No Gloating Allowed
by Sherra on August 4, 2008
in Finding the Funny, Teens, Tweens
PhilBillPaul and I have spent our years parenting and introducing the kids to all the things we loved to do growing up. We hoped they would come to love some of the same things we do.
Board games. Check.
Card games. Check.
Golf. Check.
Basketball. Check.
Badminton. Check.
Bowling. Check.
We admit it.
We know we are kind of geeky. Yes, that list includes badminton and bowling and we’re not ashamed to admit it. (We have our own bowling balls.)
We introduced them to bowling for the first time in 1995.
The Grunter was six. Look at that steely determination!
Roger Leroy developed her own style.
Wizzy took instruction well. Especially for a four year-old!
They all took to the game and have played on and off through the years.
The last time we all went bowling as a family was probably in 2004.
I know Roger Leroy will love her bangs in this photo. I love everyone’s bangs. 2004 must have been the Year of the Bangs.
One of the things we have tried to instill in them from their very youngest days of Candyland, Uno and Yahtzee is that you must learn how to be a good loser as well as a gracious winner.
Our mantra is “No Gloating” if you are the winner.
We have watched many competitions, been in tournaments and we always like to observe whether the winners are gracious or gloaters. We just don’t like gloaters. Gloating is unattractive.
Don’t misunderstand…we are very competitive.
We all really, really like to win.
I think that is human nature. We aren’t of the parenting style where everyone is a winner no matter what and we don’t have to keep score.
Oh, we definitely keep score!
As summer is ending, we always try to do something special as a family. School starts here in Georgia in just one week. So Sunday night we all went bowling.
We had the requisite quality bowling alley food.
We can’t bowl if we don’t have french fries and other fried food.
The big girls set up lane assignments for the family tournament.
Scary Baby was mad we made her come out late because she’s trying to get back in a routine for school.
She brought a blanket and made herself comfortable. It’s a tough life when you are responsible and your parents aren’t.
Wizzy talked a lot of smack and said she was going to beat all of us. She actually did beat everyone the first game.
She forgot how competitive her mother is. I told her the first game was my warm-up and she better “bring it” for the next game.
I won. Politely. I did not gloat.
Game three – more smack talk. That really just brings out the best in me.
For you non-bowlers who have read this far because you’re polite – it’s always fun if you can get a “Turkey” in bowling. This is three strikes in a row. When I had two strikes in a row, I told Roger Leroy to get the camera ready for my Turkey. A cute little turkey shows up on the screen to celebrate your three strikes.
Did she get it ready? Oh no, she didn’t. Thank goodness I grabbed the camera after my next turn.
Oh yes I did. I got FOUR STRIKES IN A ROW!!
It was delightful to have all the kids witness the old lady their mama get four strikes in a row.
You can see from our scores that we’re not very good. We have fun anyway.
This is how happy they were for me.
We’re still working on the being a good loser thing…
Anybody out there like to bowl? Or find joy in beating their whole family in a good, healthy competitive game? 
Okay – THE GRUNTER SMILED!? Did anyone else notice? OMG! I thought he was winning and gloating! Just kidding, Sherra! I love bowling too, I actually took a PE class focused on Bowling. Every Friday in high school they would put us on a bus and take us to the bowling alley – we could buy the food, and a coke (which wasn’t allowed back in those days in the cafeteria), and have fun bowling for about 30 min or so before going back to classes. What a blast! Everyone in your family looks great!
Nicki » He does smile for the camera – just not at home with us on a daily basis
Good to know you are a bowling geek too…maybe we should join a league together? LOL
Sherra-the picture of “PhilBillPaul” and the “Grunter” is beyond sweet, and totally cute. I would make a big one, in my case, to remind me of the good times during the “all too frequent” bad ones! It made me smile…and again, does that “father” ever take a bad photo? I hate people like him!!!
nancy » Actually that was the 2nd shot – PhilBillPaul did a goony face for the 1st pic and I didn’t use it. I should have!
First let me say, kudos to you and PhilBillPaul for setting into place the understanding that we are not always the winner, everyone involved in something may not win at it, and there will be times you lose! I don’t understand the mentality out there today that we should always make sure that everyone is rewarded. Personally, if my kids works their behinds off to achieve an excellent position, I do not want that watered down by kids getting a certificate just for showing up! This is life people! We are not always going to win and I can guarantee that – no matter how good you are at something – there is someone somewhere in this world that is better at it than you. That is just a fact of life!
Now, that so doesn’t stop me from being a very competitive person but I do try to act with a modicum of grace regardless of what place I finish. At our house though it is harder to show that grace when you have just beat the pants off your teenager who thinks you are “so lame”. I guess I need to work on that using your family as an example. Good job Sherra!
Tammy » Just to be clear, I didn’t gloat after I won the first game. I did gloat and squeal and jump up and down and thoroughly embarrass them when I got the FOUR BAGGER!!! ROFL