Operation Mario Tennis was a mild success. Phase one was an abject failure. I came home from Target with $20 in new toys, no game, and an extra stop at Walmart that allowed the two kids I was with to get on my nerves beyond what I knew was capable for them. Looking back on it now maybe a Skyzone membership wouldn’t be so bad as the zoo and aquarium memberships sunset. Give them a place they can run around and be crazy.
The second phase was the part that was successful. The first thing is we are going to have to work on Roland on allowing himself to be bad at something. He struggled with picking up the game and then gave up early on it. Windsor on the other hand took to it quickly and was very good at it. It surprised me how fast he got it.
The real test will be tonight. If they come home and we start turning this into a little bit of family time. Maybe an hour of family time before I go and make dinner that no one but me will eat. We can start to get a little more time together. That was my purpose in purchasing Mario Tennis. It is a fun game the entire family can play.
There is also the question of how much responsibility do I have to let my kids win to keep them playing. I admit I did slow up in a couple Mario Kart races against Roland but he still got upset that he came in second in the entire Grand Prix. It isn’t entirely my fault as he finished 8th in the first race. I can’t control his position against the CPU cars and if I never beat him things would be suspicious.
The strategy is to play each kid differently. To approach each one with the way that will keep them playing. Windsor might need a challenge to overcome while Roland just wants to win and Abigail will want to make it her own game.
We can test this theory after school today. It would be good to get some more time with them and to have fun playing with them. I also admit that I just like tennis video games and want to play some Mario Tennis myself.
