Three Year Old Teaches Mum How to Be a Good Sport

The Blonde Bombshell received a goody bag the other day and amongst all the sugary goodness was a packet of cards: Animal Snap to be precise.

She most was excited by this new game so I thought it was a timely opportunity to teach her one of life's many lessons - namely sportsmanship and how to be a good winner.

Once we had shuffled and dealt the cards it was time to play.  We got off to a good start.

Bombshell: Doggie

Mum: Elephant

Bombshell: Horse

Mum: Well, that's actually a Zebra but no worries. Monkey

Bombshell: Cat

This went on forever and I was beginning to wonder whether we were ever going to find a matched pair when suddenly we had two Ducks in a row.  I gently took her little hand, slapped it down on the pile of cards and said 'Snap!'  Then I bundled up the cards and gave them to her saying she had won.

Bombshell: I won!  Doggie

Mum: Zebra

I won't bore you any further with the details of the game, suffice to say it took forever and a little bit of anti-cheating* on my part, but eventually The Bombshell had all but one card which I laid down with a flourish.

Mum: Elephant!  You win, you have all the cards.  Congratulations.

Bombshell: Oh. Oh... Well, you can have some of mine then.

The Blonde Bombshell promptly divided her pile of cards in two and handed me half.

Bombshell: Next time you can win Mum!

I think perhaps that on this occasion, it was Mum who learned the lesson.

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*Anti-cheating:  not cheating to win but cheating to lose