Jacks {Mama Braggin’ Monday}

Well, I’m sorry that you didn’t hear much from me last week, but you probably won’t hear a lot from me in the coming week as well.  I hate to admit it, but I got a speeding ticket a while back and now, most of my spare computer time when I might have written for the blog is taken up with an online defensive driving course. 

It is a beating, to say the least.

But I wanted to share this with you. 

Sarah received a set of jacks as a party favor from her teacher last Wednesday as the class celebrated her teacher’s birthday.  The sad thing is she had no idea what they were or any clue how to play with them.

So, I showed her and we talked about them for a while as she tried her hand at it.  We eventually set a couple of towels down to act as a barrier to keep the ball from rolling quite so far away every single time.  Before long, she really had a pretty good handle on it.

As she played, it dawned on me, and I told her, that this is a game that her grandmothers and great-grandmother would have played when they were girls her age. 

And as I thought about this fact, I found it a little sad that she had not heard of jacks before.  But it’s really no wonder with the advent of t.v., video games and computers.  I sat and imagined a little girl having to attend a meeting of some kind with her mother 50 years ago versus today.  50 years ago, that little girl might have carried a small doll, a book and a bag of jacks with her for entertainment.  Today’s girl might pack a book, but more than likely would just bring her Nintendo DS. 

So call me a little nostalgic, but it did my heart a little bit of good that day to see my daughter playing a game so simple as jacks and I felt like it gave us a little connection to the past.  The good ole’ days, if you will. 

Have you encountered a moment like this with your kids?  Do you encourage older games that require no electricity?  I challenge you to find one.  It may do your heart, and theirs, a little good.