The setting: living room floor.
The game: Battleship, meant for players age 7 and older.
The teams: Mom, age 43, and Lily, age 8, versus Dad, 41, and Aimee, age 5.
Mom: “Aimee, you start.”
Aimee eyeing the screen: “G-4.”
Lily, finding coordinates: “Aw! You hit our battleship!”
Aimee: “Yay!”
Mom: “Our turn. Lily, go!”
Lily: “A-3.”
Dad: “Did she hit us or miss us?”
Aimee: “Miss!”
Dad: “Wait…” He has Aimee count the numbers again.
Aimee: “Oh. Hit.”
Lily: “Which one?”
Aimee, picking up a ship: “This one.”
Dad: “You don’t need to pick it up, Aim. Just tell them which one.”
Aimee: “Oh. Which is it?”
Dad: “Submarine.”
Aimee, echoing Dad: “Submarine.”
Dad: “Okay. If we got a hit on G-4, where should we go next?”
Aimee: “J-10!”
Dad: “Wait. What?”
Aimee: “J-10!”
Lily: “Okay. J-10 it is. Missed!”
Dad, rolling his eyes. “Aimee. If we got a hit at G, why would you pick J?”
Aimee giggles and shrugs her shoulders.
The game continues. It’s Dad and Aimee’s turn again.
Dad: “Okay. Let’s try this again.” He points out where they got a hit and tries to show Aimee her options.
Lily: “Are you ready? Come on! Pick!”
Aimee: “H-8!”
Dad: “What? H-8?!”
Aimee: “Yep.”
Mom, howling with laughter. “Let her pick. Lily, hit or miss?”
Lily, finding coordinates. She groans. “Hit.”
Dad: “What? Hit?”
Aimee: “Yay!”
Lesson: just let kids play the damn game, even if they aren’t developmentally ready to understand the concept. In time, they may just sink your battleship.
Photo by Margan Zajdowicz, courtesy of stock.xchng
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