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Rachel Renée Russell

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Dork Diaries Book 14

Dork Diaries

#1 New York Times Bestselling Series

JUST FOR YOU!!
Miss Know-it-All's Advice
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Part 1

HOW TO:
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Part 2

January 14, 2021

Family Night Game Over!

Hi everyone! Today we have a special letter from Max Crumbly! Max is the guy on the right, and he’s playing a board game with his older sister and his little brother in the striped shirt.

In case you didn’t know, Max is Brandon’s best bud. He’s asking for advice about the headache of being stuck hanging out with family members all day long for months on end due to the pandemic. I’m sure that many of us are struggling with this same problem.

Okay, so here is Max’s letter…

What’s Up Nikki,

My family is big on having weekly game nights so that we can be together, bond, laugh and all that stuff. We do everything from board games to trivia to video games. But lately, everyone (including me!) is getting really impatient, competitive and a little bit mean about who’s winning. How can we get back to having fun?!

Max Crumbly, aka “Grumpy Grumbling Gamer”

Hi Grumpy Grumbling Gamer,

You know that phrase, “Distance makes the heart grow fonder?” Yeah, I think it’s probably true, because there hasn’t been much distance between the family members in my house lately, and my feelings for Miss Penelope (my sister’s hand puppet) have definitely NOT grown fonder! ☹

Example: Brianna keeps saying that she and Miss Penelope want another sleepover with me in my super comfy bed, but the last time I agreed to THAT ridiculousness, I woke up on the floor (Brianna claimed that Miss Penelope kicked me off the mattress. . . I have my doubts).

Seriously, I definitely get what you’re going through—I mean, it’s not easy in a normal year to hang out with my family on a game night. Picture this:

  • One Monopoly Board
  • One Hand Puppet (aka, Miss Penelope) wearing the Hat game piece while eating three other game pieces.
  • One Dad reading the rules while wearing a t-shirt saying “This RoachMaster Rules!”
  • One Mom trying to stop our dog Daisy (and my sister Brianna) from eating too many snacks.
  • One Sister stealing fake paper money because she’s trying to bribe the tooth fairy into never visiting anyone again (long story).
  • One ME watching the clock and wondering when I can call my friends and write about all this madness in my diary.

You got all that? Okay, now whip it all up and let it bake for about an hour. You want to know the results? Here’s what usually comes out of the family game oven:

  • One Tantrum (most often from Dad or Miss Penelope)
  • One Wildly-Contested Game (with rules that change ALL the time)
  • One Tired Family (who all declare themselves winners by eating dessert)

So yes, our game nights are always a little bit messy. But fast-forward to game nights happening more and more often, like they have this year for me and you…

Well yeah, that was always bound to blow up like a last-minute, badly-researched, extra-hot-sauce-infused science fair volcano, right?!?!

We’ve all been kinda cooped up in our houses more than normal lately, and we’ve been spending lots of extra time with our family, which is AWESOME in some ways and AWFUL in others. Bottom line: it’s normal to have a few stingy sparks flying around on game night.

Here’s my advice:

  1. Let one family member choose a game for the evening. Respect the choice and play that family member’s game! Rotate the games so that everyone gets to play something that they enjoy now and then.
  2. Create a jar of joke breaks. If things get heated, make your Uncle Oscar (or whoever) reach into a jar and tell a pre-written joke! It sounds silly, but so does having your Uncle Oscar tell silly jokes. It’ll break up the tension!
  3. Give out strips of paper to everyone at the beginning of the game that say “My Bad!” If somebody’s rude (and others call them out on it), they have to give out a “My Bad!” strip that entitles everyone else to ask for a favor.
  4. Rather than having a Game Night, have each family member suggest a different activity that would still encourage togetherness—like having a Zoom meeting with someone you all know, or cooking something together, or watching a movie and doing a book club thing—the possibilities are endless!

Okay, readers, now it’s YOUR turn—is spending extra time with your family driving you KA-RAY-ZEE? Do you have any advice for our friend, Max Crumbly?

Category: Ask Nikki nikki

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Comments

  1. Struggle says

    January 22, 2021 at 2:26 am

    I have That problem all the time! (Including myself)

  2. ♡Kitty_Moon♡ says

    January 21, 2021 at 11:42 pm

    Bragging isn’t too good
    hmmm it’s kinda hard to answer a question like this even if they brag still be nice about it! 😀

  3. Zoey says

    January 21, 2021 at 10:17 pm

    yes play monopoly once upon a dream is right

  4. Dork says

    January 21, 2021 at 7:38 pm

    Dear Max,
    when I do family night everything is just find!
    Just do these to keep you safe from all the drama,
    1: Try to be fun and not get on peoples nerves!
    2: pick a game where everyone likes it!
    3: Try not to be TOO competitive.
    4: Just try to have fun!
    Try my steps and be just fine bro!

