OR COMMENT ON ANY SUBJECT YOU CHOOSE"
I, personally, have gone back and forth over the years as to if I like this game or not (Does it foster selfishness?), but the kids often request to play it. I was struck with this thought last time we played it. In this world of technology where everything has a bell and a whistle, why is this low-tech game constantly requested? I think the answer is time. It is focused time on the children, listening to what they have to say. They like that.
Here's another observation. In my experience (and it is a very small sampling at that), the boys have always liked this game more than the girls. The girls like it, but the boys really like it. Ethan has now taken to requesting this game every Cookie Baking night (it's usually the first thing he asks me when he arrives). It was Joe's favorite game well into his teenage years. It's an interesting thought that in this day of video games, computers, iPods, and Kindles, these boys request the game with no lights, no batteries, no sound. They just want to share a little information about themselves and ask a few questions.
No comments:
Post a Comment