The Bored Game

“Coffee?” I asked Tracey this afternoon.

We were in the local supermarket, having both arrived there independently of each other – her, to buy food, and me, beer.

“We’ve got to pick up the kids,” she reminded me.

I looked at my watch. “Not yet we don’t. Not for another hour and fifteen, if we need it.”

Tracey still looked doubtful. She doesn’t like to be the last to pick up kids, even though we quite often are. Plus, the later we pick them up the more stressful the transition to bed.

I really just wanted to spend a few extra minutes with my wife without any kids. New plan.

“How about we take that coffee money and put it towards a new board game for the kids?” I said. I know her weakness. All seven of them. “We could all sit down and play it before bed.”

I wanted to get the kids away from the electronics and into something more physical and interactive anyway. Minecraft is going to be the death of me. Or one of them. They even look bored when they’re playing it.

But the fun had only just begun.

“We’ve got a surprise for you when we get home,” I told the kids while they grabbed their bags and said goodbye to the daycare ladies. I’d beaten Tracey to the centre so I could be the one to announce it. “It’s a new game.”

“What is it?” asked Miss9.

“Guess,” I told them.

“Clue,” said Miss6.

“No,” I said, although I must say I was impressed with her guess.

“Is it for the Xbox?” asked Master8.

“No,” I said.

“Clue,” said Miss6.

“Still no,” I said.

“Snakes and Ladders,” said Miss9.

“No,” I said.

“Clue,” said Miss6.

“You’ve already said that one,” I reminded her. “Twice.”

“Said what? I want a clue,” she said, looking at me like I’d lost touch with my senses. “A clue.”

“Oh. Alright,” I said. “It’s got balls in it.”

“Dad said balls,” snickered Master8.

“Table tennis!” said Miss9.

“No, it’s a board game, sweetie.”

“Clue,” said Miss6.

“It’s got hungry animals in it,” I said. Nothing. “It’s got Hippopotamus in it,” I added as we pulled into the drive.

“Hippos?” said Miss6. “I don’t know any games with hippos.”

This will be a huge hit, I thought to myself doubtfully.

But I needn’t have worried: it was. Those hippos sure had their fill tonight. And what I especially loved was age didn’t seem to be an advantage – Miss3 won the first two games hands down.

In fact, it was such a big hit Tracey and I barely got to play – 2 games each in over an hour – and we only called a halt and sent them to bed when the trash talk started to resemble prematch WWE.

Definitely worth missing out on a couple of coffees for and the kids were still laughing about it as we tucked them into bed.

It’s good to see they enjoyed being board.

When not typing away over here and checking his stats every two minutes Bruce Devereaux hangs out at his ‘BIG FAMILY little income’  Facebook Page.

 ’raising a family on little more than laughs’