Checkeroonio is a game the kids and I play when getting in the car. It’s a straightforward race to not be the last one to say checkeroonio. The only rule is that you can’t say checkeroonio until after your door is closed and your seatbelt is buckled. Click here to see how the whole thing got started. There’s no winner to the game, but the  loser (the last person to say checkeroonio) is “the rotten egg.”

Unfortunately, when I’m driving in my car, I pretty much always lose. My car has two doors, which means I have to let the kids get in and sit down first. There’s just no way I can buckle my seatbelt in time.

I compensate by trying to cheat.

“Shh,” I said urgently the other day as my youngest and I were getting in the car. “Be really quiet.”

“Che-”

“No!” I interrupted, closing my door. “No words! Not yet!”

He laughed. “Check-”

“Shhh!”

“Checkeroonio,” he shouted. “You’re the rotten egg!”

I buckled my seatbelt. “No, you’re the rotten egg.”

“Da-addy! You’re the rotten egg!”

“Okay,” I said, grinning back at him, “then you’re just rotten.”

He grinned back at me. “No! You’re the rotten egg!”

“And you’re just rotten. I’m the rotten egg. You’re just rotten.”

“No,” he said, gesturing emphatically with his arms. “I’m not rotten and I’m not the rotten egg.”

“So you’re just an egg.”

“Yes!” he shouted. “That’s right. I’m just an egg. That’s all. I’m just a – Wait! No! I’m not an egg!” He was laughing so hard, his face was red and he was having trouble speaking. “I’m not an egg!”

Heh, heh, heh.