There have been some discussions about whether gambling is hazardous for kids, but I think that it is easy to forget that even though it is of course not good for kids to be to competitive, it is still a great way to spend quality time together with your family. I and my husband and our kids play at least once a week. It is a great tradition which everyone looks forward to during the day, and in the evening we all sit down at the kitchen table and start playing. We have two sons and a daughter, and all three of them are really talented. Texas Hold’em is the game we play the most, which is good since that is the game that is showing most on TV as well. I love seeing my kids develop in their game, and I get especially proud when I see that they are rather good losers. There is no real hostile atmosphere ever, and we can all congratulate the winner when the game is over. Also, this is a good time for discussions about other things than poker. If you just see each other at dinner time, if that, then it is important to take every chance you get to actually spend time with your kids.
Even though we are playing poker, we can still chat about how school was today, what is happening the next week and how everybody is feeling. It leaves room for a lot of laughter and joking, and discussing strategies and game plans is good for the development of the kids. Of course I understand that there are dangerous elements in the gambling culture, and I wouldn’t let my children take any part of that. For example, there is no way that I would allow them to go to Las Vegas! But that is more because of the whole world in general there. Hopefully my kids wouldn’t be very interested in that kind of lifestyle, and we try to keep it that way... I also think that it is hazardous to bring too much stress and competition into a child’s life – as long as he or she is having fun then it is fine, but it is best to keep one eye out for signs that they are feeling pressured. But at the end of the day I am very happy for our little family gatherings around the poker table. Without them I don’t know how much I would see of my kids, and I know that my husband appreciate the card playing a lot as well.

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