Kid’s church has been talking about camp and how it is rated “ARRGH”. The pirate theme made me think of treasure maps and finding gold. I always wanted to be a pirate as a kid and there was one day that I almost felt like one.
Roll mental camera…
My dad had a metal detector that I got to stand next to a lot while he searched for buried treasure. When it beeped I was always super excited and my dad had no problem letting me dig every hole. I always wanted my shot at holding the magic metal finder and the response was always “when you’re older.”
Finally one day my dad gave me a shot at “metal detectorating” as W would say. He showed me how to hold it and what all the lights and beeps meant. I went out to the back yard and started bleeping and digging, beeping and digging, pinging and digging and not finding anything. Just as I was starting to get discouraged I heard the loudest beep and I just knew I had found the mother load. I actually drew a big X on the ground before I started digging.
It took a minute or two of digging but then there it was. I saw something silver. I pulled it out of the ground and it was an old buffalo head nickel. Just one would have been enough but then I saw another and then another. I don’t recall now how many there were but they filled up both of my pockets. All I needed was a patch, a peg leg, and a parrot and I would have been good to go.
I came to find out, when I was older, that my dad had planted those nickels there for me to find. He wanted my first experience to be a good one helping to solidify my self confidence. He made sure I was going to win. As I sit back and think, I wonder how many times he did that. I’m not sure I could even count how many times I have done that for my own boys. There will be so many times in their lives when failure stares them right in the face. I want to make sure my children know how good it feels to succeed. Failure will be nothing but a step toward that success.
Do you think it is wrong to let your kids win?
What is your kid’s favorite game that you let them win?
What game are they now whipping your butt in that you used to have to let them win?
5 comments:
While they're young and don't know, I think it's totally appropriate. I let Seth win his "Go, Diego, Go" game all the time :)
Noah is on to me and doesn't want me to let him win.
I used to let them win at a lot of stuff...but now, my 8 year old plays Monopoly like a pro and I can't beat the 10 year old in chess...so it's no mercy, matey! ARRG!
In games I let them win when they are younger and gradually work them into the reality that they can't always win. I would absolutely plant nickles, though. I love that you drew an X before you dug.
I catch my boys letting me win at basketball. It's embarrassing seeing them feel so sorry for me.
I love letting them win, but as they get older they know I'm letting them...they win in slapjack all the time.
This post totally relates more to my husband and son. Craig use to let Ryan win at basketball. But now it is a whole other story. Craig has to play hard to win and then Ryan tells him that he got lucky.
I would have planted nickels too.
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