House of Cards

My smallest Baby Hat enjoying a card game with the family....


Usually when you think of a house of cards, you think of a situation that is built on a shaky foundation. It is a situation, event, or lie that is constructed out of flimsy material. At the slightest blow of the wind, shift of the foundation or falling of a card, the entire thing comes crashing down.

Well, this week, I had the opportunity to look at a “house of cards” from a personal standpoint.

While on vacation with my family this week, we were void of any electronic vices…no internet, no video games, no cable TV…none of it. Just the family at a lake, disconnected from virtual entertainment. We were forced to spend time together.

Being the good mother that I am (my own self affirmation…I need to get it someplace!) I planned for the fact that we would have to be engaged in face to face interaction. Although my family are all skillful communicators, the inevitable communication breakdown (nice word for fighting) does happen. So I brought along an intermediary. I employed the aid of a stand between to aid in the exchange of affirmative, positive conversation among my brood - a verbal exchange middleman, if you will. I brought a deck of cards.

The first night of our vacation, we pulled out the cards. Then began a marathon session of a game, full of Skipping, Wild Cards, color switches, and penalty draws. The game went on, and on, and on. We even made our own pity rules than limited the number of cards one had to draw…it was that long. We all began to get irritable and cranky each time the draw deck had to be shuffled. Then, with one final card placement, the game was over.

Oh yeah….Mama won…Woohooo! Sorry, I gloat.

Although the card game seemed to last for ever, and we all started to get a little cranky, we spent time together - quality time. It was the kind of time that we do not spend enough of. Time away from the internet, away from TV, away from distractions. Time building our connection as a family. These cards strengthened our foundation.

As my kids are getting older, the opportunities to spend this kind of time get fewer and fewer. They become more busy and have more responsibilities . They probably want less and less to spend this kind of time with family. But, I hope that by seizing the chances when I can, my children will have happy and cherished memories of this house of cards.