I love Black Friday shopping. The crowds don’t bother me and as my children get older the more expensive the list of requested gifts gets. Buying stuffed animals and Barbie dolls won’t suffice anymore, so Black Friday and Cyber Monday have helped me save quite a bit of money shopping for three teenagers!

After making my way through the shoe and electronics departments, I still enjoy browsing the board-game aisle because on the snowed-in days of winter and lazy days of summer, our family enjoys playing cards and games even as the kids have gotten older.

I was looking at Black Friday game sales, reminiscing about the days of Chutes and Ladders when it dawned on me that many of these children’s games also apply to situations we encounter throughout our lives. Chutes and Ladders teaches a great lesson about maneuvering the ups and downs we encounter throughout life. Just when we think we have lost it all, for example, we shoot to the top again!