Whoever smiles first

Jacob and I have this game that we play. I call it "Whoever smiles first".

Objective: Stare into each other's eyes without smiling. Whoever smiles first, loses.

A very complex set of instructions. Ages 3 & up.

I initially created the game as a clever ploy to make him smile for pictures because it worked every single time. He always lost.



Now it has become a simple game we play even when no photo shoots are involved. It always makes us laugh.

I used to be the Whoever Smiles First Champion. However, now that Jacob has developed his own patented "I Will Refrain From Smiling No Matter What" face, I'm no longer on a hot winning streak. His new strategy has led him to many a victory. It's downright impossible for me to keep from laughing, or at the very least, smiling, at his expression.
Thankfully, he doesn't play his winning hand every single time.

This is how he used to look every time we played.

As you can see, he was almost losing before we even started.


Here's Jacob's Serious Face. Sometimes I can still win when he presents me with this one.



"Not smiling, not smiling, not smiling, not smiling..."



And, without further ado, here's his Ace in the Hole face. He's undefeated when he pulls this one out of his bag of tricks.


Even looking at a picture of it makes me laugh. I challenge anyone to stare directly at that face and not smile.

"You lose, Mommy!"


Now you see why he's close to taking over the Whoever Smiles First champion status.

Any game that makes my son laugh like this


is something I'll play anytime.
Even though I'm losing.