You know what they say—Monopoly is the destroyer of many a home.
Now you all might think it’s a harmless children’s game—but is it really? In our home, we get quite competitive when it comes time for Monopoly. You see, there are a lot of life lessons that can be learned from this game—and a lot that we can teach our children.
The other day, Shaan, Rency, and I were sitting around our kitchen island playing Monopoly on a Sunday afternoon. I had a lot of work to do—things I had planned in my mind to accomplish—but when I came down from my shower and saw the Monopoly board out, nothing could stop me from sitting down.
Now, as my children will attest—have I reminded them on numerous occasions that I birthed them while we were playing this game? Perhaps. Has this game led to some very animated conversations within our home? Perhaps. Has bitter resentment over being charged full price on a hotel on Boardwalk caused minor tantrums—and I’m not naming names—perhaps.
But it’s a game we all love and enjoy.
For many years, Shaan always needed help. We guided him through making smart decisions during Monopoly, and he’d get so emotional—you’d think it was real money. But we truly enjoy the game, and it’s probably one of our most cherished family memories. During holidays or when out-of-town family visits, we pull out our big wooden Monopoly board and start playing. Sometimes it lasts for hours.
The kids make numerous trades, try to cajole one another into deals, or get angry when someone makes a “bad” trade. As for me, I get caught up in the heat of it. Sunny usually stays on the periphery.
But I was actually quite surprised by Shaan on Sunday.
First of all, I can admit—I lost. And Shaan was extremely pleased that he won. But what was more important were the lessons he was learning along the way.
In previous years, Shaan would get overly excited about buying up everything. He wouldn’t pay attention to what others were buying and would use up all his money too quickly.
But not this day.
What I saw was a cutthroat strategist who was very clear on his mission. He wanted monopolies. He made strategic deals to get them, analyzed where I kept landing—darned that Marvin Gardens and Boardwalk—and went on to build hotels on those strategic properties.
Now, poor Rency was not savage enough to play with the Kailas during the first two rounds. Poor thing was like a deer in headlights. Did she go bankrupt in the first round? Yes. Did I take all of her properties? Also yes. All’s fair in love and Monopoly, baby.
But Shaan was so focused. He stuck to his strategy and beat me by a close margin in Game One.
In Game Two, I was distracted—and for some reason, kept having to pay taxes. Story of my life. Shaan was in his groove.
I did have to remind him, on a few occasions (even though I probably shouldn’t have, as a fellow strategist), not to use up all of his money. I told him I still had some hotels, and if he landed on my properties, he wouldn’t have enough to pay rent. So he started setting money aside, just in case, and continued putting up hotel after hotel. It got to the point where if one of us landed on his property even once, we’d have to mortgage everything—or go bankrupt.
He learned quickly how property value gets cut in half when sold, especially when mortgaged, and that strategic planning and saving for a rainy day are key.
I was truly impressed by his skills.
From the child who used to cry when his brothers got a monopoly, to this fierce little Monopoly raider—I was proud. And my son? He was ecstatic. He beat Mom. That was the highlight of his day—and mine.
Just seeing him make those decisions with such intentionality… Yes, it was play money—I agree—but the mindset and the decision-making it took to win that game were real. It was a wonderful Sunday for this mom—proud to be losing to her youngest son.
