If you haven't played Among Us are you even living in a Pandemic?

If you haven't heard of the online game "Among Us" yet, let me introduce you to the game that has gone viral during this pandemic. The rest of the world has jumped on board and is playing and it's about time you start too. In fact, if you are a parent, I've got a dare for you.

If you are scratching your head and wondering what "Among Us" is? I'll fill you in real quick.

It's one of the biggest online games right now that you can play with groups of people you know or with people you don't know.
One person is usually randomly picked as the Impostor and the rest of the players are Crewmates.
The Crewmates do a variety of tasks assigned to them while trying to avoid being killed by the Impostor.
If the Impostor kills too many people, they win. If those who are Crewmates finish all their tasks, they will win.

I like playing the game and think it's fun but I'd rather play with people I know versus playing with random strangers. So, when I heard my kids talking about starting a game with their other teen friends, I told them I was joining in. If you want to see what it is like being a mom during a pandemic, I laid out the next 15 minutes of my life with annoyed teens for you:

NARRATOR: Immediately after the announcement that the mom was joining her kids' "Among Us" game, there was a pause by all children. Their walking stopped. Their talking stopped. The only thing that moved was their eyes as they made some sort of roll pattern over the top of the eye socket.
MOM: Let me say that again...I'm not asking, I'm telling you that I am playing with you and their friends.
NARRATOR: It appeared as if the silence would continue but the teenage boys slowly started to move and started to break their own silence with words that were like a question but also a statement at the same time.
BOY 1 and BOY 2 look at each other. Neither said anything for a sec but it was as if they were communicating to one another telepathically on what the correct answer should be to the person who birthed them.
BOY 1: Umm, ok.
BOY 2: Yeah, you can play but you aren't going to be on video with us while we play.
NARRATOR: The mom knew that she could take this "video" away from them at any point but decided she would give this to them so they thought they had a win. What the boys secretly didn't know is that the mom could hear everything through their doors.
MOM: Ok, send me the code and let's play.
NARRATOR: The boys, still appearing a bit stunned that their mom would actually be playing a game with friends in a few minutes, went to their rooms to get started.
NARRATOR: Mom opens up the game, gets ready to play and hears a code yelled down the hall from her boys. She excitedly puts it in and the game is about ready to start.
BOY 1: (spoken in his room with the door closed...but remember, the mom can still hear him). I sure hope she doesn't embarrass us.
NARRATOR: Game starts and all of the friends and boys have players with the names 1, 11, 111, and so forth. Mom's character gets added, pops on the screen, and she is all pink and has the name "Princess".
NARRATOR: In the chat message of the game pops up the message, "Who is Princess?".
NARRATOR: Mom declares her mission a success.

Parents, one thing you should know that maybe your kids aren't telling you is this: Kids have told me to my face that they aren't actually listening to their teachers while doing distance learning but are really crushing it in Among Us. So, if you aren't already checking on your kid while they are doing online learning, you may want to just pop your head in every now and then.

To the moms who are parenting during this pandemic, the challenge is on. I want YOU to tell your kids that you are joining in their game. Yes! And, I want you to document via video or write down their reaction. Then, send that to me on my Facebook page - Jessica On The Radio or DM me on Instagram here. (Oh, and if you ever want a mom to join in your game, just shoot me the code and I may just hop on!)

Listen to Jessica Williams weekdays from 6 am until 10 am on Y105FM's Early Morning Show with James Rabe and Jessica Williams