Thursday, February 11, 2021

Caution and Strategy

Daniel asked for a pocketknife for Christmas, probably because his dad often uses one to open packages or cut things when scissors aren't handy (or even when they are).  Being a typically cautious mother, I was reluctant to hand a sharp blade to my boisterous son.  I also wondered how often he would actually use it.  Phillip, on the other hand, believed that Daniel would have lots of opportunities to use it, and he felt that gift would be a good way to express our confidence in our maturing son.  


After some thoughtful discussion, we agreed to put a pocket knife in Daniel's Christmas stocking.  We also gave him instructions on how to safely use it.  In the months since Christmas, I've been surprised how often Daniel has found useful ways to employ his gift.  And I've been impressed that he has been very careful with it.  Nice work, Daniel.


In other news, the boys are enjoying playing Otrio, a game Red Grandma gave Daniel for his birthday.  It's basically tic-tac-toe with multiple ways to win that make the game more complex and interesting.  I suspect there's some sequence that could guarantee victory every time, but I don't want to know what it is.  I'm enjoying the fact that rounds which all seem to start the same way end up going in very different directions, and that a round can quickly go from anyone's game to the Otrio equivalent of checkmate.

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