Grandmeister G trounces grandchildren

"Go, Grandmeister G! Go, Grandmeister G!" my nephew, Jadyn, cheered as my mother captured yet another one of my aces in a game of War.

Grandmeister G? Where in the world did he come up with that?

We were all at my mom's house for the day. My other brother's children, Ricky and Katie, were visiting for a few weeks. Mom, Ricky, Jadyn and I were playing cards - in the garage (don't ask). War was the boys' idea. Mom and I would have opted for a shorter game.

As hard as we tried to lose, the boys went out first. They then began to cheer. I acquired the name of Queenmeister because I took Ricky's last card with my queen. It got louder and louder as every card was met with a cheer or a groan, complete with over-the-top body language. Mom was laughing and having fun. The neighbors had to wonder what all the shouting was about. After the boys lost interest and went to find Katie, I agreed to concede defeat or else we would still be playing.

Later in the day Mom was playing a quieter game with Katie and they were enjoying it just as much.

I have played cards with my mother for my whole life, or at least it seems that way. She has taught all of us to play games such as Steal Pile, War and 500 Rum. She nevers lets us win so when we do it is cause for celebration. This is the first time we have had a cheering section for the games.

My mother is extremely hard of hearing and sometimes is difficult to understand. Playing cards lets her connect with us in a way that needs no words other than the occasional, "Hey! Put that back. It isn't your turn yet!"

Through card games she has taught us how to lose gracefully and how to gloat when we win. We learned how to do math without realizing we were learning. I, myself, taught my daughter how to add and subtract by teaching her a modified game of 21 (minus the face cards). We also practiced subtraction in the cemetery by figuring ages but that is another story.

We learned how to be fair and how to help others learn the rules. We learned to get along with each other. We learned to have fun.

I was astounded the first time that I found out that some churches frown on card-playing. One of the songs I remember from when I was a little girl was one about a deck of cards. Some of the lyrics were "... when I look at the ace, I'm reminded that there is but one God; and the deuce reminds me that the Bible is divided into two parts; the Old and the New Testaments; ..." It goes through the entire deck that way. I think that evil is in the mind of the beholder and that cards are no worse than any other form of entertainment.

I used to have a neighbor who played poker with her grandchildren. It was an easy way to get them to visit. When children get to a certain age they no longer want to associate with older people. They think there is nothing to do and they get bored easily. Playing cards gives them a common ground. That is one of the reasons that Mom gets out the deck of cards when the grandchildren visit. Either that, or else she really likes winning!

I was impressed that the boys were so enthusiastic. I am afraid that it won't be long before they are "too cool" (or whatever the phrase is) to play with their grandmother. We get busier as we get older and don't take the time to slow down for a game of cards. It is so much easier to cuddle up with our computer and hand-held games than it is to take the time to connect with others. We don't have to hold conversations with electronics.

Playing cards with my family is a great way to get to know what they are thinking and what is going on in their lives. Between the cheers and groans are the little tidbits that say, "I'm lonely. Spend time with me," or "I'm concerned about school next year," or any of a number of little things that people keep to themselves. Playing cards is how we let my mom know we care.[[In-content Ad]]