Thursday, April 02, 2009

family game night

Dylan,

All week you look forward to Family Game Night. Mom instigated it a couple months ago and it's been a highlight of your week -- something you really look forward to -- ever since.

We have FGN on Wednesdays since you're already clean from a post-swimming lesson shower and won't need a bath. We usually play a couple of the board games you enjoy, like "Hi-Ho Cherry-O", "Cariboo", or "I Can Do That" (also known as "Trick-a-Ma-Stick"). Other times we assemble puzzles or build with Lincoln Logs. You always have a really great time.

You anticipate it all week, frequently asking "Is it Family Game Night tonight?" On Tuesday nights when I ask you what tomorrow is, you say "Tomorrow is Wednesday. Tomorrow is Family Game Night!". It usually comes up again Wednesday morning on the way to school and the anticipation in your voice always makes me smile.

We have one rule: You have to finish dinner first. Doesn't seem to hard, does it? It doesn't even mean you have to eat everything that's been served to you (although that's usually true of your veggies). It just means you have to decide that you're done eating.

Yet invariably -- and absolutely inexplicably -- Wednesday night finds you sitting at the table, distractedly picking at your food, barely responding to our encouragement to finish up so we can get started with FGN. You'll insist that you're not done yet, then sit without taking an actual bite for 10 minutes. You'll cry and insist you want to eat more if we take your plate away, but it's clearly not hunger keeping you there.

We've canceled FGN because dinner has dragged on too long -- much to your dismayed disapprobation. We've even gone in the other room and started playing games without you. It's frustrating, in part because we look forward to it too, but also because it's ridiculous for us to badger and cajole you into an evening of fun and games.

I keep hoping next week will be easier.


Dad

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