Pac-Man is a classic arcade game that deserves all the love. Guiding an abstract mouth around a ghost-patrolled maze in pursuit of dots is pure joy. As good as it is, I never imagined the greedy yellow circle would bring my family closer together, but that’s exactly what happened this summer. Ever since the Arcade1Up Pac-Man Deluxe Arcade Machine displaced a tatty old cat tree in the corner of my office, I have been battling for the high score with my eldest teen.
As a teenager, figuring out what you want to do and who you want to be is tough at the best of times. Try juggling all of that during a pandemic. And as a parent, you can feel it in your bones when your kids are unhappy. But accepting the unpalatable truth that there’s little you can do about it is one of life’s hardest lessons. My advice, no matter how well-meaning, holds little value right now. My eldest mostly…
