chutes and ladders

My son David is a feirce competitor. Anything that can be made a race or game is his thing right now. Can he beat us eating dinner, going up and down the stairs, or getting his winter gear on? Just about any daily activity gets turned into a race. He puts his arm out ever so slyly going down the stairs to keep you from getting in front of him. He checks your dinner plate to see how many bites you have left; he races his brother out of the bathtub, determined to "beat him" getting his jammies on. For this almost four year old boy, it's all about the Big Win.

I'm not sure where this comes from. Well, okay, that's not entirely true. I've been known to put my own elbow out now and then to get ahead. (Most famously, in line at the state fair to get on the Zipper when some little tart tried to take cuts. One elbow slyly placed in a half-step-turn move put her back in her rightful place...thank you very much.) Plus, I can only play Risk with two players as the thought of alliances that might not be seeking to win, just take out everyone else, sends me over the edge. Kiel too, has some competitive feistiness, though he downplays this whenever it gets brought up.

So, in an effort to turn this dueling energy into something constructive we've been playing a lot of board games lately. Chutes and Ladders is at the top of the list, as is Hi-Ho Cherry-O, which requires real dexterity as an adult. C and L has improved David's sportsmanship to the point where he can lose without crying most of the time, and it has really boosted his counting confidence. Kiel, in his current obsession with the democratic primary race has named all the characters...David is ALWAYS "Obama". Kiel usually gets to be "Edwards", and for awhile I got to be "Clinton" (a blond pony-tailed little girl), but now most of the time I'm made to be "Kucinich". I successfully argued my way into being "Edwards" the other day. There is something so absurd in debating with your pre-schooler whether you can be Edwards or Clinton instead of the black-haired Kucinich (girl).
"Mommy looks more like Clinton. Why can't I be Clinton?"
"No".
"Please," I say sweetly.
"No. You can be Kucinich."
"Can I be Edwards?" (I'm desperate. I've been Kucinich for weeks now.)
"Ummmm, Okay."
Yes! Victory is secretly mine as I wield the curly haired blond boy with the utmost care....though I'm ultimately defeated by that crafty Obama. Twice.

I can only hope that these myriad races, large and small, find a place in his memory that he will look back on with fondness when he's older. And maybe, if we are really lucky, they will make him a more confident (not cocky) kiddo in the long run. So we hold our breath, mitigate when necessary, and laugh when we can't keep it in any longer.