The merits of Monopoly


Nat really loves playing Monopoly. I mean, REALLY. I don't get it. Maybe she enjoys beating me. For some reason, I consistently lose to her. We have a Disney themed set and instead of Chance cards, they're called Magic Moments or Show Time. And they must be rigged or something, because I keep getting "Hypnotized by Kaa. Pay $100." or "Caught by the dog catcher. Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go." And Nat keeps getting "Dumbo's magic feather lets you fly. Collect $100" or "Tinker Bell transports you to Go. Collect $200". RRRGGH. It does not help that Mummy does not let me fleece Nat when it comes to bartering properties :P

On the bright side, Nat is starting to cotton on to the nuances of Monopoly, like, don't bother getting the properties which are too expensive, because you never have enough to build any houses. She is even starting to catch me when I try to fleece her.

Me (in a fake grudging tone): OK Nat, I'll be kind. I'll let you swop The Rescuers for Aladdin's Grotto.
Nat: Wait, let me check the back of the card... HEY! Rescuers is more expensive than Aladdin!
Me (beating hasty retreat before Mummy catches me too): OKOK...

While I don't question the educational value I'm getting out of Parker Brothers, these two-hour Sunday afternoon sessions are pretty exhausting! Especially when Nat realises I'm running out of steam (and patience after watching her take 5 minutes to figure out how much change she should get for her $100 note for a double rent of $14. And then doublecheck because she thinks I'm trying to cheat).

It gets worse when she knows the game is coming to an end (usually because she is driving me bankrupt). She deliberately stops building houses and castles. She even tries to cheat when I take a toilet break by rolling the dice on my behalf and pretending I've rolled a number that allows me to land on Go (we have a rule that says if you land on Go you get $500 instead of $200 - Mummy's idea). How endearing :)

It's also pretty frustrating for Dan, because he's still too small to really understand Monopoly. Apart from rolling the dice for me, his participation is pretty limited. So, to be fair, we usually end off by letting him play Super Mario or something. This is not to say that Dan is any good at Super Mario. He just likes *watching* it. Have you ever seen Super Mario completed in 5 minutes? The WHOLE thing? Dan loves it, and you should check it out on Youtube (search for Super Mario speed run). Incredible.

Games. What would parents do without them? Go nuts. Probably. Now, where did I put my Civilization IV CD...?

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