How BFG came to Life
Boardgamefun, initially a blog website, started as a necessary change in our family’s lifestyle. On the heels of the COVID pandemic and the requirement to stay home, my 6-year-old daughter had gotten far too accustomed to electronics. She wanted to watch TV or Youtube all the time and only showed a passion for the channels she loved. She even wanted to have the TV on during dinner! Often disregarding everything and everyone around her because she was too immersed in her shows. My daughter is also extremely competitive, a quality that is great to have if only you were also a gracious loser. Sadly, she is not one and often chooses not to play to avoid losing. Better to not play than to lose, right? This sometimes made it difficult for us to play with her and her brother. I knew I had to step up and do something different. Something needed to be done to change how we interacted as a family. I knew I had to nourish her love for competition and turn it into something positive. Tabletop games are a passion of mine; it seemed like the perfect thing to try with her. We started playing the games that 6-year-olds would enjoy, and I knew that it would not take long for her competitiveness to spark a passion for board games. Little by little, she started asking to play board games and turned off the TV! The more games I introduced, the more she wanted to play different games.
My son also got into games, although he’s still too little to play many since he is only 4. However, he loves the family connection and attention we give them during game time. We have played everything fun and competitive for this age group. Sushi Go. Taco vs. Burrito -her favorite, Mousetrap, and many others. With every new game, I am creating an opportunity for her to embrace her love of competition and let go of her fear of losing. I am also creating a space for her to develop face-to-face interactions with others. Although there is still a long road ahead for us as a family to let go of the electronics trap, we are well on our way to getting there. We will document our way here for years to come. I’ve always been an avid lover of board games, and I can’t wait to share more grown-up games with my daughter and son. The family bonds and connections made will be memorable, and we will cherish these times together for the rest of our lives. I welcome you to take part in our journey. If you are also struggling with the same issues I have been, I hope you’ll learn from our journey and get your family to love games as much as we do!