In my basement, I have two big shelves filled with board and card games. Everything from Yahtzee to Sorry! to Trivial Pursuit. There is no such thing as too many board games in my opinion. They have certainly provided hours of family fun and bonding over the years.
I credit my cousin, Joe, and his wife’s family for my love of a good board game. They were the board game champions when I was young. When I visited my grandparents, Joe would let me tag along to his then-girlfriend’s house to play games with her family. It was so much fun. I loved every minute of it. We laughed and yelled and just had the best time.
As soon as my daughter, Josie, was old enough we started her on games. First, it was the Matching Game, Crazy Eights and Go Fish. We then went on to Candyland where she dominated. She was like three and would talk terrible smack in Candyland, but she always backed it up. We never let her win anything. However, she is competitive AF and would get mad if she lost too much. Still, we all played to win.
During about second grade during a particularly brutal winter with lots of snow days, we discovered that many of the games we were playing actually taught valuable skills. She was becoming a math wiz with all the adding of dice in Yahtzee. She could count money and make change from our countless games of Payday, Monopoly and Life. We actually mentioned this to her teacher during a conference and she sent home a letter to all parents with a list of good learning games. Look at us knowing shit!
As Josie has grown, we have continued to play games and acquire new ones. Recently a friend recommended a fun word game called Rewordable. It is excellent even though I have only won once. Josie dominates this game much like she did Candyland back in the day.
Our favorite card game is called Five Crowns. It is a Rummy-like game. I’m pretty good at this one. We also learned how to play Texas Holdem Poker during the pandemic. That is some good homeschooling right there, folks. It is also why our daughter goes to public school and is much smarter than us.
Recently Josie was staying the weekend with my cousin and his wife, Pam and they had a game night with some of her family. Josie said it was one of the best nights ever. She loved Pam’s family and their spirited gaming. She said they were wild and cut-throat. I don’t remember it getting ugly, but I was very young and just happy to be included. I’m glad Josie had that experience. Pam’s family is the best.
We have even bought board games on vacation. A few years ago, we acquired an Alexander Hamilton board game whilst in DC at the Smithsonian. It made for great fun in the evening at our VRBO. We also bought a special National Parks edition on Yahtzee. That is a good one.
I look forward to when Josie comes home and we can still play games. It is bonding at its finest. No matter how stiff the competition is, we always manage to laugh and make memories.
So, cheers to board games, which should never be boring. Technology is great, but there is something about just sitting around a table and having fun in a wholesome, old-fashioned kind of way that brings me great joy. Long live the board game!
Angela Traver
What is this blog about? Well, it's a general blog, but it is also a very specific blog. If you get that reference, you get a gold star! I have been a public relations professional and writer of press releases for more than 20 years—primarily in the booze biz. I decided to do some writing for fun and embrace the humor that gets me through most days. Hopefully it will make you chuckle—or at least smile. I’m a certified crazy magnet, and more than a little nutty myself, so buckle up. Also, I have two vices—profanity and red wine/whiskey. You’ve been warned. It should also be noted, that I’m a HUGE Bob & Sheri fan. I’ve been a listener for more than 20 years. This opportunity is a dream come true and it may have made me cry. That being said, I cry at everything. If you are into booze, dogs, food and/or knitting, hit me up on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (although I’m terrible at Twitter and it scares me) @kyspiritsgal. You can also find all my previous blog posts at www.kyspiritsgal.com.