  5. I'll be perfect... in summer says

    January 21, 2021 at 6:51 pm

    Okie, I see ur problem and heres what I suggest,

    1. yell when someone cheats
    2. just point out what ur feeling!

  6. Sunnysideup says

    January 21, 2021 at 6:27 pm

    I felt the same way Grump Grumbling Gamer,untill I actually stopped focusing on when will family time be over and started focusing on what’s going on during family time. You never know all the cool stuff about your family until you actually sit down and ask/listen about it. Hope this helped you know others feel/felt the same way until they tried listening for a change

  7. pretty n blue says

    January 21, 2021 at 6:20 pm

    play umm 31 its so fast they wont even brag

  8. bookworm says

    January 21, 2021 at 5:34 pm

    do NOT play monopaly every one gets mad and no one every has fun

  9. dork diary lover says

    January 21, 2021 at 4:41 pm

    just play the game of life it takes soooooo long by the time it is your bedtime the game didnt even start!

    • Miss. Know-It-All says

      January 23, 2021 at 5:21 pm

      OK, Max if this is happing by the time you see this here are some ideas…

      1. just ignore you brother or who is bragging
      2. say, ” it is just a game ”
      3. think ” maybe next time ”
      4. just think, ” at least we have a family game time”
      i hope these help you

  10. DORK GIRLZZZZZZZZZ says

    January 21, 2021 at 4:06 pm

    MAX your lucky I never have a family night of family game time ever with my parents or my brother

  11. jk says

    January 21, 2021 at 4:03 pm

    i understand.

  12. bleh says

    January 21, 2021 at 4:03 pm

    Be a good sport bro! You don’t ALWAYS WIN. UGHHHHHHH. Love ur fam tooooooooo

  13. YAAAAAAAAS says

    January 21, 2021 at 4:01 pm

    Just be a good sport

  14. Inside Quarantine from Family says

    January 21, 2021 at 3:59 pm

    Just seclude yourself.

  15. Checkers Addict says

    January 21, 2021 at 2:00 pm

    OMG, I totally get it…my siblings don’t like losing and usually just leave if things aren’t going good for them in the game!

  16. DogLover#1 says

    January 21, 2021 at 1:57 pm

    I love playing Monopoly Jr. with my family…….but my littlest sis always has a fit if she doesn’t win. It kinda drives me crazy

  17. Odd winter says

    January 21, 2021 at 1:10 pm

    Lol i get it my sibling does that she thinks she could bond with me which stinks she takes and wrecks my art….

  18. Miko says

    January 21, 2021 at 12:59 pm

    OK, My family of four(Mom, dad, lil brother and me) usually like to play sequence, or game of life. The only problem is that everyday for anything my brother SCREAMS!! My family Hates it so every time someone wins (usually me) he starts screaming, that’s why I call him SCREAMFEST.

  19. Anonymous says

    January 21, 2021 at 12:45 pm

    What we do is we party till we can’t do it anymore.

  20. Miss Bri Bri says

    January 21, 2021 at 12:03 pm

    I think you should just make a game for everyone to play. That way you’d be able too make you’re own rules. The number 1 rule would be: If you win no BRAGGING or else the win will be handed to the next person.

  21. Chole Dork _Unicorn Princess says

    January 21, 2021 at 11:03 am

    Max I’m sorry that your brother acts like that I have two little brothers I try to forget about that and play different games

  22. Magic says

    January 21, 2021 at 11:00 am

    Max, my family is also competive but we are like a happy family. So, I am GUESSING that after you stop playing the game and after a while you guys just cool down.

  23. iiXxChoco_LattexXii says

    January 21, 2021 at 10:10 am

    No spending time with my family is ok I love them a lot and Whenever I’m at school I miss them a lot because they are my everything.❤️ But… I have to admit… Sometimes my brother DOES get a little competitive! He always beats me in video games!

  24. Dorky scooter girl says

    January 21, 2021 at 10:09 am

    hahahahahahahah my family is 15x worse

  25. smog dork says

    January 21, 2021 at 9:44 am

    play chess and they’ll get too bored they skip (if you get to choose the game)

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