Hilarious and Inexpensive Way to Spend Time With Kids

Last week – for 8 full days – I had the pleasure of spending time with three of my grandkids. The first weekend I had them, two of them had plans, so we couldn’t do anything outside the home because their times overlapped, but this last weekend, we actually got to spend some quality time together. Since everyone loves Barnes and Noble, we chose Saturday for them to “play” there after a stop at Taco Bell. My grandkids love the kid section at Barnes and Noble, because they can look through all the books as if they are in a library and they can play with all the stuffed animals.

Audrey, 10, collects Baby Boos. Every birthday I never have to guess what to get her. She forgot to bring her money, though, so she asked if she could buy it and pay me back later. Avery, 3, found a colorful stuffed dolphin and cradled it in her arms as she walked around with it, never letting it out of her sight.

Rather than have Audrey pay me back, though, I decided to get each of the kids something inexpensive. Nolan, 7, however, couldn’t find anything, so we looked until we came across a deck of Old Maid cards. Audrey and Nolan both resounded, YES! So Nolan’s gift was the Old Maid card game, nicely boxed.

As soon as we got home, the kids wanted to play Old Maid. And that’s when the hilarity began. Get a child the age of 10 or under to play Old Maid and you’ll never have to guess who holds the Old Maid card! The second he or she picks it up, the face reveals who has it. Even funnier is when you pick the Old Maid card from the kids’ hands. They can’t help but laugh, and anybody else playing the game knows you have the OLD MAID card.

Add to the fun the fact that for some reason, my grandkids kept calling the game, Old Navy, and you might imagine our little explosions of laughter throughout the game. What I found amazing – and hilariously unbelievable – was that every time I had to pick a card from Nolan, when he had the Old Maid card, I ALWAYS chose the Old Maid, no matter how few or how many cards he held in his hand and no matter where he placed the card in his hand.

The Old Maid card game costs less than $10 (see link above) and can cause so much fun, your belly might hurt from all the laughter. I might have to get myself a deck to keep at my house.