Winning while losing

Yesterday, Sarah and Scott came over to spend the Father's Day evening with me.  As we used to do frequently, Sarah and I played backgammon, and Scott and I played pool.

Both beat me soundly.

If you know me at all well, you understand that I'm a very competitive person.  I play most games with the goal of winning.  (I say "most" only because there are a few board games I play entirely to be social.)  I always try to win at both backgammon and pool.

Losing to my kids, though, didn't bother me much.  Simply getting to play with them was a big treat.  More importantly, they are the only two people in the world that I wouldn't mind being better than I am at everything.  I always wish the best for my kids, even when that means me losing to them at games.

Having said all of that, I'm still myself, so when we next play, I intend to beat each of them soundly.

No point in making it easy for them.