Today after playing my 785th game of Hungry, Hungry Hippos I began to wonder if there is a manual or rulebook somewhere that tells you at what point you have qualified as the “good and involved” mom and you get to quit this kind of game of torture. Is there a certain point where you get to say (if only to yourself) “Look! I reached the pinnacle of good mom for the day and don’t have to play this god-awful game anymore. Time for Oprah.”
Because really, at some point you have to have earned enough points to not feel guilty for quitting. If it were up to the toddler, you would play until the game either broke or you had a break-down. With this game , it is a toss-up over which would happen first.
Finally this afternoon, having no access to such a manual, I was nearly giddy with glee when I noticed that it was almost time for the boys to get home from school. As soon as they walked in (and I mean that literally. The backpacks were not even taken off yet) I happily said to Little Diva, “Ohhh look! Your brothers are home. They want to play with you! It’s their turn now!” She eagerly gave them the look that they cannot resist and they begrudgingly sat down to play the game.
Meanwhile, I tried hard to conceal my deliriously thankful smile as I grabbed my cup of coffee and ran quickly to hide in my room with my book. Did I feel at all guilty for passing the buck and basically trapping the boys into a marathon session of this horrible game?
Not one bit. Each man for himself and I had managed to escape.
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