Daddy in Jail. Why Playing Board Games Is Great For Humans

Good morning folks! I hope your morning is bright and opposite to the morning here at my house – nice and quiet! I am currently listing to my youngest child sing to VeggieTales, “God is so big,” accompanied by the high pitch squeaking of Larry the cucumber, and mixed with a five year old squeaking is #brutal-on-me-ears.

With that sad, I will create a scene from The Lord of the Rings to help you understand my morning

“Drums, drums, drums in the deep. I have barred the doors. There is no way out. They have awoken something, a name which I will not utter to hear. Drums, drums. I write this record in earnest. They are coming...”

This sums up any young parent’s weekend mindset – the goal of having thirty minutes of uninterrupted time. A fools hope that eventually ends in doom.

Cheerful for ya? 🙂

Enough of my melodramatic speech. Let’s get going into today’s post!

Daddy in Jail. Why Playing Board Games Is Great For Humans

Firstly I want to assure my longtime readers and any potential subscribers – I am not a convict! Albeit, the title of today’s blog post might have shaken your confidence regarding your favourite blog post reader(asserting myself in there), however I did not rob any banks or punch someone out in the parking lot – like the rumor spread by one of my students. I did this morning, however, implicate myself in a conversation with my youngest daughter.

Our children love boardgames.

Now that our kids are getting older, they are slowing getting into more complicated games – leveling up from Snakes and Ladders to Guess Who? and Monopoly Jr. (HASBRO CHECK OUT MY BLOG AND DONATE :)) Well, this morning as I was drinking my morning Decaf coffee *shudder* , I went back to the kitchen for a refill and was interrupted by some drama unfolding in the living room.

Sprawled out on the floor was Monopoly Jr. with four kids lying ragdoll around the board. Ava was audibly upset and exclaimed/whined, “DADDDDDDDDD, I’M IN JAILLLLLLLLLLLLLLL…”

*Pause*

RULEBOOK MOMENT: GO TO JAIL. DO NOT COLLECT YOUR $2. GO DIRECTLY TO JAIL. (Remember this is kids monopoly.)

My reply to Ava’s complaint/whine – ” Baby, don’t worry about it – Daddy’s always in jail.”

Hmmm.

Daddy’s always in jail.

Christian’s brain control center:

Question #1) Did you just tell your daughter that you’re a frequent visitor of His Majesty’s Penitentiary?

Question #2) Did you actually say, “Daddy’s always in jail,”?

Ava gave me a strange look and then continued to complain about losing in the game, probably trying to figure out if her Dad really spends his nights in jail, considering I am a teacher during the day.

We now have a glimpse folks, of why children can get wild ideas in their heads about their parents!

Why Playing Board Games Is Great For Humans

Even though I can hear screaming and super-sonic whining coming from the living room, due to my children playing a board game, there are benefits to it. Growing up, I played many a board game, from Monopoly to LIFE, RISK, SORRY!, and many others. Most of these games were a staple for me growing up. Now I play CATAN, Marvel Champions: The Living Card Game, and soon I will be playing The Lord of the Rings: The Living Card Game – in only 64 days ( yes, I am a child still at heart).

One big assumption that some people make, and I would argue is false, is that board games are for children only.

Board games for decades, have been proven psychologically to be great for socializing, critical thinking, and more. The Manhattan Psychology Group stated that for children in particular, board games are excellent for,

…boosting their self-esteem, developing fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, teaching number, shape, color and word recognition, and encouraging flexible thinking. 

https://manhattanpsychologygroup.com/benefits-board-games/

I would argue that playing boards offer something that video games could never do – give your brain a rest. Unlike the constant flashing screen and blue light (which is proven to have negative affects on the brain), board games offer the chance to use critical thinking skills without the brain being overloaded in the process.

It also teaches humans in general that – you will lose! People, we need to get that back into our society – we don’t all win! In fact, Monopoly brings that out big time. One person wins that game. In fact, most board games have one winner, or a cooperative game win amongst the team. We live in a day and age where many children are being taught in video games, schools, and sports that – everyone wins.

That is totally opposite to real societal structures.

One person will get the managers position at McDonald’s during the job opening. Not everyone is going to make the basketball team. When it’s someone’s birthday in our house – only one person gets a gift.

Board games bring that side of life to the forefront.

In act, I want my children to lose.

“Say what?”

Yes, I want my children to lose. Then I can help them learn in those moments to accept that they lost and to try some new strategies next time; to not spend all your resources on everything; to plan ahead in your moves, and to try a different route next time.

Losing is the best way to re-evaluate your previous mindset and to adjust it accordingly to bring about a different, and hopefully, a more positive result.

My oldest son, really struggled in this area. He would often get very mad, cry, and get so upset that he would barely speak – all because he lost. Whether it were board games, video games, or sports, he would get upset when he didn’t win. It became such a struggle, that we decided to give the ultimatum that he wouldn’t be playing with us if he acted that way. Yes, we discussed the problem with him, and went down the trail of how it makes us feel and what it does to him. Ultimately we left it at the final option.

There has to be consequences for actions.

It didn’t happen overnight, but through the process and with time, his attitude toward losing has greatly improved. Yes, he still has moments, but nothing like it was. .

Yes indeed, board games are a great way for families to unplug, unwind, and get to know one another better. Watching movies – you barely say a word to the other person; playing video games you end up like zombies after forty minutes – but with a board game, you go deeper…usually.

I hope you enjoyed todays post. If you did, hit subscribe to follow my blog. Check out The Eason Clan on Facebook to follow us there. Please considering supporting my blog with shares and by giving a donation, which you can do under the, “Support The Eason Clan” page on my site. The costs associated with my blog are my Web domain and my subscription to WordPress.

Thanks for reading, and I will see you next time!

Christian