I am currently holed up a stone's throw from Lake Tahoe with my family. Everyone except my 90 year old grandmother has an iPhone, and we all play word games every morning.

Without talking, we convene in the living room, click on our little screens, and drink an unimaginable amount of coffee. My mom scoffs every so often at her phone before reminding all of us that she's about to beat my high score. (She's not. It's unbeatable. I am a powerhouse.) My husband, Brian, ignores most of this because he is patient and quieter than everyone. He offers occasional help when people get stuck while I simply declare, "Nope! Game's over!"

So, the first rule of playing word games with your family? Be louder than everyone else when you're trying to make a point. Pay no attention to the other seven people that are talking. You have a point, and everyone should know it. For example, "YES, YOU CAN SPELL A WORD BEGINNING WITH 'Q' EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T HAVE A 'U.' Q-A-T-S. JUST PUT IT IN. IT'S A WORD. IT'S SOME KIND OF TROPICAL EVERGREEN, I THINK."

Once you've mastered being louder (and, therefore, more correct) than everyone, you should work on taunting them. Remind them of that amazing word you had five minutes ago, and calculate exactly how close you are to beating your own high score. Casually glance over their shoulders as they play while making sounds like, "Huh." and "Errr. Oh." Mention the rules again in passing.

"Hey, you can't use that word because it will realign the entire right side of the board. That's just the quickest way to lose."

Pause slightly before adding, "Yikes."

If there's an elderly member of your family that doesn't have an iPhone, you should explain the rules to them, and have them help you. No matter whether they help you or not, you should let everyone know that they are amazing at the game. "I can't believe you found that word! I've been looking at this for thirty minutes!" This will alert everyone that they should have been asking for help much, much earlier. It also immediately turns the entire fiasco into a mind game.

Here's the most important thing. You should read this at least twice. Never, under any circumstances, hand your phone to another member of the family for "help." No matter how trustworthy they seem, they will immediately lose the game for you. "Oh, I didn't know I couldn't press that button! It seemed like that was going to help!"

They know exactly which buttons they should or shouldn't press. You will never meet a more unscrupulous group of people than family members playing word games. They're all just trying to beat your high score.