It’s hard for 70-somethings to keep up with kids’ games, especially if they are electronic. So imagine how great it was to find an activity to entertain ages 6, 9, 40, 74 and 82 all at once.  It happened last Saturday morning when our daughter-in-law went to exercise class and our grandsons Leo and Grady, their father Jeremy, Peter and I were looking for something to do.

We were visiting Maryland for Leo’s ninth birthday.  Normally we would be out tossing around a football or walking in the woods.  But it was cold and damp and nobody over nine wanted to go outside.

Jeremy suggested Monopoly, and we agreed.  I hadn’t played Monopoly in thirty years. The game still looks the same.  The “rents” for the properties haven’t changed.  Nor has the cost of houses. Even the “Get out of Jail Free” card is the same. 

Leo and I were one team; Gramps and Grady another and Jeremy was on his own.  The competitive juices started flowing, and I found myself completely into it.

Most of the time Grady and Gramps were ahead, Leo and I struggled with our puny holdings—Mediterranean and Baltic Avenues.  Even when we bought hotels, no one stopped there.  Then Jeremy made a comeback and wiped us all out with his hotels on St James, Tennessee and New York Avenues. 

The kids moved on to their electronic games.  I was the only one looking for a rematch.