Are you competitive when you play games with your children?

Let me start by saying that I have huge respect for parents with an endless (endless!!) patience; parents who can play silly games with their children and let them win over and over again.

I am not one of those parents.

Of course I do sometimes play those silly games, and I do let my children win -- it is important to keep them entertained and motivated and I love seeing their cute little faces light up when they believe they have won. But, I enjoy myself more when I can be a bit competitive. When I'm challenged a bit as well. And yes -- I do let my kids loose! Is that mean? Perhaps it is not a bad thing? Isn't it an important life lesson, to learn how to loose, to be a good sport about it and try again until you win? I actually think so!

The games I like best are those where the child is an equal or even stronger opponent. I love it when there's a real competition going on, and we both have an equal (fair!) chance in winning or loosing. This gets easier when the child gets older -- naturally. But also younger children can win from adults with certain games!

For smaller children, for example, Bingo is nice, because it's more about luck than strategy. Casper, who is 6, is super good at Memory. He beats me (and everyone else in our family!) all the time! Games like Ludo and Dobble are good ones to play with smaller children too.

With Ava (9), I love playing Set, Otrio and Uno. I like to witness how she's becoming more strategic in her play. Pim (12), with his entrepreneurial mind, loves to play Monopoly. This is not my favourite game, possibly because I'm not great with money, and I always loose. (So frustrating!) Rummikub is a favourite too, we both like that game very much!

And lastly with Sara (14) I've started to play Scrabble. I used to play Scrabble with my mum and have fond memories of that.

Another good game to play with children is Yahtzee. It's played open so it's easy to help the little ones with their tactics, and nobody can control the dice, so it's all about luck! Did you know dice were found in Egyptian tombs?

Tell me, what sort of parent are you? Can you play endlessly without winning, or are you competitive when you play games with your children too? If so -- what are your favourite games to play with your children?

xxx Esther

PS Do you remember these games from when we were young?