Not too long ago, the kids and I started playing Ninja, which is a lifestyle game I made up. Basically, the idea is to sneak up on each other and shout “Ninja!” If you surprise the person, you get a point. Conversely, if you catch a person sneaking up on you, you shout “Samurai!” to prevent the Ninja (and get the point).

If you’re curious, you can find all the details in this newspaper article.

The other morning, my oldest slept late. Not wanting to wake him, his little brother and I sat down on the couch so he could read to me. It was an incredibly peaceful moment, sitting on the couch and sharing a book with my seven-year old.

“Samurai!”

We turned just as my oldest staggered bleary-eyed out of his bedroom, his hair sticking up every which way.

There was a pause as the three of us looked at each other, and then his little brother started giggling. “There wasn’t anyone there,” he said. “You Samurai’d nobody!”

The big guy yawned, shook his head in disgust, and walked back into his bedroom.

I can’t say I blame him.