When I was growing up, I knew we weren't wealthy but I never knew how thin the money really was from paycheck to paycheck. I wasn't particularly naive, but I think my parents did a great job of keeping me out of it. After all, what could a grade school age child do about the situation?
As a family, we took a lot of pleasure in simple activities together. One of my favorites was board games on a Saturday night. I was the master at "Sorry!" My brother chose games like "Monopoly" or an oldie known as "Money, Money, Money". We took turns choosing the game, and the four of us would gather around the dining room table to play. A few hours of no cost fun was had by all.
My parents told me years later that those Saturday nights were some of the best therapy they could have asked for. It was time spent with our nuclear family and it didn't cost a dime. On more than one occasion, it was the diversion they needed from the tough times we were in.
Mom was a frequent garage sale visitor and would often come home with a new game for the family. Some were great fun, some were pretty stupid. But we enjoyed the time together.
In today's rough economy, why not try a family board game night? Once a month should suffice and the rules are simple: only the nuclear family gathered around a table for the evening. No text messaging or AIM allowed. Just a few hours together.
Give it a try. You may surprise yourself with how much fun there is to be had without spending any money.
3 comments:
My folks never spoke of money either. They too were children of the Depression and knew how to stretch a dollar. We had what we needed and a little more, actually much more. Looking back, I don't know how they did it, really, taking care of 2 kids, one on college and me in grade school, and my grandparents, to boot. They made it work with a lot of determination, hope, faith and I am sure a few tears as well.
My mom had a saying and that was I could either make things a drag or I could make things fun, it was my choice. That has become my mantra lately. In spite of this financial turmoil we are in, perhaps it will reinforce the family unit a bit and bring back the game nights and some of the simplicities of life. I hope we are learning from this experience and growing from it. I know I am.
I love board games. We just talked about it the other night. Especially in this town, there is nothing to do that isn't going to cost you money! We're slowly building up our board game collection lol :)
my favorite game memory with papa and grandma was that silly disney yatzee game. I bet they were so bored playing it all the time, but I loved it. They kept it in the dining room on top of the tall cabinets :) I sure miss them!
i remember playing canasta with my grandma, cribbage with my best friend's grandpa, gin rummy with russ and having solitaire contests with gene.
love your new blog! it makes me remember fond memories of growing up, gene and russ and i love it. thanks!
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