I don’t know how the clothespin game originated, but it was certainly going on long before my childhood. It’s pretty simple: clip a clothespin onto someone without them realizing it. You’re probably thinking that doesn’t sound like much fun, but you are so, so wrong.

First off, it’s a game of skill. It’s trickier than you think to hook one on someone without them noticing. There’s the actual delicate placing of the clothespin, but there’s also the approach. You’d be amazed at how suspicious people get when you’re following them around, or lurking behind them for no reason. And it only gets harder when they know there’s a clothespin out there somewhere, looking for victims. There’s also the selection of the location to pin the clothespin. You could go for the obvious places, like a shirt-tale that is hanging out. Your success rate is going to be higher, but they’re probably going to find it as soon as they sit down. On the other hand, you could go for something a little tougher, like a fold in the shirt that is sticking out higher up, but then you’re running the risk of pinching the shirt or pulling something tight, which might get you caught.

It’s a game that takes minutes to learn, but years to master.

When I was a kid, we pretty much played this game nonstop. There was always a clothespin in the mix somewhere. Nothing is funnier than sending your mom off to her big meeting, or your sister off to school for her big report, with a clothespin on her back. The problem was, we had a whole bag of clothespins hanging on the back of the door to the stairs. So there could really be any number of clothespins active at any one time. I remember laughing hysterically (and pseudo-silently) as mom took her coat off in church with no less than seven clothespins on her back! And there is no joy greater than having your brother gleefully point out the clothespin he just stuck on somebody, when you know that you just added a third clothespin onto his back.

This game is, of course, where we get that old chestnut of wisdom: if you don’t see the clothespin on anybody’s back, it’s probably on yours.

Of course I had no choice but to teach this to my children. At first Evie was comically bad at it, but lately she has gotten pretty good. It takes a lot of patience, and she is still learning that. But she’s gotten me a few times recently without me knowing it. Oliver must have seen us playing, because two times I have caught him trying to put one on me (he doesn’t even know how to work the thing!). So I’m pretty sure he’ll be playing before too long.

So next time you see a clothespin on someone in public, just smile and play along. Don’t tell them! And if you get home from our house and find a little “gift” on your back, feel free to try to “return” it next time you’re here!