CAMILLA, GA — A routine family game night almost ended in disaster after a young child asked to play Monopoly. Fortunately for everyone involved, better heads prevailed, and the game of Monopoly was narrowly avoided.

The night nearly fell apart when a young mother identified as Margery Tyler told her eight-year-old son to pick any game he wanted to play, forgetting that he always picked Monopoly. Quick thinking on the part of the boy's father saved the day, however, when he rushed to the game cabinet and threw the box into the fireplace before his son's small legs could get there.

"Hmm, looks like it's missing, buddy," Eric Tyler had said at the time, feigning ignorance as only a father could. "But look, son, we can play Carcassonne. You get to build out a medieval countryside. Isn't that fun?"

Though the maneuver was risky, it apparently worked. The young child shouted, "Oh boy!" and rushed back to the dinner table with Carcassonne in hand.

No one played Monopoly that night.

According to witnesses, Eric had words for his wife later that evening. "You can't be so reckless! We could have played Monopoly for hours!" as Margery only shook her head in shame.

The young boy's name had not yet been released to the public, but sources confirmed he always picked Monopoly, not because he actually liked the game, but because he liked being the little car figure and racing around the board whether it was his turn or not.

At publishing time, neighbors said the Tyler family had fallen into a new crisis after their son asked to play Settlers of Catan.

Heartwarming!