As a Mum 1/4

This particular title of mine is possibly the most important one.  I'm a wife, woman, board gamer, geek, whovian, Whedonite...but most importantly I'm a mum.
Which of course mean i approach everything i do with the use of that particular filter first.

So, board games, being a mum applies a few particular aspects to ones view on the world, which isn't to say others do not think of such things, it is simply that these things were less important to ME until i became a mum.
So what are these things?  In terms of board games...
1. cost for return
2. what can be learned
3. age validity/conversion potential
4. ease.

Many things are approached with these things in mind but this is about board games.
So lets look at them, each in thier own entry because i'm long winded and opinionated.

TLDR SYNOPSIS: 
Games are expensive but the time/fun you get out of them make them more cost effective than some other 'main stream' activities.

1. Cost for return.
simple fact, board games/card games are expensive.  It is not uncommon to pay between $80-$100 here in my home town for games.  Of course there are cheaper ones (zombie dice is only $20) and more expensive ($120 for Agricola).  These prices reflect a number of things from components provided, postage the shop had to pay, and even publishing company.
One can expect to pay less for a card game that has only cards provided than for a game that comes with a wide range of wooden meeples or hand painted figurines in it.
Postage is reliant on the weight of these games often and man are some of them heavy, really heavy, which of course means they cost more.
And as for the company that published them, well for instance one of the major game publishers, Fantasy Flight, charges pretty highly for their games, on the flip side, they are pretty much very enjoyable games with great components.
Which brings us to the major reason tat the high prices of games can be overlooked by this single income stay at home mum.   Good games, with pieces made to last, will return to the family over and over again.
Let me explain it this way, taking the kids to the movies, who doesn't like the cinema right?  It's a great family outing.  So a kids movie...1.5 hours?  Maybe 2.  and to get in to see it, about $50 for the whole family on a regular day probably more like $40 on cheap Tuesday.
So for the more complex, more expensive games we're looking at 1.5 - 2 hours play, that's just over 2 games of said game to provide a $120 return in comparison to taking the family to the movies.  For kids games it takes more sessions obviously, 20 minute sessions that's 6 sessions to equal the movie outing.  Luckily, or frustratingly, kids like doing fun things over and over and over and over and over and over...
As a side note i'll also mention games specifically aimed at kids are usually a bit cheaper than $120, I've seen them range form  $10 to about $50.
So the secret is, if the game is to be a good investment.  Play them!  If you play them, have fun, laugh, and be together, the cost is worth it.

All of that said, it is important to make use of review sites and word of mouth in terms of the quality of a game.
www.boardgamegeek.com is a wonderful sight to find reviews, thoughts and potential variants (and issue i'll discuss in blog 3 of this series) of the games you're looking into.  You will not get you money back in fun if the game is bought and sux.