That Punchbuggy game is starting to get out of hand.

My kids have been playing the Punchbuggy game in the car for quite a while now. My 14-year-old daughter is especially good at it, since she's exceptionally strong and quick and can pack quite a good punch.  I don't like going anywhere with her in the passenger seat anymore, because I arrive at my destination with multiple bruises on my right upper arm.

No one pays attention to the "No hitting the driver" rule anymore.  Enforcement may need to step up.

Beyond the basic "(Name the color) punchbuggy, no punch back" game, we've moved on to a few more.  There's the "yellow one" game where you punch someone when you see a yellow car.  School buses and Ryder trucks don't count.  I've tried.  This game sounds like "Calvinball" to me, since it seems that the rules are made up as you go along by the person who didn't see the school bus or Ryder truck first.

There's another variation where someone yells "Biscuit" after somone else says they saw a punchbuggy.  Saying "Biscuit" is apparently insurance against getting hit.  For the record, no one in my car has ever honored this particular insurance policy.

And then there's the "Honda" game, where you can punch someone whenever you see a Honda.  There are a lot of Hondas on the road around here, as evidenced by the state of my upper right arm.

Finally, my daughter's friends recently introduced me to the "punch the doubter twice" rule.  That's where, after you've yelled "orange punchbuggy, no punch back" and slugged someone, they say, "No way!"  After that, the doubter gets double hits.

The only game they don't play is the "punch each other for any Volkswagen you see" variety that's all over the new VW commercials.  I guess once the game is on national television, it loses its appeal.

Next time I go anywhere with my kids, I intend to borrow a goalie outfit from the field hockey coach.  Maybe if I'm dressed like the Michelin man, I'll be unbruised when I get where I'm going.

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