I love this picture because of everything it represents.

We’ve been up in the mountains for the girl’s winter break and on one of the cloudy, rainy days the girls found the game of Life. So, they pulled it out and started playing. We didn’t have to bribe or prompt them, they just decided to play together, which is not unusual for them. I love that they’re close enough to want to spend time together, despite their age gaps (our oldest will be 16 next month and our youngest is 7).

There’s something about being away from home when we’re traveling where they seem to do some extra bonding. One of our daughters even commented to my wife the other day, have you noticed that we fight less when we’re here at the cabin? Have we noticed? I always notice when the decible levels in my house decrease!

Still, probably my favorite part of watching them get along is eavesdropping on their conversations which are hilarious. Just watching them play the game of Life taught me so much about how they see the world right now. Full disclosure: I’ve never actually played the game of Life. I’m not sure how you win. And if I’m being honest, I wasn’t convinced I needed to “play” life when real life already feels like a wild enough ride.

I also didn’t realize that the game hinges on a series of individual choices intersecting with “fate” or “chance”. So witnessing the choices they made and the random lottery of luck they experienced in the game of life was interesting. Even more fascinating was noticing their responses.

Olivia

Olivia seems to think that the point of the game is to make the most money and get to retirement first. By her definition, she won. She did make it to retirement first, and by the end of the game had over $2 million in savings which she seemed very proud of. Curiously, she was the only one of her sisters who choose not to attend college. She seemed very discouraged throughout most of the game because that path of working first put her behind her sisters it seemed, right up until the end. Gradually, then suddenly she’d won the game on her own terms. In real life, that’s not surprising. Of all my girls, she is the most entrepreneurial and I could see her skipping college to focus on one of the many business ventures she’s already launched.

Riley

Riley, my eldest choose or was assigned (not sure how the job situation works in the actual game) her idea job of veterinarian. Everyone thought it was ironic because she wants to be a vet in real life. The other choices she made checked out too, she had pets, no kids, and she didn’t seem to be worried about money. After the game, she shrugged and said, “Money is still money.” She wasn’t really comparing her final total to her sisters’. That perspective felt very on brand for Riles.

London

London, the younger middle child, as she sometimes identifies herself for dramatic effect ended up as the only one married with kids. She cycled through several jobs (I think secret agent was in there at one point). The fact that she experienced so much instability isn’t surprising, her choices are sometimes all over the place. You have to remember, she’s a younger middle child, so she’s still trying to carve out her unique identity and place in this world.

Sloane

Finally, Sloane, my baby girl probably had the most classic youngest child experience. She was the richest person in the game by far, and spent most of the game coasting on so much good luck that her sisters were in disbelief. In typical fashion, she made it look easy, and then she lost interest eventually. Also very on brand.

So, what did we learn?

Well, life is very tiring. That’s a direct quote from Olivia, who despite winning in her book, I wonder what different choices she would have made.

Riley reminded us that money is money, and not necessarily the point.

London proved that instability isn’t always a problem; sometimes life’s about exploration.

And Sloane showed us that luck matters… but attention spans do too.

As for me, I learned that I maybe we’re doing alright in the actual game of life. Watching the girls have fun together, I was reminded that we’re raising some good humans: the kind who are learning how to make thoughtful choices, roll with what they can’t control, and still enjoy the ride together.

SDW3