As a child, I have had a fair share of childhood fun, and a very crucial aspect of fun activities during childhood is enjoying some fun games. While games are fun, they are also important to one's development.

Though, we may not be able to establish a very clear link between games and all-around child development, as it is a cumulative force; there is a very remarkable link between both, including social development, mental development, physical growth and cognitive development.

I just pity children that are not experiencing the best of their childhood. Parents, please stop these things:

• Home lessons after school
• Lessons during holidays
• Children learning coding

Allow children to enjoy every bit of the freedom that comes with their childhood (guide them, but don't box them; even if they must do these things, don't use it against them), adult life is too stressful, and stealing the childhood from the child to prepare him or her for adulthood should be a criminal offence.

Let me not rant further, here are a few games I enjoyed as a child.

Football (Soccer)

_{A boy playing soccer}

Among boys who will eventually become men, love for soccer is quintessential. We don't force ourselves, we just grow this love. It usually has to do with the unique nature of soccer.

It is highly competitive, and men love competition; it involves physical force, thus, most boys can sublime their bad energy into the sport; it is showy, as boys like to impress, especially, when there's this girl you like around.

I enjoyed soccer as a kid, even if I was nowhere near who should be called a good player. Had I had my own soccer ball, it would have been easier to be featured in most games, as I will basically dictate who plays and who stays on the bench, but purchasing a soccer ball was not among my parent's top priorities.

So, since I am not a pro player, and do not own a soccer ball, I usually watch others play or come in when someone is injured, or tired. It was quite humiliating, but was an experience!

The game of soccer is always fun till you are injured, and damn, it hurts. One of my worse experiences in soccer is the bruising (as we call it then), where you and another player with great force, jam legs together. At this point, you just recall your mother's warning, "Stop playing this football!".

At some point, I had to stop playing soccer. I was badly injured. This was not the first, the second, nor the third injury, but this was the most severe, and the most painful. One boy called Uchenna who happened to be very big (I wonder where is his now), smashed his big leg against my shin bone, and God that was painful, I immediately stopped playing, but on my way back home, another accident added to the pain, the sole of my foot got pierced by a nail (if you live in Nigeria, you should know we play soccer just anywhere there is space).

Oh, God! This hurts, my mum was infuriated, my dad was pissed, and everyone started blaming. More painful than the injury was the treatment. My neighbour felt my mum will compassionately handle the injury, so, she volunteered, uninvited, to be my home nurse.

Hmmm! Treatment involved using a hot spoon and palm oil, directly on the surface of the wound, we didn't have the luxury of advanced healthcare and the use of tetanus toxoid (TT) then, so all treatment was local. After heating the spoon with the oil, it will be applied directly to the surface of the wound. Even writing this made me feel the pains once again, I had tears in my eyes!

After days of treatment, I just had to advise myself to leave soccer for those who have it, Uche and his friends. Nonetheless, I played in school, which was safer as we had safe playing facilities.

But, a child can't survive without a game! I quickly sort out for a safer alternative.

My Love for Ludo

_{Playing Ludo by F1 Digitals from Pixabay}

Ludo was a game with very few physical risks. It was a highly social game which I enjoyed playing with my neighbours and siblings. The game is unique in that it's just a game of uncertainties, sometimes, you have two 6, other times, four 6, and most times, 6 will not even come.

It is hard to play when you are losing, and quite fun when you are winning. If for nothing, this game thought me the basic nature of life, you are not always boxed in favour, sometimes, you lose, other times you win, no matter how strategic you are about life. I learnt to accept life as it happens, because in this game, while you are ahead of your opponent, sometimes, even close to your "house", things can just turn around in favour of your opponent, and life will just happen to you 😂.

Final Words

I never stopped loving the game of soccer as a boy, and even as a man. However, when there is a need to make a compromise between fun and safety, it is always rational to choose safety.

Thanks for stopping by!