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Health & Fitness

Time Bomb & Booby Trap

Can we even say phrases like that anymore? Those were the games we played as kids growing up. I can't seem to shake this nostalgia kick.  I'm surrounded by the past daily as the historic guide at Oheka Castle, the house which "Mr. Monopoly" built. As kids, my sisters and I spent DAYS playing Monopoly until one player's properties were completely mortgaged and one victorious player cleaned out the bank.

Hours were spent playing games like Time Bomb, Booby Trap, Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots, Hands Down and Twister. Exercise was kick ball, hide & seek, biking and pick-up baseball. Our parents didn't know where we were most of the day, but when you heard the dinner bell or Dad's whistle, you knew it was time to come in without delay.

Those games taught us that life isn't always fair. There are winners and losers. We quickly recovered from a loss by the promise of another game, and didn't have to be propped up with trophies. We made our own rules and negotiated fairness without the intervention of adults, and it worked.

Lessons were learned of patience, sharing, resilience, compassion and competition. Who could be trusted and who was untrustworthy. These were the basis of our games.  We forged friendships and lost friends based on those lessons. Skinned knees were the risk you took for the rewards.

Helmets, car seats, pads, guards, cell phones, locks and leashes. The world has changed, especially for those of us who remember. I gave my kids a sense of what it was like, by allowing them "free" play instead of always having a structured and non-competitive environment. Hopefully they have learned some of those lessons along the way.

When my sisters visit, we still play the old games and compete with love. Some things just don't change.

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