I was a bit more than surprised tonight–my oldest challenged me to a game of chess.  I love the game, but I’ve never studied it.  It’s much deeper than the limited amount of time to which I’ve devoted it.

So Greg has been playing it at school–he’s in a special program that pulls him out of class for a variety of extra-curricular activities–brain-expanding stuff.  Mind you, he’s in second grade.  So, chess.  Yup.

And he completely surprised me.  Even took some of my pieces because I made the mistake of underestimating him.  And I rewarded him for it with “Good job” and “Wow, didn’t see that coming!”  And I meant it.  It was maybe a 20 minute game, but it felt really nice playing a game and watching his skills develop.

So, take a few minutes.  Really, it was twenty.  Grab a child and play a game.  And be surprised…