If I can’t see your face, I don’t know what’s going on. This frightens me.
So when my daughter wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese on her birthday, I couldn’t help by cringe.
“Wouldn’t you rather go to McDonalds? Get some McNuggets?” I suggested. Yes, McDonalds is home to Ronald McDonalds who *shudders* has a painted face, but at least I could still SEE it. Plus, he rarely makes an appearance in the actual restaurant anymore. He just pops up on TV. (I miss his pals. Grimace. Hamburglar. Mayor McCheese.)
Natalie shook her head vehemently. “I want Chuck E Cheese!”
So fine. We agreed to take her there. Not for a party, mind you, but for pizza and tokens so she could play the germ riddled games. Not that I’m a germaphobe. I don’t wipe down anything. I just have to wonder how clean some of the games actually get.
Some people will argue that the food at Chuck E Cheese is disgusting. I disagree. I like their pizza. I ate 2 slices. Plus some of the dessert pizza we also got.
Then I trailed behind Natalie as she picked what she wanted to do. She ran to her favorite thing: the horse.
My Mom is a major horse lover, I should mention. She loves to ride, her house is decorated with all sorts of horse stuff, and she even volunteers at a horse place where special needs kids go. She tried so hard to get me to love horses as I grew up but I would always pinch my nose and go, “They stink!” I was petrified to be on top of a horse, so sure that it would sense my fear and buck me off.
But Natalie? She loves horses. She loves to ride. Perhaps my Mom has finally found her horse lover…
Natalie prefers to go on the actual rides than to try and win tickets. Tommy and Daddy concentrate on that part. Could I let her wander on her own? Maybe. But I don’t. I see tiny kids run free and I wonder where their parents are. Some kids behave, others will refuse to get off a ride and give someone else a turn. That’s where I step in and will remove it. I don’t have the patience to argue with a toddler who has no supervision.
One of my favorite things to do at Chuck E Cheese is play skee ball. I try to get Natalie enthused but she’s bored after one game. Me? I could stay there the entire time.
Anyway, Natalie was busy chatting on the phone and the something brushed past me and I almost leaped up on the climbing structure from fear.
It was Chuck E Cheese.
And he had a sign that said, “Follow me for free tickets!”
“Chuck E Cheese! I love him!” Natalie said, hanging up the toy phone. She followed him and said, “I like your pants.” ?
Chuck E Cheese stopped and began to dance. He motioned for all the kids around him to dance too.
He almost got close to me again and I backed up. Who knows what lives under the suit? And, hello, it’s a giant RAT.
He tossed tickets in the air after and the kids all dove for them.
In the end I think we had 300 tickets?
Natalie got a cheap bracelet and a cheap puffy toy.
She loved them and that’s all that matters.
“I’ll see you soon, Chuck E Cheese!” Natalie said when we left.
Hopefully not TOO soon…
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