Is it fair for our dad to hold us to this bet? I’m a 16 year old girl and my sister is 14. I should probably start by saying my dad is really good at sleight of hand magic and stuff like that. That’s how he was able to pull this off. Anyway, yesterday, my sister and I were having fun racing each other across the backyard. We were taking a break between races and trying to catch our breath when our dad came up behind us. We didn’t realize he was there until he said something and made us both jump. He told us he’d been watching us race and wanted in. He offered us the following wager. If we beat him in a race, we wouldn’t have to do any chores for a month. If he wins, we have to do double the amount of chores we’d normally do. We agreed to the bet and took our mark. When dad yelled go, the two of us took off running. We were halfway to the finishing point and ahead of him when we suddenly found ourselves being jerked off our feet and onto our butts! Dad then stopped running and just walked to the finishing line. It turns out he tied one end of a rope to the back belt loop of my shorts and the other end to the back belt loop of my sister’s shorts. And during the race we’d run past a tree on opposite sides. I gotta give him credit, we didn’t see that one coming! Thing is, he’s serious about the bet. He honestly expects us to do even more chores than usual! My sister and I don’t think it’s fair given how he won. What do you think? Is it fair for him to hold us to this bet? And if not, how can we talk him into letting us off the hook?
Help Yourself
Thanks for writing in about this problem. It can be very frustrating to know that you have been tricked into a bet. Hopefully, you and your sister have learned some valuable lessons from this experience.
For example, when someone is so sure they will win a bet there is usually a trick involved. When you are tricked into something, similar to your Dad playing this prank on you, there may be a possibility to talk to them about the situation not being fair, but most likely they will not change their mind.
So, always show caution when making bets and follow through with your end. It is best to avoid making bets all together just for this reason.
Try to talking to your Dad about the situation and see what he says. He might appreciate your assertiveness, but also may hold you to your end of the deal.
Consider This:
What considerations will you make in future bets?
How could you approach the subject of not feeling the situation is unfair ?
How can you help your younger sister to think through situations?
