Friday, August 14, 2009

What Cost, Winning?

If I were playing third base and my mother were rounding third with the run that was going to beat us, I'd trip her. Oh, I'd pick her up and brush her off and say, "Sorry, Mom," but nobody beats me. - Leo Durocher

DD and I have been playing a card game called "Racko" lately.



It's fun, and at least a little challenging, which I appreciate but here's the problem: I win FAR more than my DD does. Racko is about strategy, and the way you win isn't just by getting the right cards for you, it's by paying attention to what the other person pulls from the discard pile and guessing what they need and HOLDING it in your own rack until the end to keep them from winning.

I've explained this to my DD. I've discussed strategy and how best to win. And she still doesn't grasp it. I know, I know -- she's only ten (even if she IS five feet tall... I'm still in shock over this), so I wonder where to draw the line. At what point, if at all, do I let her win? Is encouraging her by winning now and then going to help or hurt her if she doesn't earn it? She does win sometimes, but only once for my four or five and she gets so angry and frustrated.

**sigh**

I'm torn between wanting her to earn her wins and wanting her to be less discouraged.

What would you do?

==========================

I was talking about romantic comedy yesterday and realized that I could have made a few suggestions myself. Nearly anything Jennifer Crusie, of course. But what about lesser known ePubbed authors that I've stumbled across?

One of the funniest ePubbed books I read in a long time was "The Jinx" by Jennifer Johnson. She has a new book out called "The Clergy Affair" which I have on my TBR list -- I can't decide if I want it in eBook or Print (it's available in both). But, if you're looking for a laugh, I highly recommend her work. And I'm not just saying that because she's in the LASR author spotlight this week giving away an autographed copy of "The Clergy Affair" -- seeing her face this morning only reminded me of how much I loved "The Jinx". If you want to get a clue of her sense of humor, though, go read her spotlight posts. She's a hoot (and if you leave a comment, you're entered to win her book -- if you don't want it, you can always send it to me *G*)!

So, intead of rom/com, yesterday at the library I picked up: "Keepsake Crimes" by Laura Childs (a cozy mystery), "One Scream Away" by Kate Brady (I saw this on someone else's blog... don't remember who now, maybe Brandy?), and "Smash Cut" by Sandra Brown. Not a giggle between them (though the cozy might be at least a little amusing... has anyone read this series before?).

=============================

7 comments:

Judy said...

When my kids were growing up I NEVER "let" them win. Ever. Where is the accomplishment for them in that? As well as, if she figures out that you are allowing her to win, that's not going to help her self-confidence, imho.

Now, I didn't play as aggressively as I would have with a more seasoned player. If I saw them about to do something they shouldn't, I might remind them of strategy and say, "Because of this and that, you may (or may not) want to do that and the other." Not just explaining the strategy, but giving timely suggestions.

Dru said...

if you want mysteries or romantic suspense titles, I can give you a whole list. I have One Scream Away and I haven't read it yet because I'm trying to read the library books first.

When I played games with adults, they never let me win and I felt so proud when I won a game using the skills that they showed me and those that I learned. I could brag because I knew I beat them fair and square.

That's one cozy mystery series that I haven't read yet. Let me know what you think.

Did you ever get the answer to PDFs and the Sony reader?

Have a good day.

Jennifer Johnson said...

Hey! Thanks for letting folks know about my books! I am so excited about being on LASR this week - a great bunch of folks! I remember commenting to my boss, "You are so funny." His reply was, "Yeah, but looks aren't everything."

Have a great day!
Jennifer

Anonymous said...

Like Dru, growing up we had to earn the wins. I like the ideas that Judy has for giving timely advice. I used to do that with my sis (I pretty much raised her)

Tori Lennox said...

I don't remember what happened when I played games with adults when I was a kid.

Funny romances, though... have you tried Sandra Hill's Cajun and Jinx series? They're funny.

Melissa McClone said...

I would never let my kids win. I will help them win, but that's something completely different.

Could you play the game with the cards up so you could show her what the strategy is. Sometimes they need to see it rather than be told about it.

Brandy said...

I don't let my kids win. It drives my Son nutty and he will actually cry sometimes making me feel guilty. But, I will show them the strategy behind the games, even stopping the game several times to point things out and I will point out when they've made a mistake. My Daughter gets it and learns quickly. Son is still learning, so don't feel bad.
Did you hear two of Jenny Crusies early romances will be reprinted next year?


I hope you have a terrific day!