Tales From the Dad Side – The Games Kids Play

Whenever there's free time to fill, most kids opt to play "House" or "Store". Not my kids. They prefer something a bit outside the norm.

My kids like to play "Tattoo Parlor". Using washable Crayola markers, they draw different designs on each other's arms, legs, stomachs, or backs. It's something they started doing over the summer to pass the time when it was too hot outside to do anything without the risk of passing out from heat exhaustion.

The designs can be anything from flowers to animals to sports teams logos, which was the case this past Sunday as we were watching football all day. As you can see from the picture, when my number was called, I went with a simple Colts horseshoe which ended up looking a little more inspired by the flag of the former Soviet Union than it did the actual football team, but considering my son is 8 and was trying to copy the logo the best he could by looking at it on my iPad, I'd say it's a pretty good representation.

Both my kids like to color and draw, especially my son who can spend hours crafting a picture whenever the mood strikes, but neither my wife nor have tattoos, which makes their decision in playing this particular game a bit puzzling. Also puzzling about the choice is that they both freak out a little whenever my wife and I talk about getting tattoos.

Regardless of the game they play, the important thing is they're using their imaginations instead of staring mindlessly at the television like they're dad does (although they do their fair share of that too). As long as they don't branch out into piercings, I think they'll be OK.