Ups and downs...

Chutes and Ladders.

"The classic up and down game for preschoolers."

That's really what say they.  And they were right.  However, I don't think our ups and downs were the intended.  I'm talking about emotional ups and downs.  Have you ever played Chutes and Ladders with a preschooler?  Believe me, it's quite an emotional experience (if your name is Lincoln).  The kids usually play this game and rarely finish because someone cheats, the other gets mad, and so on.  Looking for some quality time with Lincoln, I decided to get out the game.  Bad idea, well, not so much bad, as an idea with tremendous potential for improvement.  When I play games with the other kids, we never have issues of who's winning or losing.  We just having fun playing.  Maybe it's an age thing and an understanding that there's no competition when playing with mom.  I was completely unprepared for the response I got from Lincoln. 

I thought we were okay.  I was wrong.  Every time I hit a ladder, "Awww....no fair...I hate this game," moans Lincoln.  Everytime he hit a slide, "Awww....this is stupid."  Then he'd manipulate the spinning-thingy, always landing on a 6, or moving his guy when I wasn't watching, and I'd feign surprise.   

Funny as this sounds, all of his behaviors were strangely familiar.  Was I really like that?  Guilty.  What started out as a wonderful experience for mother and son turned into a when- is-this-going-to-be-over experience.  I guess it's a taste of my own medicine, and I can see why my brothers, when babysitting, would tie me to a chair.
When we start thinking we're on top of our game, as a parent, there's always Chutes and Ladders to bump us down a rung or two.  But hey, it's not always about being on top, right?  "It's the Climb."  Thanks, Miley.