How to Have Successful and Stress-free Birthday Party at Chuck E. Cheese

Today is my oldest daughter's seventh birthday. We're going to Chuck E. Cheese. Just saying that usually fills me with dread, but we've actually engineered this so that it should be a fairly positive experience for the adults as well as kids.

Chuck E. Cheese tends to be noisy and chaotic. One time, my brother and I (and spouses) took all of our kids there, just for fun. I become very anxious in chaotic surroundings, so this was difficult for me. Additionally, I had a near-altercation with another parent.

My middle daughter was in the toddler play area, and had climbed to the top of a small slide. Naturally, she wanted to slide down, and was patiently waiting. The child in front of her, however, was just sitting there. Mom was standing there trying to talk him down. "Come on, sweetie, just slide down," she cooed. This went on for several minutes, and she could have picked him up and put him on the floor. However, she continued trying to talk him down. When I finally said "Hey, sweetie, my little girl wants to slide down too," (to the boy, not the mom), she barked, "Don't tell my kid what to do!"

OOOOkay! I backed away a few steps and bit my lip. She did finally coax him down, and all was well, but she and I continued to glare every time we saw each other.

So why would I want to go back? Well, we've figured out a way to deal with this. We had a party there for our middle daughter (now four) last year. We made a party reservation for 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, which is early, but we had the place almost to ourselves the whole time. We've got the same reservation today, and we're actually looking forward to it.

As for the expense, we told our kids that they could have one party at Chuck E. Cheese, period, forever (well, unless they choose one as an adult, I suppose!). We haven't talked about other venues yet, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I think the expense for one time is worth it, considering that we have almost nothing to do to prepare for or run the party. Decorations, food, cake, and entertainment are all provided. The restaurant provides a party host, who tells everyone what to do at what time. No worries for the parents of the birthday child.

I'm happy with our choice for this year, and I highly recommend the 10:00 time slot for anyone considering Chuck E. Cheese.