Monopoly

When I came home from the VIneyard last weekend, my mother and Maddie and Charlie were deeply engrossed in one of their many games of Monopoly that they had apparently been playing while we were gone.  I was interested in how they were actually playing -- as in -- Wrong!

They paid no heed to the rule that you had to own all the colors of a group of properties, but instead when they owned one, they would put on houses and hotels and, well, it was WRONG!  There were no directions in the box, so they had downloaded some from the Internet, but did not read them closely.

In all fairness, I blame myself for my children's lack of knowledge (my mother, well, come on, WHO doesn't know how to play Monopoly?) and I was somewhat horrified when they told me that I had NEVER played with them.  Seriously?

The problem with having one child and then waiting seven years to have another is that you get confused.  Hallie had it all -- and by that I mean she had it ALL.   So when the other kids entered into the picture, I guess I just assumed I'd done all the normal things (like teaching your kid how to play Monopoly) with them.  Who knew!   Now, in my defense, I have taught them plenty of other games, and Monopoly is a tedious game that goes on forever and well, I mostly played with my sister and friends when I was younger, and I was ALWAYS the banker, and well, I always won.  If it is suspicious that the banker ALWAYS won, I don't know what you are implying.

But you would be right.

Now Charlie insisted upon being the banker (hmmmm) and we began to play.  Like I always do, I bought everything I landed on.  Until I had no money.  Charlie did manage to land Park Place and Boardwalk, but I bought just about every other property!  And then, with four bucks to my name, I started having to mortgage my property to buy more.

Charlie was horrified.  He explained I couldn't afford it.  I explained I was taking a RISK.  All was good, until I hit his Boardwalk that also had a hotel on it.  Two thousand bucks.  Even if I mortgaged all my properties, I couldn't come up with that kind of money.

And so, I said to Charlie, this is basically what is happening in the world today.  People and big companies kept buying things they couldn't afford, and then when they had to pay for something, they had no money and nothing to mortgage.

He said ... I wanted to play a GAME, Mom, not get taught a lesson.

I'm just saying things would have turned out differently if I had been the banker.  You know, as in the president of the bank.  I am an excellent bank president.

I should have done that for a living!