A Georgia Girl in Germany

When Nana and Papa were here, he kids really enjoyed the extra time playing games. Their favorite was Parcheesi -- and they sure could make the game last, and last, and last! After a while, they figured out that if they were “nice” to each other, it would often be reciprocated ... meaning that if they had an opportunity to send an opponent’s piece back to the beginning but opted for another move instead, several moves later that opponent would reciprocate in kind. Of course, sometimes it wasn’t possible, but they learned to play a “friendly game.” They also learned how to gang up on Papa (I don’t think he won a single game), and were the most kind to Benjamin.

Benjamin played the most with Papa (Zachary and MacKenzie still had school, scouts and play practice to contend with), and was even learning a bit of the strategy behind the game. They also played chess, checkers, Chinese checkers, and backgammon. I really enjoy that they haven’t figured out how to make the TV work here (they can work the transformer and get the DVD player to work, but the AFN decoder and remote add an extra layer of confusion that I sometimes have difficulty figuring out).


Of course, when we didn’t have time to devote to an hour (or longer) game of Parcheesi, Benjamin enjoyed cuddling with Papa to listen to a good book.

Labels: Benjamin, MacKenzie, Nana and Papa, Zachary