Scott is my son and he's 9 years old. I'm not sure how he learned to play chess, but his birthday present to me is to teach me, after giving me a chess set. I hope his understanding of the rules is in fact the same as that of the rest of the chess-playing world.
Chess is one of those things I thought I'd be able to do by the time I was forty - one of those things that 'proper grown-ups' can do.
Tonight, after four days of him eagerly asking me if I'll play chess with him (since he gave me the set), I sat down to have the rules explained to me. We played a game, with me asking lots of questions. For a moment I thought, wouldn't it be terrible if I beat him in my first game? However I really needn't have worried. He beat me easily.
 |
| Me getting beaten by a boy in gorilla onesie. |
Scott loves chess and was really passionate about explaining it to me. He's enthusiastic about thinking through his moves. Wow - is this really my son? Off learning things I don't understand, and having the patience and maturity to explain them to me?
I frequently worry about finding ways to connect with my son while I still have the chance, while he still cares (at least a bit) about what I think and wants to share his passions with me. I've watched him grow from a toddler who want to show me everything into an independent boy with a growing desire for autonomy and privacy. He's not going to want bedtime stories for ever (although we're currently sharing The Hunger Games and he's always begging me to read more, hurray) and then, what will we share? Learning chess from him and playing chess with him, for me it's a way of finding a connection.
So I won't say that I've ticked this one off the list - one game doesn't mean I've learned to play chess - but it's a good start. I'll let you know when I manage to beat him!
No comments:
Post a Comment