The Great Debate......

and, NO, I'm not talking about politics here. Instead, I'm referring to one of those silly, long standing, disagreements between family members. Brad & I have positioned ourselves on opposite ends of the poles in regard to this particular matter and there is absolutely no budging either of us. I'd like to say that your responses in the comments would sway one or the other of us, but it's not very likely, as we are both of the stubborn variety.

Brad and I both like to play Spider Solitaire on the computer. Oh yes, we're a very exciting and productive pair. As with most things of this nature, Brad is very good at it. I am mediocre, but I manage to pull out a win fairly often. Brad is so competitive about it that he tracks his statistics. The stats tell you your winning percentage as well as the number of games in your winning or losing streak. When we first started playing, Brad would keep playing games until he won; not unlike when he first started playing sudoku and would keep playing games until he solved the puzzle in "x" amount of minutes. Personally, I think all that is ridiculous. And, it is now very clear where my son gets his competitiveness.

Now, Brad plays one game until he wins. Just this morning, I came downstairs and an un-won game was displayed on the computer. Teasing him, I asked him if he lost. To which he placed his sly grin on his face and confidently said, "I never lose." He gives me a lot of grief if he checks the stats and the winning percentage has dropped, which signifies that I have been playing. And then, he sets out to make it right again by sitting down to play (and win) until the percentage is back up near 100. I think this is borderline OCD if you ask me, but since I have so many OCD qualities in other forms, I shall not point that out........

The source of the debate is the use of the "undo" button. I tend to take after my daddy in this regard, who would NEVER look at the back of the book for his crossword puzzle solutions. He (daddy) claims that that is cheating. So, I use the "undo" button very sparingly. On the other side, Brad has "undone" so many moves at once, that I have asked him why he didn't just restart the same game. The reason? Because apparently, that messes up the statistics. Geez! Remember when I said Brad will play a game until he wins, that is exactly what I mean. He will undo and undo and undo until he figures out where all the cards are, and makes his moves accordingly. How could he be proud of a 100% winning percentage if he attains it like that? But, his argument is that if it were cheating, it wouldn't be allowed. Which, I suppose, is a valid point and is also my argument for using the undo button myself occasionally. The difference is the amount in which we use it. He also says that you should always play to win, and use everything in your legal power to attain victory. And, since the undo option is there legally, he asserts that he is playing the game the way it is meant to be played.

What do y'all think? Is it cheating to use the undo button occasionally? often? Is it best to use it until you win, or just chalk up your losses. We'd love to hear your thoughts and possibly clear up the great debate. But, as I said before, I doubt that either of us can be swayed! But, if you convince Brad that he is cheating maybe I can have bragging rights once in a while! I suppose that I can also undo until the cows come home, but I don't have the patience. Nor do I care what my winning percentage is. I play just to decompress.

What are your funny family debates? It might be fun to hear that we're not the only ones with crazy/funny arguments.......and probably more fun to hear what they are.