I don’t believe that gambling can be dangerous for children, though it is of course important to not let it go too far. Raising kids into competition is never healthy, naturally. But it is a good way to activate the family in my opinion.
In my family we play once a week, if not more often. Everybody likes it and are looking forward to the game day when we gather in the kitchen for some poker.
My husband and I have two sons and one daughter, which are all very skilled in poker. We play Texas Hold’em most of the time, since that is the most famous kind of poker. Then it becomes more fun to watch it on TV as well.
It is such a joy to see my children develop their strategies and me and my husband are doing all we can to encourage them in their game. They aren’t bad losers and the atmosphere is always good.
Apart from the thrill of playing, it is a good opportunity to get some insight in their lives and ask them how their day has been. It is crucial that you, as a parent, take each chance you get to have dialogues and discussions. So we talk about school and their class mates, what is coming up during the week or simply how everyone feels. It is of course also good fun to talk about the actual poker game with my children to see how they think strategically and make up their own game plans. I think it is good practice for them in terms of thinking mathematically, training their memory and keeping a straight face when they have to.
Naturally, the gambling culture can be a dangerous world, and I would never allow my children to take part of those dangerous things (like betting or lending money). If they would ask for my permission to go to Las Vegas for example, they know very well what my response would be!
I don’t want my kids to be interested in the way of living they have there, and neither does my husband. Also, I don’t think that it is healthy for young people to have to much stress, so we try to make it clear that it really doesn’t matter that much who wins, as long as everyone has fun.
All in all, I am happy that we have this tradition in the family, and I hope for us to have it a long time!