My Weakness

I have a problem. I love games. I always have. It doesn't matter if it is a board game, card game or video game I am up for the challenge. I think I was the child that was always begging someone to play something with me. Anything. Everything. I loved them all.

I loved Atari when it came out when I was small and we lived in Salt Lake. I think my mom gave it to my dad for Father's Day. It was a gift to us all. Pong, Space Invaders, Pac Man, Asteroids and the castle one where you had to find the key to unlock the door and retrieve the trophy before the dragons gobbled yo up,are a few that I loved to play. A few years ago I bought the PS2 game that has 80 Atari games and for under twenty dollars. That would have been priceless back in the day. I have also bought the handheld plug in that uses the same paddle as the original machine. It brings back such memories gripping the black stick and pushing the red button. Later came the Nintendo system which brought Mario, Dig Dug, Spy Hunter and Frogger. What graphics, music and story lines! When we got married Rich got a PlayStation for his birthday. I knew it was as much mine as his. When I was finishing up my undergrad at BYU I loved playing Frogger in our little condo in Provo in between reading sessions. While we were in Louisville I spent days, weeks even trying to win Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I never could get past Quirrel/Voldemort on the very last level. That still bugs me. The boys were young and sat watching, cheering me on as we moved farther into the game. I currently love racing the boys on Crash Tag Team and am always proud I can hold my own against the youngins.

I love handheld games too. My favorite when I was young was my dad's baseball game that had one red dot indicating the batter and ball. Then technology took flight, creating true handheld gaming systems. I got my first Gameboy back when they weighed two pounds, required 4 AA batteries and were not back lit. I played it on the ski bus every Saturday as we rode up to Sundance and later Park West. I bought an electronic handheld Yahtzee games when were were first married and play it often when we travel. In fact I think we own two or three. Between the boys and I we have two zipper bags of Gameboy games and most of them were purchased because I thought they looked like fun. There are certain games I hide away when we travel because I could not bear to lose them. I played my Gameboy everyday while I was on bed rest with Josh and Matt. And sometimes I will play it while I ride my exercise bike. This Christmas Trey's number one item is a Nintendo DS lite. Seems the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

I love playing card games and have so many dear and precious memories having fierce games of Hearts with my family on vacation and at home. Our New Years party is centered around Tripoley, a card game that mixes Poker and Hearts and Michigan Rummy. My dad played it as a kid and now mine play it as well. I remember the day my dad taught me how to play Solitaire as a child. He emphasises how difficult it was to win and that it rarely happens and then went on to win the game with his first hand. I was hooked. I could spend hours on the computer playing Hearts, Solitaire or Spider Solitaire. When we go home to Utah to visit I find my dad on the computer playing card games too. I love it.

When I was a child, any day I could play the board game Life or Careers or Battleship with Greg was a very good one. My dad had two games from his childhood Stratego and Dog Fight. They smelled a bit musty and old and the boxes were a bit yellow with age and every time we were lucky enough to have them retrieved from their place high up in the closet I pictured my dad playing these exact game with his brothers as a child. Two years ago I bought my own Dog Fight game and love playing with my own family. I always think of my dad when we play it and I usually have to call him to verify rules. It's fun to include him when we live so far away. I loved traveling on long car rides with my family while we read and answered Trivial Pursuit questions. I was very happy when they put out a new edition that's questions were better suited for my knowledge. I have loved playing Trivial Pursuit, Scattergories and Scrabble with Rich. He always wins at the trivia and I always win on the letter games. You can guess which ones I encourage him to play. All these games are amazing, but one games stands out in my mind. The very coolest games EVER is called Dark Tower. My Grandpa Nance had one and it had to be a very special time to play. I didn't play it often, but I never forgot it. Thanks to eBay I bought my dad his own Dark Tower for Christmas two years ago. I think it will always be the gift I cannot top. Playing it is one of the highlights of our trip back home.

Nowadays, I play games with the girls and games with the boys and I think it is one of the best ways to make memories. Some of my favorite times have been playing games with my family. But I will admit, sometimes I get a bit out of control. Chores do not get done, things get put off and the kids and I turn a bit into zombies while we are in 'the zone'. Moderation in all things right? I just have a hard time when I am enjoying it as much as them.

And this week has been one of those 'play' times. I discovered a new love. Sure, Rich thinks I am a degenerate, but that has yet to stop me ever from playing on, so I continue to relish my new found thrill. And while he laughs at me, I smile knowing that I am sharing this with my kids. This is the beauty and blessing of games. The truth is most games involved other people. It makes you converse, share, laugh and play. It is a the perfect way to bond and I'll always think that. The entertainment bit is a bonus, but what I love most are the relationships it builds and strengthens. That alone far surpasses any score or level I'll ever obtain on a game.

So, back to my new obsession. A few weeks I took note that Josh logged on to the computer every day after school. He would always go to one place and one place only: Webkinz.com. Yes, Trey got a husky dog when he turned eight and has played now and then over the past year and a half, but when Josh signed in and began hunting for gems I was intrigued. I went and stood by his side and watched as he dug for a prize. The animation is lovely and the idea is original. You purchase a stuffed animal with a code that allows you to take care of your pet online. Games give you KinzCash which you can use to purchase items for your room or food or clothes for your pet. But the part I loved was seeing Josh open a letter and receive a gift from Trey. There also was a note in his inbox from a neighbor. After Josh read it, he wrote him a thank you note back before me moved on to play. Then I watched as Matt, Trey and Josh took turns playing checkers and Connect Four and I couldn't help but think I wanted part of the action.

Then I had a light bulb moment. A few months ago I bought the boys new Webkinz for Trey's birthday at the Limited Too. (It's a total girl store, but has the best selection by far.) As I waited to pay I noticed that if you bought a regular priced animal you could buy a certain few toys for only $5.99. Then I noticed this cutie: a White Terrier. I had seen it long ago, but never would have paid upwards of $17.00 for a stuffed animal that girls were to young to use. The low price made me reconsider and I bought two and tucked them away in the closet to bring out for Brynn and Kaitlyn at Christmas.

As I stood next to the boys, I realized I could remove the tag, register the dog and play along with my kids. My boys laughed as I adopted Brynn and Kaitlyn's pets and explored the site. They were quick to show me where to go and what to do. That night I sent each boy a gift from me. The next day they were overjoyed to have a package waiting for them in their inbox. Later that day Josh sent Brynn's dog pants and a bow and Kaitlyn received a shirt and pants. Trey sent a stuffed cat and Josh mailed teddy bears. I sent shirts, food, baseballs and mitts, soccer balls, and frogs to the boys' animals. They mailed back thank you notes and new prizes. I loved seeing their gratitude even for a virtual item. It was nice to see them think of others besides themselves.

So there you have it. My name is Cheryl and I play Webkinz. And I love it. No shame there. My kids love it and Rich gets good healthy hearty laugh each night watching Josh and I play goldfish together, witness Trey drag me over to the screen to have me help him select a toy for his brothers and see Matt help me win the next level. Bonding time in my book. Time well spent because lets face it, in the long run they won't remember the night we folded laundry or loaded the dishwasher, but they will remember getting gifts and sweet notes in their web mailbox from their mama and when they creamed me four straight times in checkers. They know who loves them. And that makes it totally worth every second.