the mogul

when i picked up liam from a playdate at his friend henry's house last week, i found them sprawled on the floor, immersed in a rousing game of monopoly.  liam had never played it before, but i could tell by the look on his face that he was hooked.  as is the case whenever a six-year old teaches another six-year old a new game, the rules were a little nebulous; they were having fun putting houses wherever they wished and doling out cash whenever they needed more.  but the gleam in liam's eye told me that this was something he could really get into.

we're now living with my parents until our renovation is complete, and i felt sure that they'd kept our most beloved games in their game closet downstairs.  sure enough, as soon as i opened the door, i saw our tried-and-true monopoly set from my childhood staring back at me.  the properties were miraculously all there, the pieces were all intact, and the board was just itching to be opened for likely the first time in over a decade.

chris patiently explained the nuances of the game -- how to buy railroads, how to collect $200 as your salary, how to build hotels.  soon the inevitable questions followed:   "what is a luxury tax?", "what is a mort-gage?" and "what is a monopoly, anyway?"  as a lover of math, liam has particularly enjoyed all the number crunching involved.  he can quickly calculate the change he's due from the bank and has even mastered the art of how to determine 10% of his assets when he lands on the dreaded income tax spot.

but the one thing he hasn't mastered -- which plagues him in all other games, sports, and competitive endeavors -- is the fine art of losing.  above is a picture when all was right and good in monopoly world, as we embarked on a fun game while a summer thunderstorm forced us indoors.  and below is what ensued as his cash pile dwindled and a loss to chris loomed.

i'm brainstorming here ... i think our monopoly set will soon have one additional card thrown into the "chance" and "community chest" mix.   "OBNOXIOUS CHILD PITCHES FIT.  GO STRAIGHT TO JAIL.  DO NOT PASS GO.  AND DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT COLLECTING $200."