My husband is so competitive at laser tag, our kids refuse to play with him

After that, I made the decision to never play anything competitive with Sam again, which worked well, until we had children.

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“I dubbed him ‘Table Tennis Sam'”

It was after our kids got to game-playing age – around six – when we played family board games or UNO with them, that I’d see little glimpses of Table Tennis Sam (my name for his competitive alter ego) return. But I could see he was trying to rein it in, so I let it go.

But as the boys got a bit older and Sam started getting out on the sports field with them, slowly I saw the truth, Table Tennis Sam returning.

Then, one day we went to play laser tag, and well, he was back in his full glory. Table Tennis Sam had been reignited and he was hungry for the win.

Even though I was also playing, I found myself often just stopping and staring at Table Tennis Sam in astonishment because I just couldn’t believe he was behaving this way.

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“He was loud and aggressive”

It was like he was at a buck’s party with his mates – he was loud and aggressive, and he didn’t hold back for anything, or anyone, especially his two sons (aged eight and 10).

He’d deliberately hide and then burst out in front of them, not to just take his shot but to scare the crap out of them too.

There was a point where other adult players were looking at Table Tennis Sam, some as shocked as I was.

By the end of the game, my boys were unusually quiet and withdrawn, Table Tennis Sam was completely oblivious and jubilant because he’d won. Sorry, well, as they put it, “dominated.”

After witnessing what can only be described as a complete embarrassment, I had a little chat with Sam (normal Sam) when he’d calmed down and told him that his behavior was a bit inappropriate and childish.

“I asked him to tone it down”

I asked him to tone it down a bit, that laser tag was meant to be a fun game, not a real-life combat, fighting for life.

But instead of listening, they laughed and said that it was a good lesson for the boys to learn, that life wasn’t always fair and things like this would happen. Then he added what I think was his real motivations, that he couldn’t just not try his best, that just wasn’t him, well, not even for laser tag.

Against my better judgment, after a bit of time went by, we went back to play another game. Table Tennis Sam was immediately back in action and even more intense than the game we’d played before.

He was yelling, grunting, Rolling on the ground like he was literally in some sort of battle zone, honestly, I was completely mortified and so were the boys.

Well, actually not just mortified but some sort of combination of freaked out/confused and uncomfortable about how their dad was acting.

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“Mum, I don’t want to play anymore”

Then my eldest came up to me and said, “Mum, I don’t want to play anymore.”

Despite knowing exactly why and feeling the same way myself, I asked him what was wrong.

“I don’t like Dad like this,” he responded.

I just nodded because I not only completely agreed but really there were no words to say.

It wasn’t long after this that my other son came up and told me he didn’t want to play anymore either.

By this point, I just took them out to the snack bar and treated them to a donut while Table Tennis Sam (oblivious of the fact his entire family had deserted him) continued his game.

“Why’d you all go?” they asked when they eventually finished.

The boys and I both just looked at him. They got it.

Despite the impact of Table Tennis Sam on his kids, he refuses to change his ways, because that’s just “not him.” So Anytime the boys want to play laser tag, they stipulate “without Dad” and I am totally OK with that.