My daughter and I were at a standstill. She was moaning and groaning about me having passed her again in our game of Candy Land. Once again, I tried to tell her that “there are rules to this game, just like with other stuff.” I followed that by telling her “it’s just a game so have fun with it.” Even so, she wouldn’t budge. “But I like winning,” she said, her hands were now on her hips as she stared at me with big, brown eyes.
I hesitated before telling her to draw another card. It was, after all, her turn according to the rules. After that point, though, all I could think about was how I was going to handle these and other situations going forward. I have joked with people that I hope Jesus returns before my daughters are teenagers. I didn’t get saved until I was 28 years old, so I pray that my children will come to Christ early and avoid the experiences that I had in my younger years. Even so, I think that is where fathering and parenting in general come into play. I feel that I did right by telling her about the rules in our game, and that there are rules in everything.
Still, we should continue to tell our children why things are the way they are, in games and in life. If we don’t, then more and more people will continually grow up with a ‘life’s-not-fair-unless-I-get-what-I-want’ attitude. We unfortunately see that attitude a lot these days, and in a variety of ways, across the political spectrum. If parents choose not to act, the result may be far more than we can bear.
By the way, my daughter did go on to win our game of Candy Land. It’s only fair that I include that information.
