Rock or Scissors

Not every child is interested in the game of Simon Says or Duck Duck Goose, headstand or cartwheel, hopscotch or thumb war. But nearly every child is born with a preference to play rock-paper-scissors.

A typical kindergarten kid should be able to follow the simple rules of "rock crutches scissors, scissors cut paper, paper covers rock." Of course, when your kid is small, be sure she has enough chances to win. Wait until she's mastered the game (and you have congratulated her) before giving her the chance to be a loser. Chances are your toddler will throw a tantrum when you beat her for more than three consecutive games. Hey, let's face it, that's an important lesson for the children to learn. Put on a happy face, but don't laugh at her.

And there is so much to observe how your kids play the game rock-paper-scissors. Now, if you have little kids, you already know that there are times they'd rather win the rock-paper-scissor game than a lottery. Even if we don't teach them the tricks to win - and generally, we don't - they made up their own strategies to beat you. I still remember Jasmine giving me "hint" to choose scissors (so that she can play rock on the next throw) when she was four-year-old.

Playing the game fairly isn't always easy. But understanding the reasoning to outsmart the opponent is what I keep to myself. I learn a few tricks to gain the upper hand. First of all, the throws are not equally common; scissors is the least popular choice, and men favor rock. Another pattern is the stereotype of loser; a player who loses is more likely to switch to a different throw the next time. Many of them even unconciously "copy" the sign that just beat them. The third trick is trash talk; announce what sign you're going to throw, and then do exactly what you said. Most players would have thought otherwise.

But I just keep my mouth shut. Teaching my five-year-old daughter these tricks simply makes me feel bad. The little voice in the back of my head reminds me how it sounds like passing on the hacking software to crack passwords.