Poker Face

We have begun to play games with Wrigley. We play bingo and Candyland and a game that's almost exactly like Candyland called Hurry Home. Hurry Home comes with a die, which is very exciting (and can be dangerous in the hands of an excited three year old).

So here's the thing: when we play Candyland or Hurry Home, Wrigley cheats. Sometimes she'll "accidentally" skip a colored square and jump ahead to the next one. Sometimes she'll take two or three cards off the top of the pile and pick the one that suits her best. At its most flagrant, when she draws a card that forces her to go backwards - especially way, way, way backwards - she doesn't want to go. She can be cajoled, but sometimes she just won't go.

The funny thing is that, even though we've introduced games, we haven't talked much about winning. In fact, in Candyland, "winning" sucks; once you've made it to the castle, it's never your turn again. It's always the other players' turn until they make it to the castle too. In spite of all that, she knows it's important to get to the castle first, even if you have to bend the rules.

I'm not sure what to make of all this. Do we blame it on human nature? Do we blame it on parenting? Do we blame it on the poisonous, divisive political climate? I just don't know.

I do know this: when I teach Wrig how to play poker, I'm keepin' an eye or her sleeve.