I went to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time today since I was like 10. It was insane. It was noisy. The kids were inconsiderate. The parents were worse. I was overwhelmed, frustrated and at the point of just wanting to give my kids tickets to someone and get the heck out of there. So while standing in like for the prize redemption, I was talking to another mom and complaining about all the big kids getting in front of my kid. I said, I don't know when to let him fend for himself or step in. And I said, "Like this girl. Standing with her mom and she just let her go in front of him. Isn't it the parents' job to teach their kids?"
The mom turned around and RIPPED in to me! She said, "You know, you could just point it out, or say excuse me, or ask remind me that your child was here. Talking about me right behind my back is an ineffective way to get your point across. You could use this as a teachable moment and explain to your child what to do."
Score one for the good mom. Shame on me. She was dead on and I told her so.
I said, "That's fair. You're right. I'm just overwhelmed with this place and watching parents let their kids trample other kids. You're right. It's my first time in and I shouldn't have let that get to me."
Her: "Your FIRST time here?"
Me: "Yes."
Her: "Oh. I get that. We all just want to get our prizes and get out of here."
So message to parents, and learning for me: Next time, I'll try saying, "Excuse me, I was ahead of you. Do you mind if we go in order?"
And we should remember that none of us parents REALLY want to be in that godforsaken place. We do it for the kids. We should keep our cool, teach our kids manners, and try harder to get along.
That was my teachable moment for the day. but it was me getting taught.
