I’m not a big fan of board games, but my 9-year-old loves them. I don’t like them. I feel like I can’t be truly focused and competitive, because anything ridiculous can happen to you at any time.

It’s not like basketball or baseball when you have more control over your future victory. If you fail, it’s your fault. Not with dreaded board games.

My  Board Game Dislikes

With board games, you roll a six and land on someone’s property and owe them all your money; game over.

With board games, you draw a card and have to go back 9 spaces, no good or fun.

With board games, you are almost home when one of your trusted family members lands on your spot. Then, forcing you to start all over.

My last example is the game of Trouble of which I disliked until just recently. If you are unfamiliar with the game of Trouble, you can have a max of 4 players. On their turn, each player push a big bulb in the middle producing a roll of dice in the bulb. At least the dice never fall on the floor (the only plus I used to see in the game).

Trouble

All players have 4 pegs they have to get around the whole board. Each player can return “home” by rolling the dice in the bubble. There are other rules, but you get the gist because I believe most of us know how to play.

Time after time, I would get humbled by my son, getting sent home again and again. Then, one day, I realized that I had most of my little blue pegs out of their holding pin and unsafe, ready to get stepped on by my 8-year-old’s pegs. I knew this simply won’t do. I lost that game, again, just like always. I asked for a new game with a new vision and hope.

Hope

My strategy was simple. Once I get one peg out of their starting pin, no other pegs will come out until the peg before it is safely home and secure. I went on to do just all the while limiting my exposure. My little blue guys booked it all the way home as fast as the little dice in the bubble would take them. I went on to win my first game that way, with any more to follow.

Ever since that ray of hope arrived in my brain, I have won 7 out of 10 games that I refer to as “my system”.

If you find yourself discouraged and mowed over by your adolescent child when you play Trouble, take heart and try my system and make it yours. I am sure I am not the first mom or dad to try to escape undue shame and disgrace over the years.

A small disclaimer: I do not have sufficient numbers or data on how successful my system is with more than two players. I encourage you to blaze a trail and try it with any number of players to bring encouragement to your downtrodden heart.