That whole horde encounter, I didn't get lucky. I backed off, boxed myself into one small spot, and picked zombies off instead of running in and hoping. Ended up walking away stacked on ammo because of it. Evan still called it luck. So I went fishing, something like "I'm really good at strategy and I play really smart, is that what you meant?" He just turned it right back into a question instead of giving me the compliment. Honestly I knew going in he wasn't going to give me one. Asked anyway. Does your kid ever refuse to hand you credit even when you've clearly earned it?

We started our farm this episode while we're still paying off what we owe on the mine, so almost every choice came down to spend now or wait. Evan came back with a good haul and we put half of it straight toward the town debt before either of us bought anything fun. While I did the math out loud he'd already fenced in a green bean patch a few feet away and named it himself, so now it's officially the green bean fence. Later that night we were building a bridge near the crocodiles and I called him Captain Whiny Pants for asking for so much help. He came right back at me with Rudy, and neither nickname has gone away since. We finally wrapped up once our guy in the game actually needed the sleep. Has your kid ever handed you a nickname you couldn't shake?

This one made me laugh because it's so ten years old. Evan got himself stranded, so I dropped what I was doing to go bring him back, and I told him the mushy thing while I did it. Don't forget who loves you, bro. One breath of sincere, one breath of get off my head. That's just where we are right now. I say the mushy stuff anyway. He'll trample the moment two seconds later, but he still hears it. Does your kid let a sweet moment sit, or do they blow it up the instant it happens?

Kids are going to make mistakes. How you respond teaches more than the mistake itself. Evan forgot to start his recording and did not realize it until most of the game day was gone. He finally confessed, hoped I had been recording, and lucky for us I was. My joke to him was, well, let's hope I was witty, since my footage was all we had. This is actually why we restarted the Dinkum series in the first place, so this time we made sure our settings were right. I reminded him once about what to check next time and then let it go. Harping on it would only make him feel bad, and he already knew. He was embarrassed and apologetic after, and that is what matters. When your kid messes up, how do you point it out without piling on?

There's a moment in every gaming session where Evan says something I have to just roll with. This time it was 'Gangsta Footera.' I actually recognized the name. I've heard it a few times from Roblox or Fortnite. I figured that had to count for something. He told me I wasn't hip. I think the right move is to accept that your kid has a whole interior language you're not fully part of, and that even catching one doesn't mean you're in. The gap doesn't close just because you learned one word. What's something your kid says that you actually recognized but still got told you're not cool for knowing?