- JEBRAHAMADIAH AND BALTHAZAR (also called “Master and Servant”)
Another role-playing/narrative game, but you can sit down for this one. I am not sure why my kids call this one “Jebrahamadiah and Balthazar,” except that (a) it has something to do with the Jeb! flyers we kept getting in the mail when Jeb Bush was running for president, and (b) they are weirdos.
One person gives orders, the other person explains why he can’t carry them out. The answer has to be part of a consistent narrative — you can’t just make up a new excuse for each command.
Here is an abbreviated example. The longer you can draw it out, the funnier it gets:
Jebrahamadiah! Go get me a glass of water.
I would, but I just broke the last glass.
Then go get me a cup of water.
I would, but when I broke the glass, I cut my finger, and I can’t use my hand.
Well, use your other hand.
I would, but when I was searching for a Band-aid for my one hand, I slammed the medicine chest door on my finger, and now both hands are useless.
Then call an ambulance.
I can’t, because, if you’ll recall, my hands don’t work.
Then use the speaker phone.
I would, but when I slammed the medicine chest door, some nail polish remover fell on my phone and now the speaker doesn’t work.
Then just shout out the window for help.
I would, but the neighbors saw me wrecking my phone, and he’s a big jerk, and laughed so hard that he drove off the road and now he’s in a coma.
Well, shout out the other window on the other side of the house.
I would, but when the other neighbor drove off the road, he knocked a utility pole down, and a live wire landed on the house on the other side and now it’s on fire, so I don’t want to bother them.
Well . . . okay, fine, I’ll get my own water.
Read the rest of my latest for The Catholic Weekly.
Image: From Wikihow Play Charades (Creative Commons)
Dirty question to ask your boyfriend
We used to play the Dictionary Game when I was growing up! The verbal ability among my own kids is way too varied for Dictionary to be an enjoyable game for us. We do enjoy Ghost, and (the not mentioned) Grandma’s Attic on long car rides. Another game we enjoy is Sing That Word, where one person thinks of a word and the other players race to be first to belt out a song using the word. We’ve generally found the more mundane the word, the more difficult coming up with a song can be. It’s a fun game and can be played with teams.
What an awesome idea for a post – thank you! I’m going to try one or two on the kids this afternoon at carpool time. Some seem like they would work at the dinner table too.