"Ooh! I spun a three! Do you know what that means?!"
"You won?"
"I move my piece three spaces. One, two, three. You see? I get to climb the ladder to the winner's square! Yes! I won! Daddy won! Yay!"
"BUT I WANTED TO WIN!..."
Howls erupted and tears flowed. I held her close and let her cry a bit and told her that I was sad that she lost the game, but I was happy that I won, and I hoped that she could be happy for others when they win at games because what's important isn't really the winning or the losing but that we're enjoying each other's company while we're playing. Right?
She calmed down and said okay then asked to play a second game of Chutes and Ladders because she wanted to win a game. I explained that we would have to play tomorrow because it was time for her bath.
When the bathtub was ready, I called out with a high pitched resonant squeal that I like to make to imitate the noisy water coming through the pipes:
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Taking a bath isn't her favorite activity, but she can't resist running to check out the odd noise coming from the bathroom, even though she knows it's me trying to lure her in with my Siren call. It works every time. Haha.
She poked her head in the doorway smiling coyly.
"Come in, honey," I said. "The bath is ready."
She came in slowly with a guilty expression on her face, then she whispered a quiet confession to me as I helped her get ready:
"I moved the boy and put the girl in the winner's square."
"What did you say?"
"I moved the boy and put the girl in the winner's square, so I can win the game. I won the game, Daddy. I won."
She wasn't confessing it the second time, merely stating a fact of life that I had just lost, that she had just won, and that I needed to just deal with it.
My loud laughter gave her permission to cut the serious act and get on with our bedtime ritual. However, I wasn't merely laughing at her rule-breaking audacity; I was also remembering the setup directions that I had read aloud at the start of the game:
INSTRUCTIONS
For 2 to 4 players/AGES 3+
This delightful game is simple and easy to play, even for children who can't read. Fun pictures help kids understand the rewards of doing good deeds as they climb up the ladders and the consequences of naughty ones as they slide down the chutes....
Apparently, my daughter hadn't understood the moral intent behind our game playing and just thought that Chutes and Ladders is about earning one's way to the top by any means necessary. Gordon Gekko would be proud, regrettably...
So tomorrow, before we play again, I'm planning on carefully re-reading the game's instructions to my little Lady Macbeth ; )
