When you play games - board games, etc, with your GCs do you let them win or do you play to win?
The reason I'm asking is yesterday I was playing noughts and corsses with GD1, aged 4 1/2. I let her start each time and the first two or 3 games were stalemate. She was clearly thinking through her tactics and playing very well. On the next game she made a mistake and without giving it too much thought I completed my row of noughts, thinking I must make sure she wins the following game. She immediately accused me of having an extra go so we counted up and she could see I'd won fair and square. With the light of battle in her eyes she drew the next grid, while I wrote 'Grandma won' on mine. GD was outraged "You can't write on them, Grandma". "Yes I can", I replied. This went back and forth a bit and I said she was making up the rules as she went along. She screwed up the disputed game and announced it was going in the bin, so I said, no it should go on the fridge. 'It's not going on my fridge', she insisted.
By this time I couldn't control my giggles any more and she told me I had to play 'properly'. Still giggling helplessly, I gave her a hug and said 'I love you', and she said 'I love you too, but you must play properly'!
The reason I'm asking is yesterday I was playing noughts and corsses with GD1, aged 4 1/2. I let her start each time and the first two or 3 games were stalemate. She was clearly thinking through her tactics and playing very well. On the next game she made a mistake and without giving it too much thought I completed my row of noughts, thinking I must make sure she wins the following game. She immediately accused me of having an extra go so we counted up and she could see I'd won fair and square. With the light of battle in her eyes she drew the next grid, while I wrote 'Grandma won' on mine. GD was outraged "You can't write on them, Grandma". "Yes I can", I replied. This went back and forth a bit and I said she was making up the rules as she went along. She screwed up the disputed game and announced it was going in the bin, so I said, no it should go on the fridge. 'It's not going on my fridge', she insisted.
By this time I couldn't control my giggles any more and she told me I had to play 'properly'. Still giggling helplessly, I gave her a hug and said 'I love you', and she said 'I love you too, but you must play properly'!
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