Wednesday
May022007
Belated Yet Again
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at 2:53PM 
Yesterday was Youngest Daughter’s birthday, so I’m wishing her blog birthday greetings. True to form, they are belated greetings, although I was not so negligent in real life. Real life just got away from me yesterday, and the blog was neglected, but the girl wasn’t.
Here she is at four. She had just discovered the game of Candy Land. Every day, right after her nap, she would carefully set up her Candy Land game on the chest she’s sitting on in the photo. Then as soon as her father walked in the door after his day’s work, she would rope him into a game. How could he say no? If you’ve ever played Candy Land, though, you know how much he’d have preferred to do anything else.
Recently I had a conversation about coddled kids whose parents have never let them lose at anything, so they have skewed expectations for how things ought to go for them in life. In our house, teaching the child to lose at games was their father’s job. Here’s a little word of free advice to dads who want to follow his example: When you pick a game to use to teach your little one the skill of losing, choose checkers, or Chinese checkers, or Jenga, or pick-up sticks. Never, ever, choose Candy Land. At least if you want to keep your sanity.
So here are belated twenty-third birthday greeting to Youngest Daughter, the sweet little girl who drove her dad crazy with her Candy Land game.
Reader Comments (9)
Happy Birthday, Youngest Daughter!
How do you play Candy Land? Did Youngest Daughter play it this year on her birthday? Is it a party game?
It's a board game where you move your little game piece from start to finish. First one to the end wins. Only it goes on forever because you keep being sent back to the beginning over and over. Suitable for ages 3-6, and 6 is pushing the upper limit. :)
Wait a minute. Your youngest daughter is 23. You don't look old enough.
Happy Birthday!
Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders or the Memory Game. So many happy hours! Well, the memory is more charming than the actual playing of the countless games!
(Belated) Happy Birthday youngest daughter! (Is her birthday on the 1st of May? If so, we share a birthday. :))
Yep, we're in the Candy Land stage over here with our granddaughter these days. I can never win! Boo hoo.:-)
Happy belated birthday to your dear daughter!
Yep, May 1st, Violet.
A belated Happy Birthday to you, too! :)
I can never win!
Unfortunately, it's not a game of skill. :)
Unfortunately, my kids aren't doing very well in learning the art of losing graciously; I, however, am getting some good refreshers these days.